Quick Facts
- Born:
- April 29, 1727, Paris, France
- Died:
- October 19, 1810, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (aged 83)
- Subjects Of Study:
- ballet
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Jean-Georges Noverre
Jean-Georges Noverre, frontispiece from his Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets (1760).
Jean-Georges Noverre
French choreographer and dancer
Jean-Georges Noverre (born April 29, 1727, Paris, Franceâdied October 19, 1810, Saint-Germain-en-Laye) was a distinguished French choreographer whose revolutionary treatise, Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets (1760), still valid, brought about major reforms in ballet production, stressing the importance of dramatic motivation, which he called ballet dâaction, and decrying overemphasis on technical virtuosity. His first choreographic success, Les FĂȘtes chinoises (1754), attracted the attention of David Garrick, who presented it in London in 1755. After producing such masterpieces as MedĂ©e et Jason and PsychĂ© et lâAmour (at Stuttgart, 1760â67), he was appointed ballet master at the Paris OpĂ©ra in 1776.
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