Melissa Hayden (dancer)
Encyclopedia
Melissa Hayden was a Canadian ballerina
at the New York City Ballet
.
. The young Mildred was called Millie at home, a nickname she kept for the rest of her life.
to join the ballet corps
at Radio City Music Hall
. From 1945-47, she was a member of the American Ballet Theater; she joined the New York City Ballet
shortly after its founding in 1948. She performed there many times with noted dancer Jacques d'Amboise. From 1955 until her retirement in 1973, Hayden was the prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet.
, especially The Kate Smith Show
and The Ed Sullivan Show
. In 1952 she performed as the dance double
for Claire Bloom
in the film Limelight.
In 1965, she was seen on American TV as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a one-hour German-American adaptation of The Nutcracker
. Filmed in 1964, and first shown in the United States by CBS
just four days before Christmas 1965, the production, with a heavily altered storyline, featured an international cast of dancers and English narration by Eddie Albert
, who was at the time in the first year of the run of Green Acres
. Edward Villella
and Patricia McBride
also starred.
, Hayden retired as a dancer in 1973. Balanchine honored her on her retirement by creating the ballet "Cortege Hongrois", which is still part of the New York City Ballet's repertoire. At the premiere of the piece, Mayor
John Lindsay
presented Hayden with the city's Handel Medallion
, praising her as an "extraordinary ballerina who has filled the hearts of her audience with joy."
After her retirement, she became head of the ballet department at Skidmore College
, and taught ballet at the School of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle
, and in New York City, where she opened her own school. From 1983 until just a month before her death, she taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts
in Winston-Salem.
, aged 83.
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
at the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
.
Early life
Hayden was born in Toronto as the second daughter of Jacob Herman and his wife Kate Weinberg, Jewish immigrants from RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The young Mildred was called Millie at home, a nickname she kept for the rest of her life.
Professional life
In the early 1940s, she moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to join the ballet corps
Corps de ballet
In ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
. From 1945-47, she was a member of the American Ballet Theater; she joined the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
shortly after its founding in 1948. She performed there many times with noted dancer Jacques d'Amboise. From 1955 until her retirement in 1973, Hayden was the prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet.
Film and television
Hayden appeared frequently on televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, especially The Kate Smith Show
Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...
and The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. In 1952 she performed as the dance double
Body double
A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, in shots where the character's body is shown but the face is either not visible or shown indistinctly, or in shots where the image of the credited actor's face is joined,...
for Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom is an English film and stage actress.-Early life:Bloom was born in the North London suburb of Finchley, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume, who worked in sales...
in the film Limelight.
In 1965, she was seen on American TV as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a one-hour German-American adaptation of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
. Filmed in 1964, and first shown in the United States by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
just four days before Christmas 1965, the production, with a heavily altered storyline, featured an international cast of dancers and English narration by Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
, who was at the time in the first year of the run of Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
. Edward Villella
Edward Villella
Edward Villella is an American ballet dancer and choreographer, frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer at the time....
and Patricia McBride
Patricia McBride
Patricia McBride is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet....
also starred.
Retirement
After appearing in over 60 ballets, mainly works by George BalanchineGeorge Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, Hayden retired as a dancer in 1973. Balanchine honored her on her retirement by creating the ballet "Cortege Hongrois", which is still part of the New York City Ballet's repertoire. At the premiere of the piece, Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
presented Hayden with the city's Handel Medallion
Handel Medallion
The Handel Medallion is an American award presented by the City of New York, New York. It is the city's highest award given to individuals for their contribution to the city's intellectual and cultural life.-Establishment:...
, praising her as an "extraordinary ballerina who has filled the hearts of her audience with joy."
After her retirement, she became head of the ballet department at Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, and taught ballet at the School of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and in New York City, where she opened her own school. From 1983 until just a month before her death, she taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
in Winston-Salem.
Marriage and children
Hayden married the lawyer Donald Coleman and had two children, Stuart and Jennifer. She died at her home in Winston-Salem of pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, aged 83.
Published works
Hayden was also an author of several books:- Melissa Hayden, Offstage and On (1963)
- Ballet Exercises for Figure, Grace & Beauty (1969)
- Dancer to Dancer: Advice for Today's Dancer (1981) ISBN 0385155824
- The Nutcracker Ballet, ilustrado por Stephen Johnson (1992) ISBN 0836245016