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Adolph
Rudolphovich
Bolm


Adolph Bolm as Student
Adolph Bolm as Ballet-Master
Adolph Bolm as Premier Danseur
Adolph Bolm as Choreographer
Adolph Bolm as Collaborator
Adolph Bolm as Husband and Father
Adolph Bolm as Son and Brothe
r
Adolph Bolm as Mentor
Adolph Bolm's Travels

Adolph Bolm's Legacy

History in Retrospect
Adolph Bolm in Today's Dance


Adolph Rudolphovich Bolm

Born :
September 25,1884
St. Petersburg
(Petrograd), Russia

Died:
April 16, 1951
Hollywood,
California, U.S
.

TCM Classic Film Festival

 

 

Recommended Books:

The Ballets Russes and Its World

Dancing in the Sun: Hollywood...

Era of the Russian Ballet

Diaghilev Observed

The Art of Ballets Russes: The Serge...

Diaghilev's Ballets Russes


Spellings of Adolph Bolm's name found in his papers:

Adolph Bolm
Adolphe Bolm
Adolf Bolm
Adolph Rudolphovich Bolm
Adolph Rudolph Bolm
Adolph Emil Bolm (note: actually Emil was Adolph's brother)



Other websites

 

June 26, 2009 through September 12, 2009 - The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts - Diaghilev's Theater of Marvels: The Ballets Russes and Its Aftermath - very wonderful exhibit.

July 26, 2008 - Pacific Harp Institute - Salzedo and Beyond: Celebrating a Great Harpist and His Legacy performs Bolmimerie.

Partial chronology of Adolph Bolm's career:

1884 - Adolph Bolm was born September 23, 1884 in St. Petersburg, Russia, of Scandinavian descent. (His father was concert master and assistant conductor in an Imperial theater in St. Petersburg.)

1904 - graduated from Russian Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal teachers: Karsavin and Legat.

1904 - accepted into the ballet of the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg

1908 - Bolm "... took a leave from Maryinsky and was responsible for arranging and directing a tour of Anna Pavlova, in which she was presented for the first time outside of Russia. Bolm had organized a small company which appeared in Helsingfors, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague, and Berlin, also possibly England. He was the youngest member of the company and also a partner." (Naima Prevots-Wallen in "The Hollywood Bowl and Los Angeles Dance, 1926-1941: Performance Theory and Practice, USC May 1983, pg 203) Bolm, Pavlova, Fokine

1909 - Bolm organized another European tour with Pavlova as his partner. Danced in Berlin with Pavlowa. Danced in the Empire Theater, London with Lydia Kyasht. Danced in Paris with Diaghilev Ballet.

1909 - Diaghilev brought a troupe of dancers from the Maryinsky Theatre to Paris, including Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Ida Rubinstein, Michel Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky and Bronislava, Adolph Bolm, Michel Mordkin.

May 18, 1909 - Borodin, Fokine, Roerich, Bolm, Fedorova, Smirnova. Adolph Bolm and Elena Smirnova danced in Prince Igor at Chatelet Theatre in Paris with Diaghilev Ballets Russes; also presented were Fokine's and Benois' Le Pavillon d'Armide with Nijinsky and Karsavina, and Le Festin. Fokine was there, and says on page 147 of his autobiography, "In spite of the brilliant cast of the first Paris season - Anna Pavlova, Catherine Geltzer, Vera Karalli, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, Mikhail Mordkin, Alexandre Volinine - the three dancers who had an exceptionally great success included neither Nijinsky nor any other of the above leading dancers. The greatest success was achieved by the Polovetzian Dances with Adolph Bolm dancing the leading part ..."

1910 - Adolph Bolm became a soloist at Maryinsky Theatre

1909-1917 - Bolm with Diaghilev company. He danced: Patrouchka, Thamar, Carnaval, Midas, Daphnis and Chloe, Cleopatra, Firebird, Coq d'Or, Pavillon d'Armide. Choreography included Sadko undersea ballet, Rimsky-Korsakov

1911 - Resigned from Imperial ballet.

1911 - Ballet director for opera in Monaco (danced with Zambelli)

1910 - Le Carnaval, Schumann, Fokine, Bakst, Karsavina, Piltz, Nijinsky, Bolm

1912 - Rejoined Diaghilev.

1912 - Les Fetes d'Hebe with Diaghilev for Jubilee celebration of the Prince of Monaco, Rameau, Bolm choreography

1912 - Thamar, Balakirev, Fokine, Bakst, Karsavina, Bolm
1912 - Daphnis and Chloe, Ravel, Fokine, Bakst, Karsavina, Nijinsky, Bolm

1913 - Khovantchina Persian dances with Diaghilev, Moussorgsky, Bolm choreography
1914 - Une Nuit de Mai for Diaghilev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bolm choreography

1914 - Midas, Steinberg, Fokine, Doboujinsky, Bakst, Karsavina, Bolm, Frohman
1915 - Prince Igor, New York Metropolitan Opera, Bolm


1915-1917 Diaghilev's Ballets Russes American tour, Metropolitan Opera Company, with Adolph Bolm

1916 - Diaghilev traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland to persuade Adolph Bolm to gather together remaining members of Ballet Russes and direct first U.S. tour. Nijinsky, Fokine and Karsavina were unavailable. In six weeks Bolm was able to assemble the dancers, prepare twenty ballets, and rehearse the troupe so performances were well received in U.S.

October 16, 1916 - first American Diaghilev performance at Manhattan Opera House (Prevots-Wallen)

1916 - First Diaghilev U.S. tour included: Manhattan, Los Angeles, New York,

1917 - Staged Coqd'Or for Metropolitan Opera in New York with Bolm as King Dodon, Rosina Galli as the Princess.

1917 - Bolm injured during performance on US tour of Diaghilev Ballets Russes, decided to leave tour and stay in U.S.

1917 - Adolph Bolm organizes Ballet Intime in New York with twelve dancers, including Roshanara, Ratan Devi and Michio Ito

1917-1927 - Bolm travels with Ballet Intime in America and England

Miss 1917

1917 - New York Metropolitan Opera commissioned Bolm to stage Le Coq d'Or
1917 - Century Theatre in New York
1918 - Le Coq d'Or, Metropolitan Opera House, Bolm, Rosina Galli
1919 - Petrouchka, Metroplitan Opera House, Bolm as Petrushka, Galli
1919 - Fokine's Aphrodite, Morris Gest Musical at New York Century Theatre

Moved to Chicago, Illinois

1919 - Bolm staged ballet prologues for the movies at the Rivoli, Rialto, and Strand theatres (Prevots-Wallen, May 1983, pg 205)

1919 - Birthday of La Infanta, Bolm's first large ballet for the Chicago Opera Company, with: John Alden Carpenter, Adolph Bolm, Ruth Page
1920 - Danse Macabre with Ruth Page and Olin H
1920 - Valse de l'Heure Joyeuse with Ruth Page
1920 - London Coliseum Theatre, Bolm
1920-1921 - Bolm with Ballet Intime in Los Angeles, sponsored by Behymer at the Philharmonic
1921 - Butterfly with Ruth Page
1921 - Geometric Dance, Bolm, Prokofieff

1920, 1922 - Krazy Kat, New York, John Alden Carpenter, Herriman, Bolm, Barrer's Little Symphony

1922 - Danse Macabre Silent Film starring Adolph Bolm as Youth, Ruth Page as Love, and Owlin Howland as Death, directed by Nick John Matsoukas, accompanied by Sant-Saen's Danse Macabre, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestry with Leopold Stokowski conducting. Conception by Adolph Bolm, Direction Dudley Murphy, Lighting Francis Bruigiere, Animation F.A.A. Dahme, Release Claude H. Macgowan.

Visions Fugitives with Ruth Page

1924 (1922?)- Ballet director of Chicago Opera

1924-1927 - Chicago Allied Arts, first "Ballet Theatre" in the U.S., directed by Adolph Bolm, Eric DeLamarter, Nicholas Remisoff, with John Alden Carpenter and Frederick Stock. Adolph Bolm, ballet master, Ruth Page, premiere danseuse, Thamar Karsavina as guest.
1922-24 - Music Box Revu with Ruth Page
1924 - Carnaval with Ruth Page
1924 - Elopement with Chicago Opera Ballet, Mozart, Bolm, Remisoff
1924 - Le Foyer de la Danse, Chabrier, Bolm, Remisoff,
1925 - Mandragora with Ruth Page, Chicago Opera Ballet, Szymanowsky, Bolm, Remisoff
1925 - Little Circus with Chicago Opera Ballet, Offenbach, Bolm, Remisoff
1925 - El Amor Bujo with Chicago Opera Ballet, de Falla, Bolm, Peters
1925 - Bal de Marionettes with Chicago Opera Ballet, Satie, Bolm, Remisoff
1925 - Christmas Carol with Chicago Opera Ballet, Williams, Bolm, Remisoff
1925 - The Rivals with Chicago Opera Ballet, Chinese Legend, Eichheim, Bolm, Remisoff
1925 - Petrouchka with Ruth Page

1925 - Appeared in Buenos Aires - danced and staged ballets

1926 - La Farce du Pont Neuf with Chicago Opera Ballet, Herscher, Bolm, Valmier
1926 - The Rivals with Ruth Page
1926 - Parnassus Au Montmarte with Chicago Opera Ballet, Satie, Bolm, Remisoff
1926 - Pierrot Lunaire with Chicago Opera Ballet, Giraud, Schoenberg, Bolm, Remisoff
1927 - Tragedy of the 'Cello with Chicago Opera Ballet, Tansman, Bolm, Remisoff

1928 - Choreographed and danced Apollon Musagete for festival of the Chamber Music Society in Washington, DC at the Library of Congress, Bolm, Stravinsky

1929 - Moved to Carmel, California
1930 - Moved to Hollywood, California

1932 - Hollywood Bowl Ballet Mechanique (Mosolov)

1933 - Moved to San Francisco, California

1933 - Bach Cycle for San Francisco Opera Ballet

1926-1941 - four performances of Scheherazade, Bolm, Bakst, Fokine

March 3-29, 1930 - Bolm taught at Norma Gould's studio in Los Angeles

1930 - Bolm in Los Angeles working on The Mad Genius film, John Barrymore, released by Warner Brothers in 1931. Only a few fragments of Bolm's dances were used, and even those were not used in Bolm's musical context, in the film.

1930 - Steel Foundry, premiered in Liege, Bolm, Mossolov

1931 - La Fiesta de Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl, Fernandez, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Cabello, Albeniz, Lara, Bizet, Patino
1931 - Les Nuages (Clouds), Hollywood Bowl, Debussy, Bolm
1931 - The Spirit of the Factory, or Iron Foundry, or Steel Foundry, or Factory, or Ballet Mecanique, or Le Ballet Mecanique, Hollywood Bowl, Mossolof, Bolm (only ballet repeated three evenings at Hollywood Bowl), also Bolm choreography to Chopin, Liadov, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Borodin (Prnce Igor)
1932 - Spirit of the Factory, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm, Mossolov
1933 - Spirit of the Factory, San Francisco Ballet

1935-1936 - Bolm worked with San Francisco Civic Opera
1936 - Three dances to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm
1936 - Scheherazade, Bolm, Bakst, Fokine, Rimsky-Korsakoff
1936 - Carmen, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm
1936 - Bartered Bride, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm, Philharmonic Orchestra and Los Angeles Grand Opera Chorus
1939 - Prince Igor, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm

1940 - Mechanical Ballet with Ballet Theatre, New York, Mossolov, Bolm, Hambleton
1940 - Peter and the Wolf with Ballet Theatre, New York, Prokofieff, Bolm, Ballard
1940 - Firebird with choreography by Bolm, Hollywood Bowl, Bolm, Stravinsky, decor by Remisoff, Nana Gollner in title role
1941 - Firebird, Bolm, Fokine

1942 - 1943 - Bolm requiem for BT

1943 - last personal performance by Adolph Bolm was as the Moor in Petrushka at the Hollywood Bowl BT

1945 - Firebird for Ballet Theatre, decor by Marc Chagall
1946 - Giselle with Ballet Theatre, New York, Gautiere, Bolm, Coralli, Dolin, Berman
1947 - Mephisto (Liszt) for San Francisco Ballet - Adolph Bolm's last choreography with Markova Dolin in San Francisco

1951 - Adolph Bolm died in Los Angeles, April 16, 1951

 
   

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