Suzanne Théodore Vaillande Douvillier (28 September 1778 – 30 August 1826) was a French ballerina, mime and choreographer.[1] Known as Madame Placide during the early years of her career, she is considered by some historians as the first trained ballerina to dance in the United States.[2]
Suzanne Theodore Vaillande was born in Dole, Jura, France, on September 28, 1778. It is believed that her birth was illegitimate; her mother was Marie Reine Vailland (sic) but her father is unknown.[1][3] Due to a lack of extant records knowledge of her childhood is almost entirely bereft of even the vaguest detail - all that is known is that she was educated in Paris and therefore it has been conjectured that her early ballet training was at the Paris Opera. As she entered her teenage years the French Revolution was underway, and she arrived in Santo Domingo (Saint-Domingue), then part of the French West Indies, around 1790; it was there that she encountered Alexander Placide, primarily a 'theatrical figure'[3] though impressively multitalented, accomplished in such diverse activities as fencing, acrobatics, and the directing of plays. He would become a major professional (and, to some extent, romantic) partner and influence in her career.
Careeredit
In 1791 the duo moved to America after the Santo Domingo rebellion. Her debut came on January 25, 1792, at the John Street Theatre in New York City, in The Bird Catcher, a piece generally regarded as the first ever ballet performed in New York. She was billed as Madame Placide, though they were unmarried at the time. They remained there for some months, performing many ballets and pantomimes together. For the later part of 1792 they moved to Philadelphia and Boston, then in 1793 to Newport, Rhode Island, where they were joined by Louis Douvillier. In 1794 they moved south to Charleston, South Carolina. By then she was the most popular and talented dancer in America, and in 1796 became the first female choreographer in the United States by choreographing the ballet Echo and Narcissus, at the age of just 18. In June 1796 tensions between Douvillier and Placide came to a head - they had a duel over the affections of Vaillande. Despite the fact that Placide won, Douvillier married Suzanne and in 1799 they settled in New Orleans. She then started choreographing often, though continued dancing. In 1808 she became the first female to perform as a male in America; the opposite was quite widespread, though at the time this act was considered amazingly daring. In 1813 she started set design, and is said to be a pioneering female in this respect also.
Later lifeedit
Her face became disfigured in later years, according to actor Noah Ludlow.[4] Her final performance was in Don Juan in 1818; in it, she wore a mask which concealed this. She died in New Orleans in 1826 at the age of 48, outliving her husband by five years. The couple are buried in St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans. She is seen as a pioneer in both the advancement of women's roles in society and in choreography.
^ abJames, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson (1974). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp. 513–514. ISBN978-0-674-62734-5. Retrieved 30 September 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Kaufman, Sarah (15 June 2003). "New Orleans & Dance, Partners Again – Memories, Hope Stir Anew in Town That Once Moved in Sync". The Washington Post. p. N01. Retrieved 30 September 2011. It was here that the French-born Suzanne Douvillier, whom historians call the first trained ballerina to dance in the United States, settled in 1799 and choreographed dozens of works.[dead link]
suzanne, douvillier, suzanne, théodore, vaillande, douvillier, september, 1778, august, 1826, french, ballerina, mime, choreographer, known, madame, placide, during, early, years, career, considered, some, historians, first, trained, ballerina, dance, united, . Suzanne Theodore Vaillande Douvillier 28 September 1778 30 August 1826 was a French ballerina mime and choreographer 1 Known as Madame Placide during the early years of her career she is considered by some historians as the first trained ballerina to dance in the United States 2 Suzanne Douvillier Madame Placide BornSuzanne Theodore Vaillande 1778 09 28 28 September 1778Dole Jura FranceDied30 August 1826 1826 08 30 aged 47 New Orleans Louisiana United StatesOccupation s Ballerina choreographer and mimeYears active1792 1826 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Later life 4 See also 5 ReferencesEarly life editSuzanne Theodore Vaillande was born in Dole Jura France on September 28 1778 It is believed that her birth was illegitimate her mother was Marie Reine Vailland sic but her father is unknown 1 3 Due to a lack of extant records knowledge of her childhood is almost entirely bereft of even the vaguest detail all that is known is that she was educated in Paris and therefore it has been conjectured that her early ballet training was at the Paris Opera As she entered her teenage years the French Revolution was underway and she arrived in Santo Domingo Saint Domingue then part of the French West Indies around 1790 it was there that she encountered Alexander Placide primarily a theatrical figure 3 though impressively multitalented accomplished in such diverse activities as fencing acrobatics and the directing of plays He would become a major professional and to some extent romantic partner and influence in her career Career editIn 1791 the duo moved to America after the Santo Domingo rebellion Her debut came on January 25 1792 at the John Street Theatre in New York City in The Bird Catcher a piece generally regarded as the first ever ballet performed in New York She was billed as Madame Placide though they were unmarried at the time They remained there for some months performing many ballets and pantomimes together For the later part of 1792 they moved to Philadelphia and Boston then in 1793 to Newport Rhode Island where they were joined by Louis Douvillier In 1794 they moved south to Charleston South Carolina By then she was the most popular and talented dancer in America and in 1796 became the first female choreographer in the United States by choreographing the ballet Echo and Narcissus at the age of just 18 In June 1796 tensions between Douvillier and Placide came to a head they had a duel over the affections of Vaillande Despite the fact that Placide won Douvillier married Suzanne and in 1799 they settled in New Orleans She then started choreographing often though continued dancing In 1808 she became the first female to perform as a male in America the opposite was quite widespread though at the time this act was considered amazingly daring In 1813 she started set design and is said to be a pioneering female in this respect also Later life editHer face became disfigured in later years according to actor Noah Ludlow 4 Her final performance was in Don Juan in 1818 in it she wore a mask which concealed this She died in New Orleans in 1826 at the age of 48 outliving her husband by five years The couple are buried in St Louis Cemetery New Orleans She is seen as a pioneer in both the advancement of women s roles in society and in choreography See also edit nbsp Biography portalList of choreographers List of dancers List of French people List of people from New Orleans LouisianaReferences edit a b James Edward T James Janet Wilson 1974 Notable American Women A Biographical Dictionary Cambridge Massachusetts pp 513 514 ISBN 978 0 674 62734 5 Retrieved 30 September 2011 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Kaufman Sarah 15 June 2003 New Orleans amp Dance Partners Again Memories Hope Stir Anew in Town That Once Moved in Sync The Washington Post p N01 Retrieved 30 September 2011 It was here that the French born Suzanne Douvillier whom historians call the first trained ballerina to dance in the United States settled in 1799 and choreographed dozens of works dead link a b Encyclopaedia Britannica Suzanne Douvillier Ludlow Noah 1880 Dramatic Life as I Found It Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Suzanne Douvillier amp oldid 1179907123, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
