Waldeen Falkenstein' Brooke de Zatz better known as "Waldeen" (born February 1, 1913 - died August 18, 1993) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

-born dancer and choreographer. Together with Anna Sokolow

Anna Sokolow

Anna Sokolow was a Jewish American dancer and choreographer.-Training:...

, Alicia Markova

Alicia Markova

Dame Alicia Markova, DBE, DMus, was an English ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internationally, she was widely considered to be one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of the...

, Anton Dolin

Anton Dolin

Sir Anton Dolin was an English ballet dancer and choreographer.Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-Kay but was generally known as Patrick Kay. He joined Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1921, was a principal there from 1924, and was a principal...

 and Michel Descombey

Michel Descombey

Michel Descombey is a French ballet dancer, choreographer, and director.Descombay studied dancing in Paris, and debuted as a professional dancer of the Ballet de l'Opéra National in 1947. In 1959 he became premier danseur, then ballet master, and official choreographer and at last director of the...

 she belongs to the great precursors of modern Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 dance.

Biography

Waldeen was born in Dallas and joined the Japanese choreographer Seki Sano when he moved to Mexico. Afterwards she left Mexico but returned together with the dancer Winifred Widener to Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 in 1939, where they danced at the theater of fine arts . She was ordered to establish the Ballet de Bellas Artes, the ballet group of the theater, which she led until it was dissolved in 1947. At this time she had also an affair with Bodo Uhse

Bodo Uhse

Bodo Uhse was a German writer, journalist and political activist. He was recognised as one of the most prominent authors in East Germany.-Early years:...

 and lived together with him, before he married Alma Agee. Waldeen married Rodolfo Valencia, a theater director, and was invited by the revolutionary government of Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, where she stood from 1962 to 1965. In 1966 she established a further ballet company, known as the "Waldeen Ballet". Notable dancers of the company were Guillermina Bravo

Guillermina Bravo

Guillermina Bravo is a Mexican ballet dancer, choreographer and ballet director. She was co-founder of the academy of Mexican dance in 1947, and established together with Josefina Lavalle the national ballet company in Mexico City in 1948, which has been located in Querétaro since 1991, where she...

 and Ana Mérida

Ana Mérida

Ana María Mérida Gálvez was a Mexican ballet dancer and choreographer. She also worked for movies.- Biography :...

. She died in Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...

.

External links

• Jonathan Cohen: Waldeen and the Americas: The Dance Has Many Faces