Editing Marie Rambert

{{Short description|Polish-born English dancer (1888–1982)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire|Dame]]
| name           = Marie Rambert
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|DBE]]
| image          = Marie Rambert.jpg
| imagesize      = 230px
| caption        = Rambert in 1948
| birth_name     = Cyvia Rambam
| birth_date     = {{birth date|df=yes|1888|2|20}}
| birth_place    = [[Warsaw]], [[Congress Poland]], Russian Empire
| nationality    = Polish<br> British
| death_date     = {{death date and age|df=yes|1982|6|12|1888|2|20}}
| death_place    = [[London]], England
| occupation     = Ballerina and dance pedagogue
| known for      = Founder of Ballet Rambert, now [[Rambert Dance Company]]
| years_active   = 1912–1979
| spouse         = [[Ashley Dukes]] (1918–1959; his death)
| children           = 2}}

'''Dame Marie Rambert''' [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire|DBE]] (born '''Cyvia Rambam'''; 20 February 1888{{spaced ndash}}12 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and [[Pedagogy|pedagogue]] who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher.

==Early years and background==
Born to a liberal [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian Jewish]] family in [[Warsaw]], [[Congress Poland]], she was originally named '''Cyvia (Cesia) Rambam'''. Her father and two of his brothers later changed their last names to make them seem [[only child]]ren in order to escape military service in the [[Imperial Russian Army]];<ref name=jewishwomen /><ref>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=eSIhzKnNUf4C&pg=PA396 Marie Rambert]," in: [[Adrian Room]], ''Dictionary of Pseudonyms'', 5th ed., Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010, p. 396. This was not an uncommon practice among Jews in the Russian Empire.</ref> and so, while one brother retained the name Rambam, her father changed his to '''Ramberg''', another of his brothers went to '''Rambert''', and the last changed his name to '''Warszawski'''. She changed her name to '''Myriam Ramberg''', and finally left it in the [[French language|French]] form ''Marie Rambert''. In later years she was known to friends and dancers as Mim.

Her father, [[Yakov Ramberg]] (1855–1928), born in [[Vištytis]], a small town in [[Suwałki Governorate]] (nowadays in [[Lithuania]]), was a learned merchant and Hebrew publisher and lexicographer, and a [[Zionism|Zionist]]. Her mother, Eiga Ramberg (née Lap), born in the town of [[Suchowola]] (nowadays in north-east [[Poland]]), daughter of Rabbi Elhanan Tzvi Lap, was a community worker.<ref>"Ramberg, Eiga," in: ''Sefer Halshim: Lexicon Eretzyisra'eli'', Tel Aviv: Masada, 5697 [1937], p. 2023. (Hebrew)</ref>

Rambert was the fourth of seven children. The eldest child, Rakhel, was the wife of Hebrew writer [[Micha Josef Berdyczewski]]. The second, Ewa Ramberg-Figulla, was a [[Slavist]], the wife of German [[Hittitologist]] Hugo Heinrich Figulla and mother of physicist Johannes Figulla<ref>[[Avner Holtzman]], ''An Image Before my Eyes'', Tel Aviv: Am Oved (''Ofakim''), 2001, pp. 29–33, 240 (Hebrew). Rambert had a third older Sister, Wella Alapin; younger twin siblings, Hanan and Dvora; and another young brother, Eliezer (Julius) (''ibid'').</ref> (father-in-law of German writer [[Christoph Hein]] and grandfather of German writer [[Jakob Hein]]).

Rambert met her husband [[Ashley Dukes]], a soldier on leave, at a dinner party in 1917. In Rambert's autobiography she says "after four days of personal meetings, and seven months of correspondence we were married on 3 March 1918."<ref>Marie Rambert, "Quicksilver: Autobiography" (London: St Martin's Press, 1972), p. 94. {{ISBN|978-0333347119}}</ref>  This was done partly as a joke so that Dukes could get four weeks of extended leave instead of two days.  Their marriage lasted 41 years, until he died in 1959; the couple had two daughters, Angela (1920–2006) and Helena.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}  The poet, Aidan Andrew Dun, is her grandson.

==Training==
Rambert began her dance training in her schooling early on. Subjects such as foreign languages and history seemed to come easy; however she was a restless child and ended up getting bad marks because of her endless movements during class. At one point in her early training her dance instructor stated that 'In her, was the true spirit of dance.'<ref>Mary Clark and Marie Rambert "Dancers of Mercury; the story of Ballet Rambert" (London, A & C Black, 1962), p. 15.</ref> She was unimpressed with the structure and performance of ballet, and was not drawn into dance as a passion until she became enthralled by [[Isadora Duncan]] when, in 1904,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rambert-marie-1888-1982|title=Rambert, Marie (1888–1|website=[[encyclopedia.com]]|access-date=6 January 2025}}</ref> she attended one of Duncan's performances, and was "profoundly moved by the beauty of Duncan's dance".<ref>Marie Rambert, "Quicksilver", page 24.</ref>

In 1905, after becoming active in political riots, and the tragic day of May Day, Rambert's parents urged her at one point to move to Paris and take up medicine while safely living with her aunt and uncle who were also doctors. She attended a party where she danced a mazurka and danced it with such liveliness that there was applause afterwards; this was her first performance, whether she thought it or not. She met [[Raymond Duncan (dancer)|Raymond Duncan]], brother of Isadora, at this same party, who congratulated her on a wonderful performance, and again she was back into her passion for dance. She studied with Madame Rat from the [[Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris|Paris Opera]], and later studied with [[Émile Jaques-Dalcroze]], at Dalcroze College who introduced her to [[eurhythmics]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nijinska|first1=Bronislava|editor1-last=Nijinska|editor1-first=Irina|title=Bronislava Nijinska: Early Memoirs|date=1981|publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston|location=New York|isbn=0-03-020951-X|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bronislavanijins00niji/page/454 454–455]|edition=1st|url=https://archive.org/details/bronislavanijins00niji/page/454}}</ref>

One day at the Dalcroze College, [[Sergei Diaghilev]], watched a class and then asked her to come back to Berlin and study with him in the [[Ballets Russes]]. There, Rambert aided them with figuring out [[Igor Stravinsky]]'s ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'' with [[Vaslav Nijinsky]].<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/14/obituaries/marie-rambert-94-a-leader-in-ballet.html|title=MARIE RAMBERT, 94, A LEADER IN BALLET|first=Jack|last=anderson|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 June 1982}}</ref> She hesitantly accepted and collaborated with the Ballets Russes led by Diaghilev from 1912 to 1913. {{citation needed|date=May 2014}} In Ballets Russes she was in the corps de ballet for ballet performances such as ''[[Swan Lake]]'', ''[[Giselle]]'', and ''[[Scheherazade]]''. After a tour with Nijinsky and Ballets Russes, Rambert's contract was not continued and she decided it was time for a new chapter. In 1914, she moved to the United Kingdom, and studied under [[Enrico Cecchetti]].<ref>Jane Pritchard, "Rambert: A Celebration of the Company’s First Seventy Years" (London, Rambert Dance Company 1996), pp. 13–20.<!-- ISBN needed --></ref>

==Ballet Rambert==
[[File:Marie Rambert 19 Campden Hill Gardens blue plaque.jpg|thumb|Blue plaque, 19 Campden Hill Gardens, [[London]]]]
After studying with Cecchetti, she went back to study with Madame Rat at the Paris Opera, and took her studies quite seriously. She began teaching more ballet classes in 1919 and later founded her own ballet school in [[Bedford Gardens, London|Bedford Gardens]]. In 1926 she created her own company, originally named [[Ballet Club]]. It has been through many name changes, much like Rambert herself. The company began performing at night revues in London. The first informal show was performed in ''Riverside Nights'' at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre]], and continued with the nightly revues for a while. She began finding new and promising dancers and choreographers in numerous places, such as [[Frederick Ashton]], to be a part of her company and gave them a chance to grow. From '''Marie Rambert Dancers''', the company changed to [[Ballet Rambert]], later  [[Rambert Dance Company]], and from 2014 just named [[Rambert Dance Company|Rambert]], a [[contemporary dance]] company which tours internationally. It dates its birth to the first performance of [[Frederick Ashton]]'s ''A Tragedy of Fashion'' (1926),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rambert.org.uk/explore/rambert-archive/rambert-history-infographics/|title=Infographic on Rambert early history|date=2017|website=Rambert.org.uk|access-date=15 October 2018}}</ref> making it the first ballet company in Britain.

Ashley Dukes, Marie's husband, renovated a building and made it into [[Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate|Mercury Theatre]], where the majority of Ballet Rambert's performance occurred. It was said that 'Notting Hill Gate, where the Mercury Theatre stood, was on the slopes of Olympus'.<ref>Jane Pritchard, "Celebration", p. 12.</ref> Ballet Rambert has performed such ballets as ''Coppelia'', as well as Balanchine's ''Night Shadow''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rambert.org.uk/performance-database/|title=Rambert Performance Database|date=15 October 2018|website=Rambert|access-date=15 October 2018}}</ref>

Rambert was adamant about finding new and upcoming choreographers. Some of her students and later her colleagues included Ashton, [[Antony Tudor]], and [[Agnes de Mille]], to name a few. In 1965 Rambert, with the help of "[[Norman Morrice]], her newest discovery, completely reorganized the company to stress modern dance".<ref>Jack Anderson,"Ballet and Modern Dance: A Concise History", (Princeton, New Jersey Book Company, 1986), p. 185. {{ISBN|0916622428}} and {{ISBN|0916622436}}</ref> The repertoire of the company eventually came back to more contemporary ballets, but still has a vast list of pieces that the company has performed throughout the years. She cooperated with Millicent Hodson,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.danceconsortium.com/features/interview/interview-with-millicent-hodson-choreographer-and-lecturer/|title=Millicent Hodson, Choreographer and Lecturer &#124; Dance Consortium|date=22 August 2005 }}</ref> to restore [[Vaslav Nijinsky|Nijinsky]]'s choreography of ''The Rite of Spring'' in 1979. The restoration of choreography was completed in 1987. Rambert is known for helping to create and keep the ballet community strong in Britain. ''"The creation of Ballet in Britain is one of the grandest achievements in the artistic annals of our century. It is owed absolutely to the idealism which fired Rambert and [[Ninette de Valois]]"'',<ref>Jane Pritchard, "Celebration", p. 16.</ref> the founder of [[The Royal Ballet]]. She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1962, when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the [[Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate]].{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

==Death==
She died at her home in Campden Hill Gardens on 12 June 1982,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/06/13/Dame-Marie-Rambert-ballets-grand-lady-dies-at-94/6160392788800/|title=Dame Marie Rambert, ballet's grand lady, dies at 94|agency=[[UPI]]|date=13 June 1982|access-date=6 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/dame-marie-rambert?memorial_id=2414|title=Dame Marie Rambert|website=London Remembers|access-date=6 January 2025}}</ref> and was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]] on 17 June. Her ashes are within the Cloister Walk in section B.

==Honours==
* 1953, [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1953 Coronation Honours]]<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=39863 |date=1 June 1953 |pages=2955  |supp=y }}</ref>
* 1957, [[Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur]]<ref name=jewishwomen>Rebecca Katz Harwood, "[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rambert-marie Marie Rambert]," [[Jewish Women's Archive]]'s ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''.</ref>
* 1957, [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award]], presented by the [[Royal Academy of Dance]]<ref>[https://www.rad.org.uk/documents/about-docs/QEIIAwardRecipients_Updated.pdf QEII Coronation Award] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019020746/https://www.rad.org.uk/documents/about-docs/QEIIAwardRecipients_Updated.pdf |date=19 October 2016 }}; accessed 16 October 2016.</ref>
* 1962, [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) in the [[1962 New Year Honours]] "for services to Ballet"<ref name=jewishwomen/><ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=42552 |date=29 December 1961 |pages=10 }}</ref>
* 1979, Gold Medal of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]]<ref name=jewishwomen/>

==See also==
* [[List of dancers]]
* [[Women in dance]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|author=Marie Rambert|year=1972|title=Quicksilver: Autobiography|publisher=London: St. Martin's Press|isbn=0-333-08942-1|url=https://archive.org/details/quicksilverautob00ramb}}
* {{cite book|author=Clement Crisp|year=1981|title=Ballet Rambert: 50 Years and on|publisher=London, Ballet Rambert|isbn=0-9505478-1-6|page=111}}

==External links==
*[http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb2228-mr Marie Rambert Collection, 1890s–1980s]
*[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42552/page/10 ''London Gazette'' notice of damehood for Marie Rambert, Mrs Dukes (1962)]; accessed 17 May 2014.
* Rebecca Katz Harwood, "[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rambert-marie Marie Rambert]," [[Jewish Women's Archive]]'s ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambert, Marie}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Rambert Dance Company dancers]]
[[Category:Prima ballerinas]]
[[Category:Ballet teachers]]
[[Category:Polish ballerinas]]
[[Category:English ballerinas]]
[[Category:English people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:English people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish ballet dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century British ballet dancers]]
[[Category:British autobiographers]]
[[Category:British women autobiographers]]
[[Category:Polish autobiographers]]