Shadowplay: The Life of Antony Tudor [Paperback]

Donna Perlmutter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Antony Tudor was the creator of the psychological ballet: his haunting and dramatic dances, among them "Dark Elegies", "Pillar of Fire", "Jardin aux Lilas" and "Shadowplay" helped break the mould of classical ballet. Born to a poor East End family, Tudor turned away from the fables and abstractions of other choreographers to plumb his own ambivalence about himself and his often turbulent personal relationships. In this biography, the author illuminates Tudor's struggles with the greatest figures in 20th-century dance - DeMille, Robbins, Nureyev, Balanchine, Ashton, Kirkland and others - and his longtime romance with dancer Hugh Laning and their menage-a-trois with ballerina Diane Adams. She also explores and explains the dances themselves.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a ballet world rife with eccentricity, choreographer Tudor (1908-1987) shone. This first full-length biography of the creator of such modern classics as Jardin aux Lilas and Dark Elegies commits to print many of the spicy stories about the man born William John Cook that have long circulated in dance studios. Tudor was a Cockney Londoner who transformed himself into the ranking nobility of American ballet. And while his dances examine the emotional lives of "ordinary" people, he often left the psyches of his dancers in shambles. After assisting at the birth of 20th-century British ballet with Marie Rambert, Tudor joined the 1939 inaugural season of what was to become American Ballet Theatre in New York City--a rocky but persistent association. His remarkable and difficult love relationship with dancer Hugh Laing began in 1932 and lasted until his death in Laing's arms. Perlmutter, a dance critic for the Los Angeles Times , provides a serviceable account of Tudor's life, yet her 41 short chapters fail to illuminate the man behind the work. Bitchy ballet-company politics and Tudor's notorious verbal intimidation of his dancers take precedence over serious consideration of the masterworks that endure--precariously.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Given choreographer Tudor's importance in the development of ballet, it is surprising that this is the first biography to be written about him. Born William Cook in cockney London, Tudor was drawn to the ballet late in his youth and found a mentor in Marie Rambert. His intensely dramatic, psychological ballets revolutionized the style of modern ballet, and reflected the internal conflicts of Tudor's difficult personality. With his lifelong companion, dancer Hugh Laing, he emigrated to the United States in 1939, where he became involved with Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre) then in its infancy. Perlmutter, who is dance critic for the Los Angeles Times , uses a lively vernacular style to bring Tudor fully to life with all his contradictions and eccentricities, as well as his genius. This well-researched biography is an important addition to ballet literature.
- Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions; 1st, Paperback edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087910189X
• ISBN-13: 978-0879101893
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,531,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Choreography

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