Australia Dancing - Algeranoff (1903

Algeranoff (1903 - 1967)

Photographer unknown: Algeranoff as Rigadon in 'Scuola di Ballo', Ballets Russes, 1930s

Algeranoff, born Harcourt Algernon Leighton Essex in London, joined Anna Pavlova's company in 1921. With the Pavlova company he toured North America, Asia, Europe and South Africa and partnered Pavlova in works such as Russian Dance, Oriental Impressions and Don Quixote. During the Pavlova tours he became interested in the dances of Asia and studied Japanese dancing with Matsumoto Koshiro VII in Tokyo at the Fujima School, and Indian dancing with Uday Shankar. Subsequently he gave demonstration lectures around the world on various kinds of Asian dancing. Algeranoff came to Australia on both the Pavlova tours, the first in 1926 and the second in 1929. He described his experiences in his book My Years with Pavlova, which was published in 1957 and which he dedicated 'To my darling mother for allowing me to go'.

After Pavlova's death Algeranoff danced with the Dandre-Levitoff Russian Ballet, which visited Australia in 1934 and with which Olga Spessivtseva appeared, the Markova-Dolin Ballet, with which he appeared in 1936, and the Ballets Russes, with which he danced from 1933 to 1934 and 1937 to 1942. During the period 1938-1940 he was in Australia with Ballets Russes companies. His well known roles with the Ballets Russes included the Astrologer in Le Coq d'or, Fate in Les Presages and Pierrot in Le Carnaval. During the midnight performance given in Sydney by the Original Ballet Russe on 12 March 1940 to raise money for the Polish War Victims' Relief Fund, he appeared in one of his own Japanese dances.

In 1943 Algeranoff joined the International Ballet and in 1945 he married the French dancer Claudie Leonard, who took on the name Claudie Algeranova. Algeranoff was commissioned to choreograph the ballet For love or money for the 1951 Festival of Britain and in 1953 Claudie and Algeranoff came to Australia, where Claudie was engaged as a principal dancer with the Borovansky Ballet. Algeranoff used his early years in Australia to study Aboriginal music and legends and taught at the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne. In 1955-1956 Algeranoff and Claudie, and New Zealand dancer Ronald Reay, formed a small group and toured country areas of Australia and later Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Dutch New Guinea. Algeranoff and Claudie separated in 1957 and divorced in 1959.

Algeranoff later worked as choreographer with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and as ballet master with the Norwegian Opera Ballet (1957-1959). He returned to Australia in 1959 as ballet master with the Borovansky Ballet. He also performed with the Australian Ballet in 1962-1963. In 1962 he moved to Mildura, New South Wales, where he taught and was ballet master of the North West Victoria Ballet Society. Algeranoff was killed in a motor accident in 1967.

Bibliography:

A small selection of Algeranoff's letters written from Australia during the Pavlova tours are published in Michelle Potter, 'Dearest mother', Brolga, 20 (June 2004) pp. 22-28. See also Michelle Potter, 'Dance in Letters', National Library of Australia News, January 2001, pp. 11-14.

Research Materials

Other resources

Find more about Algeranoff in:

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