Pierre Lacotte Choreographer Date of Birth: 04.04.1932 Country: France

1. Biography of Pierre Lacotte
2. Artistic Director and Choreographer Career
3. Restoration and International Recognition
4. Directorship and Teaching Career
5. Legacy and Death

Biography of Pierre Lacotte

Pierre Lacotte was a French ballet artist, ballet pedagogue, choreographer, and restorer of historical choreography. He studied at the Ballet School of the Paris Opera under the guidance of Gustave Rico, Carlotta Zambelli, and Serge Lifar, as well as taking lessons from Russian ballerinas L. Egorova, M. Kshesinskaya, and O. Preobrazhenskaya. After completing his training in 1946, Lacotte was accepted into the Paris Opera Ballet. At the age of 19, in 1951, he was promoted to the rank of first dancer. He also performed at the Metropolitan Opera in the United States in 1957 and danced in Germany, Switzerland, and the Benelux countries.

Artistic Director and Choreographer Career

In the 1950s and 1960s, Lacotte served as the artistic director of the "Ballet of the Eiffel Tower" troupe at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. During this time, he choreographed productions such as "Concertino" to the music of A. Vivaldi, "Le Petit Parisien" to the music of C. Aznavour, "The Night Sorceress" to the music of S. Beshar, and "Solstice" to the music of D. Weinberg, among others. From 1963 to 1968, Lacotte was the artistic director of the "National Ballet of French Musical Youth," where he met dancer Ghislaine Thesmar, who later became his wife. He choreographed 35 ballets for this troupe, including collaborations such as "Voice" with Edith Piaf, "Hamlet" to the music of W. Walton, "Future Passions" to the music of V. Lutoslawski, and "Simple Symphony" to the music of B. Britten.

Restoration and International Recognition

Starting in 1968, Lacotte began researching archives, including those at Harvard University, and collecting historical recordings. He gained wide recognition for his reconstructed version of the ballet "La Sylphide" by J. Schneitzhoeffer (choreographed by F. Talioni), which premiered at the Paris Opera in 1971 (1972). He later staged this production in other theaters around the world, including the USSR in 1979-1980. Lacotte also reconstructed the ballet "La Papillon" (choreographed by M. Talioni) and in 2001, he reconstructed "Coppelia" (choreographed by A. Saint-Leon), in which he performed the role of Coppélius. Many of Lacotte's productions were televised in France and the United Kingdom.

Directorship and Teaching Career

From 1985, Lacotte served as the director of the Monte Carlo Ballet and from 1991 to 2001, he was the director of the Ballet of the National Opera of Lorraine in Nancy. He also taught at the National Conservatory and worked as a pedagogue-repetiteur at the Paris Opera. In 1987, Lacotte co-authored the book "Tradition" (Editions Favre) with Jean-Pierre Pastori, which focused on ballet. He collaborated with theaters in the USSR and Russia, staging ballets such as "Natalie, or The Swiss Milkmaid" for Ekaterina Maximova in Moscow in 1980, "The Pharaoh's Daughter" for the Bolshoi Ballet in 2000, "Undine" for the Mariinsky Theatre in 2006, and "Marko Spada" for the Bolshoi Theatre in 2013. Lacotte lived in Paris.

Legacy and Death

Pierre Lacotte passed away on April 10, 2023, at the age of 91. He leaves behind a lasting legacy as a prominent figure in the world of ballet, renowned for his restorations of historical choreography and his contributions as a choreographer and teacher.