Adam Darius facts for kids

Adam Darius in Helsinki, 2007.

Adam Darius (born May 10, 1930 – died December 3, 2017) was an amazing American dancer, mime artist, writer, and choreographer. He had a Turkish and Russian background. He performed in over 86 countries around the world! He also wrote 19 books and 22 plays.

The BBC World Service once called him "one of the most exceptional talents of the 20th century" because of his incredible career.

Who Was Adam Darius?

Adam Darius was born in Manhattan, New York City. His family came from Turkey and Russia.

His Ballet Journey

Adam Darius started learning ballet and modern dance when he was 14 years old, in 1945. He learned from famous teachers like Anatole Oboukhov and Olga Preobrajenska.

He began his professional dancing career in 1946. He performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. He also danced with many ballet companies, including Britain's International Ballet and Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

From 1963 to 1964, he was the choreographer for the Israel National Opera. He created dances for four operas starring the famous singer Plácido Domingo. These operas included Don Giovanni and Carmen. After that, from 1964 to 1966, Adam Darius led his own dance group called the Israeli Ballet.

Some of his main ballets included:

• Pierrot the Wanderer - This was created for the American ballerina Melissa Hayden in Canada in 1955.
• The Anne Frank Ballet - This ballet first showed in California in 1959. It was later made into a video in 1989, where Mr. Darius played Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank.
• Marilyn - This ballet was about the life of Marilyn Monroe. It was performed for five weeks in London in 1975.
• Firebird - He choreographed this to music by Stravinsky. It was performed in Las Vegas in 1986.

Expressive Mime: A New Way to Tell Stories

Adam Darius and Kazimir Kolesnik performing Yukio Mishima in Portugal, 2006.

In 1967, Adam Darius decided to try something new. He combined dance and mime (acting without words) into his own style called 'expressive mime'. He first showed this at a festival in Italy and in London.

After that, he traveled all over the world, performing in many countries. This included places like South Africa (1970), the Soviet Union (1971), Japan (1984), and even Greenland (1998).

Adam Darius also created special shows called physical theatre in London. He worked with Kazimir Kolesnik on plays like Yukio Mishima (1991) and Rimbaud and Verlaine (1992). One of their shows, A Snake in the Grass, was performed in Jordan in 2001 and won an award.

Sharing His Knowledge

In 1978, Adam Darius and Marita Crawley started the Mime Centre in London. He taught many talented people there, including the famous rock star Kate Bush and Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale.

His Final Years

Adam Darius passed away on December 3, 2017, in Espoo, Finland. He was 87 years old.

Awards and Recognitions

Images for kids

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  Adam Darius: Helsinki, 2007.

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  Yukio Mishima, Portugal 2006: by Adam Darius and Kazimir Kolesnik.

See also

In Spanish: Adam Darius para niños