Margaret "Maggie" Black (March 31, 1930 – May 11, 2015) was a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

teacher who taught in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. She coached dancers such as

Martine Van Hamel Martine van Hamel (born 16 November 1945) is a Dutch choreographer, director, teacher, retired ballerina and former Principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada and American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She was a gold medalist at the biennial Varn ...

, Kevin McKenzie,

Natalia Makarova Natalia Romanovna Makarova (russian: Ната́лия Рома́новна Мака́рова, born 21 November 1940) is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. ''The History of Dance'', published in 1981, notes that "her performances set ...

and

Gelsey Kirkland Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952) is an American ballerina. She received early ballet training at the School of American Ballet. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age 15, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She was ...

. She developed a ballet technique based on anatomy. She stressed moving from a neutral spinal and pelvic alignment with weight evenly distributed throughout each foot. She amassed a large following of both ballet and modern dancers. Eventually she split her class into two, one for modern dancers and one for ballet dancers. Choreographers such as William Forsythe and

Ohad Naharin Ohad () was the third son of Simeon; he is mentioned in Genesis 46:10. Ohad may also refer to: __NOTOC__ People Surname * Daniella Ohad, American design historian Given name * Ohad Benchetrit, Canadian musician * Ohad Cohen, goalkeeper for Hapo ...

attended her class. Black was born in Rhode Island in 1930, and moved to New York City at the age of 16 to study dance. She danced with Cleveland Civic Ballet for a season and then moved to London where she danced with the London Theatre Ballet and Ballet Rambert. In London she studied with Audry de Vos. After two years in the UK, she returned to New York and danced with

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

for a year. At the invitation of Alicia Alonso, she danced with

National Ballet of Cuba The Cuban National Ballet ( es, Ballet Nacional de Cuba) is a classical ballet company based at Great Theatre of Havana in Havana, Cuba, founded by the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta, Alicia Alonso in 1948. The official school of the company i ...

for a year before returning to New York City to join the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. There she worked with

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

who later invited her to teach at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. After working with Tudor for 7 years, Black returned to London. She spent three years reworking her own technique. She spent multiple hours a day in front of a mirror developing her theory of physical alignment that became the foundation for her teaching. To Black alignment is central to ballet technique and artistry. Moving from a natural alignment allows for freedom from tension and clarity of line and movement quality. Black retired in 1995. On May 11, 2015, Black died in her East Hampton, New York home from, according to Black's friend Gary Chryst,

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. In October 2016, seventeen dancers remembered legendary teacher Maggie Black in Ballet Review Fall edition -- " Maggie Black ( 1930- 2015)" by Joseph Carmin

References

Ballet teachers Juilliard School faculty 1930 births 2015 deaths {{ballet-bio-stub