Geneviève Gosselin facts for kids
Geneviève-Adélaïde Gosselin (born 1791 – died June 17, 1818, Paris) was a French ballet dancer. She is famous for being the first dancer to perform en pointe, which means dancing on the very tips of her toes.
Early Life and Family
Geneviève Gosselin grew up in a family of dancers. Her father was a ballet master, a person who teaches and creates dances. Geneviève was the oldest of four sisters, and all of them became famous ballerinas at the Ballet de l’Opera de Paris.
Her sister, Constance Gosselin, married another dancer named Auguste-Anatole Petit. Another sister, Louis Gosselin, became a top dancer in both London and Paris. Her youngest sister, Henriette Gosselin, also danced with the Paris Opera for many years, from 1821 to 1830.
Becoming a Ballet Star
Geneviève learned ballet from Jean-François Coulon. He was one of the best dance teachers in Europe at that time. In 1807, he became a professor at the Opéra de Paris, teaching advanced ballet. He also helped develop the special shoes needed for dancing en pointe after 1810.
Geneviève joined the Opéra de Paris in 1806 when she was fifteen years old. She was a very skilled dancer. In 1813, she became the first dancer to truly develop the art of dancing en pointe.
The First Dancer En Pointe
In 1815, Geneviève Gosselin played the main character in a ballet called Flore et Zéphire. This was one of the first romantic ballets. The dance was created by Charles Didelot, who was the main choreographer for the Russian Imperial Ballet.
Didelot invented a special "flying machine" for the ballet. This machine used cables and wires to make dancers look like they were floating. Because of this invention, Geneviève Gosselin was able to perform on her pointe shoes. This was the very first time audiences saw a dancer perform en pointe.
At first, Geneviève could only balance on her toes for short moments. However, some people said she could balance for a whole minute! Geneviève Gosselin opened the door for other famous dancers like Amalia Brugnoli and Marie Taglioni. Marie Taglioni often gets most of the credit for making pointe shoes popular. In fact, one critic from that time said that Marie Taglioni reminded him of Geneviève Gosselin.
Sadly, Geneviève Gosselin passed away in 1818 at the age of 27. This was only three years after her groundbreaking performance en pointe.
See also
In Spanish: Geneviève Gosselin para niños
