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Jean Dauberval

Biography

Jean Dauberval was a French dancer, choreographer and ballet master. He created numerous ballers, with the most famous being La Fille mal gardée (1789). Born in Montpellier, he studied at the prestigious École de danse de l'Opéra national de Paris. In 1763, he was appointed premier danseur of the Paris Opera Ballet, and in 1771, he was named ballet master. In the early 1780s, he left Paris and moved to Bordeaux, where he served as ballet master of the Grand-Théâtre between 1785 and 1791, and where he presented several of his choreographies. He also created works for theatres in London, including the King's Theatre and Pantheon Theatre. Dauberval was significantly influenced  by J. G. Noverre and his theory of ballet d'action. Among his students were S. Vigano, Ch.-L. Didelot and J.-P. Aumer. He was married to the dancer Marie-Madeleine Crespé, also known as Madame Théodore, who was the first to perform Lise in La Fille mal gardée.

Selected works:
Le Réveil du bonheur (1784)
Orpheo (1784)
Pygmalion (1784)
Le Page inconstant (based on P. Beaumarchais' comedy La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro)
Psyché et L’Amor (1788)
La Fille mal gardée (1789)
Le Triomphe de la Folie (1791)