Famous 19th Century Choreographers

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 1 
Isadora Duncan
(American Dancer and Choreographer)
Isadora Duncan
8
Birthdate: May 26, 1877
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: September 14, 1927

Isadora Duncan was a dancer acclaimed in USA, Europe, and the Soviet Union. Raised by a single mother, she grew up in poverty and started teaching dance to children to earn some money. She later joined Augustin Daly's theater company. Eventually, she opened her own dance schools to teach her unique philosophy and techniques to her students. 

 2 
Loie Fuller
(Actor, Lighting designer, Choreographer, Artist, Dancer, Stage actor, Model)
Loie Fuller
3
Birthdate: January 15, 1862
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Illinois
Died: January 1, 1928
 3 
Marius Petipa
(One of the Most Influential Ballet Masters and Choreographers in Ballet History)
Marius Petipa
3
Birthdate: March 11, 1818
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Died: July 14, 1910

Marius Petipa was a French pedagogue, ballet dancer, and choreographer. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important ballet choreographers and masters in ballet history. From 1871 to 1903, he served as the principal choreographer and Ballet Master of the popular Imperial Russian Ballet. In the 1983 biopic Anna Pavlova, Petipa was played by Pyotr Gusev.

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 4 
Busby Berkeley
(Film director)
Busby Berkeley
3
Birthdate: November 29, 1895
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: March 14, 1976
 5 
Ruth St. Denis
(Dancer)
Ruth St. Denis
2
Birthdate: January 20, 1879
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: July 21, 1968
 6 
Rudolf von Laban
(Dance Artist)
Rudolf von Laban
2
Birthdate: December 15, 1879
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Pozsony, Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Died: July 1, 1958
 7 
Doris Humphrey
(Dancer and Choreographer)
Doris Humphrey
2
Birthdate: October 17, 1895
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago
Died: December 29, 1958

One of the pioneers of American modern dance, Doris Humphrey had begun her career with the Denishawn dance school. The daughter of a pianist mother, she later launched her own dance school with her mother as the manager. She also excelled in American vaudeville and promoted the dance movement theory.

 8 
Bronislava Nijinska
(Ballet Dancer)
Bronislava Nijinska
2
Birthdate: January 8, 1891
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Minsk, Belarus
Died: February 21, 1972
 9 
August Bournonville
(Ballet Master)
August Bournonville
2
Birthdate: August 21, 1805
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: November 30, 1879
 10 
Jules Perrot
(French Dancer and Choreographer Known for Creating Some of the Most Enduring Ballets of the Romantic Period)
Jules Perrot
1
Birthdate: August 18, 1810
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: August 29, 1892

Jules Perrot was a French dancer and choreographer who served as the ballet master of the prestigious Imperial Russian Ballet. Perrot is credited with creating some of the 19th century's most popular ballets, such as La Esmeralda, Pas de Quatre, Giselle, and Ondine. During his illustrious career, Jules Perrot coached famous ballerinas like Carlotta Grisi and Fanny Cerrito.

 11 
Arthur Saint-Léon
(French Ballet Dancer Who Is Famous for Creating the Choreography of the Ballet 'Coppélia')
Arthur Saint-Léon
1
Birthdate: September 17, 1821
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 2, 1870

Arthur Saint-Léon was a ballet master who worked with the Imperial Russian Ballet from 1859 to 1869. He is remembered for choreographing a popular ballet named Coppélia. He is also remembered for inventing a method of choreographic notation, which was the first notation to document the movements of the torso, head, and arms apart from the movements of the feet.  

 12 
Charles Didelot
(French Dancer, the Creator of the Ballet Shoes and a Choreographer)
Charles Didelot
1
Birthdate: March 28, 1767
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: November 7, 1837

Charles Didelot was a French dancer and choreographer. Didelot is credited with creating ballet shoes and popularizing Russian ballet around the world. After studying with prominent balletmasters like Jean Dauberval and Jean-Georges Noverre, Charles Didelot went on to teach ballet at the Imperial Theatres of Russian Empire. He is also credited with choreographing the famous Flore et Zéphire in 1796.

 13 
Fanny Cerrito
(Ballet Dancer)
Fanny Cerrito
1
Birthdate: May 11, 1817
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: May 6, 1909
 14 
Filippo Taglioni
(Dancer)
Filippo Taglioni
1
Birthdate: November 5, 1777
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: February 11, 1871
 15 
Margaret Morris
(Dancer)
Margaret Morris
1
Birthdate: March 10, 1891
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kensington, England
Died: February 29, 1980
 16 
Jean Coralli
(French Ballet Dancer and Choreographer, Best Known for Collaborating with 'Jules Perrot' in Creating 'Giselle')
Jean Coralli
1
Birthdate: January 15, 1779
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 1, 1854

Best known for co-creating the romantic ballet Giselle with Jules Perrot, Jean Coralli was associated with La Scala in Milan and Porte-Saint-Martin Theater in Paris. The famed ballet dancer and choreographer, who was the son of a Théâtre Italien comedian, also excelled in works such as La Péri and La Tentation.

 17 
Alexander Alexeyevich Gorsky
(Choreographer)
Alexander Alexeyevich Gorsky
1
Birthdate: August 6, 1871
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: October 20, 1924

Alexander Alexeyevich Gorsky was a Russian ballet choreographer. A contemporary of Marius Petipa, Gorsky is best remembered for restaging the former's classical ballets like The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Swan Lake. Alexander Alexeyevich Gorsky is also remembered for valuing acting skills over dance technique which made him one of the most controversial ballet choreographers of his generation.

 18 
Louis Horst
(Choreographer)
Louis Horst
1
Birthdate: January 12, 1884
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died: January 23, 1964
 19 
Carlo Blasis
(Dancer)
Carlo Blasis
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Birthdate: November 4, 1797
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: January 15, 1878
 20 
Arthur Wergs Mitchell
(American Ballet Dancer and Choreographer)
Arthur Wergs Mitchell
1
Birthdate: March 27, 1934
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York, United States
Died: September 19, 2018
 21 
Christian Johansson
(Russian Ballet Dancer and Choreographer)
Christian Johansson
1
Birthdate: June 1, 1817
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: December 12, 1903

Christian Johansson was a ballet teacher and choreographer. He is best remembered for working at the Imperial Russian Ballet where he served as a ballet master. Johansson is widely regarded as one of the most prominent teachers in the history of Russian ballet. Christian Johansson is credited with influencing a generation of ballet dancers.

 22 
Michio Itō
(Dancer)
Michio Itō
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Birthdate: April 13, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Died: November 6, 1961
 23 
Salvatore Viganò
(Choreographer)
Salvatore Viganò
1
Birthdate: March 25, 1769
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: August 10, 1821
 24 
Jean Dauberval
(French Dancer and Ballet Master Known for Creating the Ballet, ‘La Fille Mal Gardée')
Jean Dauberval
1
Birthdate: August 19, 1742
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Montpellier, France
Died: February 14, 1806

Jean Dauberval is remembered for his iconic ballet La fille mal gardée, one of the world’s first comic ballets. The Académie Royale de Musique ballet master has trained numerous ballet legends, such as Charles Didelot, who is also known as the father of the Russian ballet.

 25 
Gasparo Angiolini
(Dancer)
Gasparo Angiolini
1
Birthdate: February 9, 1731
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: February 6, 1803
 26 
Suzanne Douvillier
(French Ballerina, Mime and Choreographer)
Suzanne Douvillier
1
Birthdate: September 28, 1778
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dole, France
Died: August 30, 1826

Popularly known as Madame Placide, Suzanne Douvillier is regarded by some as the first trained female choreographer to perform in the US. Not much is known about her childhood apart from the fact that she was an illegitimate child. She made history with her debut in The Bird Catcher.

 27 
Louis Duport
(French Ballet Dancer, Ballet Composer and Ballet Master)
Louis Duport
0
Birthdate: January 1, 1781
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: October 19, 1853

A child prodigy, Louis Duport excelled in both dance and the violin since his early days. He not only developed the classical technique of ballet but also gained fame for his appearances in Charles Didelot’s ballets, such as Zéphyre et Flore. He was also a principal dancer at the Opéra de Paris.