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Adam Darius

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Adam Darius: Helsinki, 2007.

Adam Darius (10 May 1930 – 3 December 2017) was a Turkish origin American dancer, mime artist, writer and choreographer. As a performer, he appeared in over 86 countries across six continents.[1] As a writer, he published 19 books and wrote 22 plays. [2]

In a program devoted to his career, the BBC World Service described him as "one of the most exceptional talents of the 20th century".[3][4]

Biography

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Adam Darius was born in Manhattan, New York City, into a family of Turkish and Russian ancestry.[5]

Ballet career

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Adam Darius began his ballet and contemporary dance training in 1945, at the age of 14, and went on to study with, among others, Anatole Oboukhov, George Goncharov, Olga Preobrajenska and José Limón.[6]

His professional career began in 1946 with appearances at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, and then with numerous ballet companies including Britain's International Ballet (1953), Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet (1954), and Denmark's Scandinavian Ballet (1962).[7][8] He was also choreographer of the Israel National Opera (1963–1964), where he choreographed four operas for opera star Plácido Domingo; (Don Giovanni, Carmen, La Traviata and The Pearl Fishers, all of which premièred at the Israel National Opera in Tel-Aviv in 1963). From 1964–1966, Adam Darius was the director of his own company, the Israeli Ballet.[9]

Principal ballets:

  • Pierrot the Wanderer - Choreographed for American prima ballerina Melissa Hayden and premièred at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Toronto, Canada in 1955.
  • Quartet - Choreographed for American prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory and premièred at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, California in 1958.[10]
  • The Anne Frank Ballet - Premièred in Long Beach, California in 1959. Produced for Italian Television in 1967.[11] Released as a video in 1989, in which Mr Darius danced the role of Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank.[12][13]
  • Marilyn - A ballet based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, which ran for five weeks at the Arts Theatre in London's West End in February 1975.
  • Firebird - Choreographed to Stravinsky's music. Presented by the Las Vegas Civic Ballet at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, Las Vegas, in April 1986.

Expressive mime

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Yukio Mishima, Portugal 2006: by Adam Darius and Kazimir Kolesnik.

In 1967, Adam Darius broke away from the traditional world of ballet and premièred his own fusion of dance and mime, described as 'expressive mime',[14] at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and at the Arts Lab in London.[15]

In the years that followed he toured many countries, including: South Africa (1970); the Soviet Union (1971); the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia (1971);[16] Syria, Iran[17] and Afghanistan (1976); Japan (1984);[18] and Greenland (1998).[19]

Adam Darius' concept of physical theatre was also realized in the London productions of Yukio Mishima (1991),[20] Rimbaud and Verlaine (1992) and Tower of Babel (1993), in collaboration with Kazimir Kolesnik. Among their further joint productions was A Snake in the Grass, presented in Amman, Jordan (2001) and acknowledged with the Noor Al Hussein Award.[21]

Teaching

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In 1978, Adam Darius and Marita Crawley founded the Mime Centre in London.[22] In Britain he taught, among others, mime artist, dancer and director, Kazimir Kolesnik,[23] rock star Kate Bush,[24][25] Hollywood film star Kate Beckinsale,[26] and West End principal Warren Mitchell.[27]

Death

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Darius died on 3 December 2017 in Espoo, Finland at the age of 87.[28]

Books by Adam Darius

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Author # Year Title Pages Publisher City ISBN Genre
Darius, Adam 1 1973 Dance Naked in the Sun 325 Latonia Publishers London ISBN 0-9502707-0-9 Autobiography
Darius, Adam 2 1978 The Way to Timbuktu 276 Latonia Publishers London ISBN 0-9502707-1-7 Autobiography
Darius, Adam 3 1984 The Adam Darius Method 270 Latonia Publishers London ISBN 0-9502707-2-5 Theatre technique
Darius, Adam 4 1988 The Man Who Spat at Fate 251 Latonia Publishers London ISBN 0-9502707-3-3 Novel
Darius, Adam 5 1991 The Guru 115 Latonia Publishers London ISBN 0-9502707-4-1 Philosophy
Darius, Adam 6 1996 The Commedia Dell' Arte 97 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 952-90-7188-4 Theatre technique
Darius, Adam 7 1998 Acting - A Psychological and Technical Approach 208 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 952-90-9146-X Theatre technique
Darius, Adam 8 2000 Audition Monologues 128 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 951-98232-0-4 Theatre technique
Darius, Adam 9 2003 Double Existence 202 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 951-98232-1-2 Novel
Darius, Adam 10 2004 A Nomadic Life 250 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 951-98232-2-0 Autobiography
Darius, Adam 11 2005 When Your Dog Dies 63 Kolesnik Production OY Helsinki ISBN 951-98232-3-9 Animal Welfare
Darius, Adam 12 2007 Arabesques Through Time 407 Harlequinade Books Helsinki ISBN 951-98232-4-7 Autobiography
Darius, Adam 13 2009 Death in Damascus n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-92-5476-7 Novel
Darius, Adam 14 2011 The Passion of Black Jesus n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-92-6752-1 Novel
Darius, Adam 15 2012 Dancing in the Himalayas n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-93-0126-3 Novel
Bocher, Barbara with Darius, Adam 16 2012 The Cage: Dancing for Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine, 1949-1954 288 CreateSpace n/a ISBN 978-147-82-4658-9 Autobiography
Darius, Adam 17 2013 La Belle Otero: The Last of the Great Courtesans n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-93-0129-4 Play
Darius, Adam 18 2014 Poems by Adam Darius n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-68163-0-2 Poetry
Darius, Adam 19 2014 Ballet Babylon n/a e-book n/a ISBN 978-952-93-2607-5 History

Honours and awards

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  • 1976: Silver medallion of the Belgrade Monodrama Festival (Yugoslavia)
  • 1976: Honorary membership of the North Sumatran Community (Indonesia)
  • 1978: American Television Emmy (US)
  • 1984: Premio Positano Léonide Massine Per L'arte Della Danza (Italy)
  • 1987: Key to the City of Las Vegas (US)[29]
  • 1998: Shetland Dance and Mime Award (UK)
  • 2001: Noor Al Hussein Foundation Award (Jordan)
  • 2002: Beirut Festival du Rire Trophy (Lebanon)
  • 2003: Noor Al Hussein Foundation Award (Jordan)
  • 2009: Order of Luis Manuel Gutiérrez (Venezuela)
  • 2012: Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Cultura Award (Venezuela)
  • 2014: Gjakova Komedia Fest Appreciation Award (Republic of Kosovo)
  • 2016: Simon Bolívar Award (Venezuela)

International performances since January 2000

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Unless marked as being a SOLO performance, all shows were given in partnership with Kazimir Kolesnik.

Year Month Country City Venue Repertoire Notes
2000 April Jordan Amman Royal Cultural Centre Resurrection
2000 July Croatia Dubrovnik Dubrovnik Festival Resurrection [30]
2000 August Finland Oulu Oulu Music Festival Theatre Pierrot in Exile
2000 Nov. Turkey Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center Selected solos SOLO
2001 Jan/Feb Jordan Amman Baccalaureate School Theatre A Snake in the Grass
2001 April Turkey Istanbul Aksanat Cultural Centre Resurrection
2001 Sept. Morocco Casablanca International Theatre Festival Resurrection
Rabat Salle Bahnini Resurrection
2001 Nov. Finland Helsinki Q-Teatteri James Dean As director
2002 June Slovakia Bratislava Pantomime Festival Death of a Scarecrow
2002 July Lebanon Beirut Festival du Rire Highlight repertoire
2003 Feb. Russia St. Petersburg Okryty Theatre Highlight repertoire
2003 May Italy Turin Teatro Gobetti Death of a Scarecrow
2003 Sept. Jordan Amman Royal Cultural Centre Death of a Scarecrow
2004 March New Zealand Christchurch Hagley Community College Death of a Scarecrow
2004 April Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysian National Theatre Death of a Scarecrow [31]
2004 August Malta Valletta Saint James Cavalier Centre Death of a Scarecrow [32]
2004 Nov. Syria Damascus Al-Kabbani Theatre Death of a Scarecrow
2005 Feb. Syria Damascus Finnish/Jordanian Festival, Al-Assad Opera House Fusion With company
2005 August Turkey Istanbul Sultan's Palace Death of a Scarecrow
2006 Feb. Portugal Porto Serralves Foundation Yukio Mishima With company
Ponte del Lima Teatro Diogo Bernardes Yukio Mishima With company
2006 May Ukraine Kyiv TYS Theatre; Suzirie Theatre Death of a Scarecrow
2006 Dec. Argentina Rosario Teatro del Rayo; Centro Cultural Lavarden Death of a Scarecrow
2007 Oct. Armenia Yerevan High Fest Theatre Festival Death of a Scarecrow
2007 Dec. Macedonia Skopje Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts Dance: A Bridge between Cultures UNESCO sponsored lecture
2008 Feb. Egypt Alexandria Bibliotheca Alexandrina Tears of a Clown
2009 Jan. Finland Espoo Sellosali Death of a Scarecrow
2009 March Macedonia Skopje Macedonian National Theatre Death of a Scarecrow
2009 Oct. Venezuela Isla de Margarita Teatro Simon Bolivar Selected solos SOLO
2009 Nov. Finland Espoo Sellosali Tears of a Clown [33]
2010 May Bosnia & Herzogovina Sarajevo Teaterfest Archived 24 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Death of a Scarecrow [34]
2010 Nov. Nepal Kathmandu Kathmandu International Theatre Festival Basho - A Windswept Spirit [35]
2012 May Venezuela Caracas Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex Basho - A Windswept Spirit
Caracas Sala Juana Sujo Basho - A Windswept Spirit
Caracas Teatro Principal Basho - A Windswept Spirit
2013 March Kuwait Kuwait City Dar al Athar al-Islamiyyah Basho - A Windswept Spirit [36]
2013 Oct Macedonia Skopje Macedonian National Theatre Basho - A Windswept Spirit [37]
2014 Sept Republic of Kosovo Gjakova Gjakova Comedy Festival Basho - A Windswept Spirit [38]
2015 March Kuwait Kuwait City Royal Palace Basho - A Windswept Spirit
2015 Dec.7 Russia Krasnoyarsk Palace of Culture Basho - A Windswept Spirit
2015 Dec.8 Russia Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Hall Basho - A Windswept Spirit
2015 Dec.10 Russia Chelyabinsk Prokoviev Concert Hall Basho - A Windswept Spirit

Notes

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  1. ^ The extensive archives of Adam Darius´s career as dancer, mime artist and author are now housed in Espoo, Finland and at the Royal Academy of Dance in London.
  2. ^ A full catalogue of Adam Darius' publications can be seen at the Mime Centre Archived 3 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ In a program devoted to his career, broadcast in October, 1993, the BBC World Service in London, hosted by the voice of Latin America, Araceli Uriarte, described Adam Darius as "one of the most exceptional talents of the 20th century".
  4. ^ Foreword by Araceli Uriarte in Darius. A Audition Monologues, Kolesnik, 2000 (p.viii).
  5. ^ Darius. A A Nomadic Life, Helsinki, 2004 (p.244)
  6. ^ Darius, A The Adam Darius Method, Latonia, 1984 (p.260)
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times. 11 September 1955. Retrieved 13.08.2009
  8. ^ Darius, A The Adam Darius Method, Latonia, 1984 (p.261)
  9. ^ The Jerusalem Post, 5 August 1964
  10. ^ Foreword by Hal de Becker in Darius. A Arabesques Through Time, Harlequinade, 2007 (p.viii)
  11. ^ Anne Frank Ballet - Italian Television RAI Turin, 1967 Storia di Anna Frank (1/3) on YouTube
  12. ^ "2 videos recollect life in World War II". Chicago Tribune. 1 September 1989. Retrieved 13.08.2009
  13. ^ Greco, José The Gypsy in My Soul, Doubleday, 1977 (p.208)
  14. ^ Dr Alberto Testa, Festival Magazine, Rome, 1967
  15. ^ Burns, Richard Adam Darius at the London Arts Lab Archived 18 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 1968
  16. ^ "Mime - a rare moment". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 April 1971. Retrieved 13.08.2009
  17. ^ Performance poster in Darius. A Audition Monologues, Kolesnik, 2000 (p.32)
  18. ^ Performance poster in Darius. A Audition Monologues, Kolesnik, 2000 (p.48)
  19. ^ Performance poster in Darius. A Audition Monologues, Kolesnik, 2000 (p.96)
  20. ^ Ian Shuttleworth's review of Yukio Mishima at BAC 15 May 1991
  21. ^ Afterword by Lina Attel in Darius. A Arabesques Through Time, Harlequinade, 2007 (p.252)
  22. ^ Introduction by Marita Crawley in Darius, A The Adam Darius Method, Latonia, 1984 (p.12)
  23. ^ Interview with Kazimir Kolesnik in Darius, A Acting: A Psychological and Technical Approach, Helsinki, 1998 (p.150)
  24. ^ Interview with Kate Bush in Darius, A The Adam Darius Method, Latonia, 1984 (p.236)
  25. ^ Jovanovich, Rob Kate Bush: The Biography, Portrait, 2006
  26. ^ Interview with Kate Beckinsale in Darius, A Acting: A Psychological and Technical Approach, Helsinki, 1998 (p.144)
  27. ^ Interview with Warren Mitchell in Darius, A The Adam Darius Method, Latonia, 1984 (p.241)
  28. ^ Dancer and Choreographer Adam Darius Passes at 87
  29. ^ Presented by Mayor Bill Briare
  30. ^ Adam Darius on Dubrovnik Festival Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine archives
  31. ^ Review of Kuala Lumpur performance on Virtual Malaysia.com Archived 13 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ Article in The Times of Malta, 26 August 2004
  33. ^ Kultus Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine website (in Finnish) notification of performance
  34. ^ Teaterfest Archived 5 December 2012 at archive.today programme for Death of a Scarecrow
  35. ^ Article in The Kathmandu Post, 20 November 2010
  36. ^ Review in The Asian
  37. ^ "Review in Dnevnik" (in Russian). 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  38. ^ Review in Gjakova Press
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