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)
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
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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