Lorca Massine

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Lorca Massine, a choreographer and dancer, was born in New York (July 25, 1944) to Russian émigré parents. He studied dancing with Yves Brieux, Victor Gzovsky, Assaf Messerer and Anatole Wilzac..[1]

Repertoire[]

Multiple internationally renowned companies included Massine’s works in their repertoire, among others: the Birmingham Royal Ballet,[2] New York City Ballet,[3] American Ballet Theater,[4] Béjart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century[5] and the Paris Opera Ballet,[6] and have been performed on the stages of the greatest opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Teatro la Fenice (Venice), Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Teatro dell'Opera (Rome), Teatro Massimo (Palermo), Teatro Carlo San Felice (Genoa), the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden (London), and the Arena di Verona.

Zorba[]

Over his career Lorca Massine repeatedly cooperated with the world-acclaimed choreographers such as Balanchine, Béjart, and Léonide Massine[7]

Alike his father, he tends to present contemporary themes in dance based on the classical background. His interest in this field resulted in creating multiple story ballets. Massine has created more than fifty ballet choreographies and musical works. The original version of Zorba, which gained worldwide recognition, has been seen in around forty countries by over three million thrilled spectators. The premiere of Zorba at the Arena of Verona in 1988[8] turned out to be a breakthrough in Massine’s career.

“In ballet, simplified dramaturgical elements allow direct human experience to emerge and captivate the hearts of audiences over and over.”[9] – the critics summarised.

Directorships[]

  • Director, Ballet of Opera of Rome, 1981-1983[10]
  • Director, Ballet of the Polish National Opera (Warsaw), 1992-1994[11]

Lorca Massine and his father's heritage[]

Lorca Massine is also the heir to his father’s, Léonide Massine, legacy. His stagings of his father's works have been performed at the Paris Opera, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theater, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet, the Boston Ballet and Vienna State Ballet. In 2005 three ballets of Léonide Massine became part of the repertoire of the Bolshoi Ballet.

As the reviver of his father ballets he staged the following works:

  • Choreartium
  • Gaiete Parisienne
  • La Boutique Fantasque
  • La Symphonie Fantastique
  • Laudes Evangelii (12th century music orchestrated by V. Buchi)
  • Les Presages
  • The Rite of Spring
  • The Picasso Ballets: Le Tricorne, Mercure, Parade and Pulcinella

For the first time, Lorca Massine, arm in arm with Anna Krzyskow and Cameron Basden have staged Léonide Massine's ballets in Russia. This production has become a great historical and cultural event in Moscow. Lorca succeeded in inspiring Bolshoi dancers with his love and knowledge of Massine's choreography and it was a great pleasure to work with him. Massine's ballets are loved by the dancers and are very popular with the public. The choreography's impeccable classicism-Massine makes use of and develops the best traditions of Russian, or rather Moscow Imperial Ballet-and conscious and consistent avant-gardism à la Diaghilev is disarming. I am convinced that it is a very rich choreography full of unexplored potential... [12]

— Alexei Ratmansky, Director of the Bolshoi Ballet

In 1988, Lorca Massine staged his father's most celebrated work, Gaîté Parisienne, for American Ballet Theater. Collaborating with designer Christian LaCroix, Mr. Massine gave this ballet a new life. Along with imparting information gleaned from his father's personal notes, Mr. Massine coached ABT dancers brilliantly, recreating the color and spirit of the Belle Epoque.[12]

— Mikhail Baryshnikov

Works[]

Lorca Massine's Full-length Ballets[]

  • Ondine (Henze/La Motte Fouquet)
  • Mario and the Magician (Thomas Mann/ Visconti/ Manino)
  • Esotérik Satie (Erik Satie piano music)
  • Fortepianissimo (F. Chopin)
  • Streets (the Musical)
  • La metamorphose (Franz Kafka- Berlioz)
  • Zorba (Katzantzakis/Theodorakis)
  • Undine (Hans Werner Henze)
  • Fortepianissimo (F. Chopin)

One-Act Ballet[]

  • Four Last Songs (Richard Strauss)
  • Sebastian (Giancarlo Menotti)
  • The Rite of Spring (Claude Debussy)
  • The song of the Nightingale (Andersen/Depero/Stravinsky)
  • La colonie penitenciere (Kafka, Mayuzumi)
  • Ode (Igor Stravinsky)
  • 10th Symphony (Gustav Mahler)
  • Mercure (Satie, Picasso)
  • Jack in the box (Derain, Mihaud)
  • Fantaisie Serieuse' (Erik Satie)

References[]

  1. ^ "Lorca Massine". Oxford Reference.
  2. ^ "La Boutique fantasque". Birmingham Royal Ballet. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. ^ "New York City Ballet rehearsal of "Four Last Songs" with Lorca Massine and dancers, choreography by Lorca Massine (New York)". NYPL Digital Collections. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  4. ^ "Lorca Massine". American Ballet Theatre. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  5. ^ "Massine Lorca - Greek National Opera". virtualmuseum.nationalopera.gr. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  6. ^ "Lorca Massine's Parade and Pulcinella, music by Satie and Stravinsky, set and costumes by Pablo Picasso". medici.tv. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  7. ^ Staatsoper, Bayerische. "Massine Lorca". Bayerische Staatsoper. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  8. ^ "Sofia Opera and Ballet | "Zorba the Greek" again on the stage of Sofia Opera and Ballet". www.operasofia.bg. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. ^ "Zorba online: Unique history of one of the Cairo Opera Ballet Company's most triumphant works - Stage & Street - Arts & Culture". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  10. ^ "Picasso". Pompeii Sites. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  11. ^ "Nasi szefowie". Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lorca Massine: Signor Agostini cosa c'entro con Léonide Massine? È mio padre!". Giornale della Danza.
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