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Christine
Hennessy “slight,tiny,exquisitely
proportioned,as delicately articulated as a fl owering branch.She (Hennessy)has
enormous extensions,yet the effect is not one of power, as much as of
light evocation.” – |
Christine Hennessy was a world-renowned ballerina,an extraordinary teacher and choreographer,a successful and giving artistic director,and a beautiful mother.
Born in Providence,Rhode Island,she began taking ballet
lessons at the age of 3.She trained with Lidia Pettine and then
went on to study in New York with such distinguished teachers
as Mme.Maria Swoboda and Anatole Vilzak,and also at the
Ballet Russe School.At the age of 16 she was chosen to join the Ballet Russe
de Monte Carlo, where she spent 4 years rising from the corps de ballet to
fi rst soloist.After a season as ballerina
at the Bremen Opera House in Germany,she spent 4 years as the ballerina of
the American Festival Ballet,an international dance troupe that originated
in RI.She subsequently returned to Ballet
Russe for a season,then toured South America and the Near East with the Festival
Ballet.She also appeared as the ballerina of the New York City Opera and starred
in two fi lms made in Europe
–the Nutcracker and Four plus Four.After a season with the Joffrey Ballet
in New York where she danced La Fille Mal Garde,she joined the Royal Winnipeg
Ballet.It was with this company that
she won the gold medal in 1968 for “best interpretation by a female
dancer ”at the International Festival of Dance in Paris,France.Christine
was known not only for her solid classical technique, but also for her vivid
and masterful interpretation of the dramatic roles she danced.
In 1978 Christine,together with then husband Winthrop Corey,returned to RI
and founded the Festival Ballet of Rhode Island.Their vision in creating both
a company and school was to
develop the talents of local dancers and increase the visibility,status,and
standards of dance for RI audiences.This was especially apparent through their
highly successful outreach program, Discover Dance,designed to serve children,seniors
and other special agencies and groups throughout the state who were unable
to afford the cost of regularly scheduled performances.
Christine and Winthrop also drew dance masters,such as Arthur Mitchell,then
Artistic Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem,and the great American choreographer,Agnes
de Mille,to RI to
work with their students.Christine,herself,also choreographed and received
critical acclaim for her Midsummer Night ’s Dream,To EJ with Love,Romeo
and Juliet and Concerto in C.
In 1994,Rhode sland College awarded Christine an honorary doctorate in fine
arts.Until her death in 1997,she continued to be the driving force behind
Festival Ballet and served as an inspiration
for the many dancers that were fortunate enough to have studied with her.for
the many dancers that were fortunate enough to have studied with her.for the
many dancers that were fortunate enough to have studied with her
