Tudor, Antony

Tudor, Antony, 1909–87, English choreographer and dancer. Tudor went to the United States at the invitation of the Ballet Theatre, New York City (1939); he danced leading roles and created ballets for several English and American companies and was later the artistic director of the Royal Swedish Ballet (1963–64). He remained the resident choreographer at the American Ballet Theatre until his death. His ballets, influenced by the expressionism of Fokine and Massine, use the modern idiom. In his later work, he used psychological tension and dramatic gestures expressed in the language of ballet to explore human suffering. Among Tudor's most popular works are Lilac Garden (1938), Gala Performance (1938), Pillar of Fire (1942), Romeo and Juliet (1942), Undertow (1945), Offenbach in the Underworld (1955), Echoes of Trumpets (1963), The Leaves Are Fading (1975), and Tiller in the Fields (1978). In all Tudor choreographed 56 ballets, fewer than 20 of which are still commonly performed by various companies.

Bibliography

See J. Chazin-Bennahum, The Ballets of Antony Tudor (1994).

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Tudor, Antony

 orig. William Cook

(born April 4, 1908, London, Eng.—died April 20, 1987, New York, N.Y., U.S.) British-born U.S. dancer, teacher, and choreographer. In 1927 he joined Marie Rambert's company, where he choreographed and danced such works as The Planets (1934) and The Lilac Garden (1936). In 1940 he moved to New York City, joining the new Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre), for which he created many of his signature psychological ballets, including Pillar of Fire (1942) and Shadow of the Wind (1948). In these works he sought to convey emotional conflict and aspects of character and motivation. In 1974 he became associate director of American Ballet Theatre.

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Tudor, Antony 

Born Apr. 4,1909, in London. British dancer, choreographer, and teacher.

Tudor began to study dance under M. Rambert in 1928, and in 1930 he joined the Ballet Club (renamed Ballet Rambert in 1934), where he was a dancer, stage director, and choreographer. He became famous as the choreographer of Jardin aux lilas (Lilac Garden), to music by Chausson, and Dark Elegies, to music by Mahler. From 1933 to 1935 he worked in the Vic-Wells Ballet, performing as The Man She Must Marry in Jardin aux lilas and Malvolio in Cross-gartered, to music by Frescobaldi. In 1938, Tudor and P. van Praagh founded the London Ballet (dissolved 1941), where Tudor staged Pillar of Fire, to music by Schônberg, W. Schuman’s Undertow, and Romeo and Juliet, to music by De-lius. In 1949–50 and 1963–64, Tudor directed the Royal Swedish Ballet. In 1951 and 1952 he staged works for the New York City Ballet, including The Lady of the Camellias, to music by Verdi, and La Gloire, to music by Beethoven. Since the second half of the 1960’s he has staged ballets for various companies.

Tudor’s ballets reveal the feelings and thoughts of the hero and tend to penetrate the subconscious. They often use elements of modern dance. His works have had a great influence on modern ballet.

REFERENCE

Antony Tudor, vols. 1–2. New York, 1963.