Bravura!: Lucia Chase And The American Ballet Theatre

"She was, if you will, the sovereign mother of American ballet." So it was written in the Washington Post on the death of Lucia Chase (1897-1986), longtime director for the American Ballet Theatre. For many people, Chase was the American Ballet Theatre and her influence was instrumental in shaping not only ABT, but also American ballet in general.

Determined to be

"She was, if you will, the sovereign mother of American ballet." So it was written in the Washington Post on the death of Lucia Chase (1897-1986), longtime director for the American Ballet Theatre. For many people, Chase was the American Ballet Theatre and her influence was instrumental in shaping not only ABT, but also American ballet in general.

Determined to be a dancer, Chase dropped out of college to study theater and dance in New York. Before long, she faced the difficult choice between pursuing her career and having a family. She chose family. Ten years later, after the untimely death of her husband left her with two children to raise, in 1937 Chase joined Mikhail Mordkin of Mordkin Ballet and began to dance again. This set into motion the eventual opening in 1940 of the Ballet Theatre, with Chase as the founding patron. She began as a principal dancer and soon became director of the company (along with Oliver Smith), a position she held for an unprecedented thirty-five years.

The accomplishments of Chase have had a huge influence on American ballet and dance culture. It was Chase who brought Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, and Natalia Makarova to the American Ballet Theatre. Her drive, ambition, tenacity, and money-as well as her ongoing willingness to appear on stage as necessary-kept the doors open during lean times. In 1980, she received the U.S. Medal of Honor-the United States' highest civilian honor.

Written by Alex Ewing, Bravura! celebrates the fascinating life of one of the brightest jewels in American ballet history.