Lifar, Serge (sĕr`gā lē`fär), 1905–86, Russian dancer, choreographer, director, teacher, and dance historian, b. Kiev. Lifar studied briefly with Bronislava Nijinska, but he was primarily self-taught. In 1923 he joined the Diaghilev Ballet Russe in Paris, for which he became premier danseur in 1925. He created the title role in George Balanchine's The Prodigal Son (1929). Lifar choreographed and staged Stravinsky's Le Renard (1929), and after Diaghilev's death in 1930 he joined the Paris Grand Opéra as principal dancer and ballet-master (1930–44). Celebrated for having revolutionized the French ballet, he is best known for his ballets Lucifer (1948), Phèdre (1950), Romeo and Juliet (1955), and Daphnis and Chloë (1958). Lifar is the author of many books on the dance.
(born April 2, 1905, Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire—died Dec. 15, 1986, Lausanne, Switz.) Russian-born French dancer, choreographer, and ballet master. In 1923 he joined the Ballets Russes, where he became lead dancer in 1925 and created title roles in several of George Balanchine's ballets. He worked at the Paris Opéra Ballet as lead dancer and ballet master (1929–45, 1947–58), choreographing more than 50 works, including Prometheus (1929), Icarus (1935), Les Mirages (1947), and Les Noces fantastiques (1955). He rebuilt the company as a separate performing group, emphasizing the importance of male dancers. He retired as a dancer in 1956 but continued to choreograph for various European companies.
Bibliography
See his autobiography (tr. 1970).
Lifar, Serge
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Lifar in Night, 1930
(credit: BBC Hulton Picture Library)
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