Genee, Adeline (1878 - 1970)

Photographer unknown: Portrait of Adeline Genee in the title role in 'La Camargo', 1912

Research Materials | Other Resources

Born in Denmark as Anna Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen, Adeline Genee studied initially with her aunt and uncle and made her first stage appearance at the age of ten in Christina (now Oslo). She made her official debut in 1896 with the Berlin Court Opera and subsequently danced across Europe, the United States and in the United Kingdom. She made her home in England, and was one of five artists responsible for the founding of the Association of Operatic Dancing in 1920. She was the first president of the organisation, which later became the Royal Academy of Dancing (now Royal Academy of Dance).

Genee came to Australia in 1913 in a season under the direction of the J. C. Williamson organisation. She was billed as 'The World's Greatest Dancer' and she appeared with members of the Imperial Russian Ballet. She was partnered by Alexander Volinin and a top billing was also given to Imperial Russian Ballet dancer, Halina Schmolz.

Genee's Australian season opened in Melbourne on 21 June 1913 with a two act Coppelia with Genee as Swanilda, Volinin as Franz and Jan Zalewski as Dr Coppelius. The company also performed in Sydney, opening there on 16 August 1913. In addition to Coppelia works that were presented in Australia included Les Sylphides, Arabian Nights, Genee's own ballet La Camargo, and many divertissements.

Genee gave her name to an annual competition, the Adeline Genee Medal. It began in the early 1930s and is still an active competition. It was devised by Genee as a means of seeking out dancers of real potential.

Bibliography:

Edward H. Pask, Enter the colonies dancing: A history of dance in Australia 1835-1940 (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1979), pp. 103-111. Genee's personal repertoire and choreography are listed in Martha Bremser (ed.), International Dictionary of Ballet, Vol. 1 (Detroit: St James Press, 1993), pp. 555-558.

See also: Coppelia ; J. C. Williamson Ltd. ; Sylphides, Les

---

Research Materials

Ephemera | Manuscript | Oral history | Picture | All

---

Other resources

Find more about Genee, Adeline in:

• Internet - Google
• Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
• Pictures - Picture Australia