Marina Svetlova

About the Book

Marina Svetlova: A Tribute is a book that is intended to engage the professional dancer, as well as the layman, to the dance. The work celebrates the career of one of the most influential ballerinas of the twentieth century. The journey begins with her days as a baby ballerina in the de Basil Original Ballet Russe company, culminating in a tenure as professor of ballet at Indiana University Bloomington. Her intermediary accomplishments in the arts, such as having been named the prima ballerina of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Ballet while enjoying a decade of tours with the Svetlova Dance Ensemble, are explored, along with an appreciation for a lifetime of guest appearances. She appeared around the world as a guest artist with major ballet companies, coupled with frequent performances on television shows such as the Firestone Hour and the Bell television show. Svetlova’s legacy in the dance world is extensively documented in this volume by the inclusion of reviews of many of her performances and is accompanied by a host of stunning pictures produced by several of the most important dance photographers of her day.

About the Author

“Not only does he have a fine eye for dance, but his expert training in Ballet manifests itself in the way he is able to encourage dancers to realize more of their potential. . . .An added bonus which Mr. Limoli possesses is that he is a fine musician which amplifies the range of his work in Dance,” wrote dancer and founder of the Nevada Dance Theatre, Vassili Sulich about Michael Limoli. Limoli has lead a life totally immersed in the performing arts. From his early years he was acknowledged as an enfant prodige. Before graduating from High School as the Valedictorian of his class, in addition to his accomplishments as a clarinetist, he had taught himself to play the piano and the cello. He went on to study Voice on scholarship at the Cleveland Music School Settlement House, and he won a competition at the Cleveland Institute of Music to study Clarinet with the Principal Calrienetis with the Cleveland Symphony, Robert Marcellus. Immediately upon matriculation to Indiana University Bloomington on full scholarship, Limoli was recognized as a singularly gifted clarinetist. He soon began studying Ballet and earned a Doctorate in Clarinet and Ballet. He also earned a diploma in Clarinet from Salzburg’s Mozarteum. Limoli gave Guest solo recitals at Northwestern University Evanston, Indiana University Bloomington, and Oberlin College. He gave solo recitals in many of New York’s major venues, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall at Lincoln Center. He also earned a diploma from the Salzburger Mozarteum. Although the Cleveland Press announced that “Michael Limoli seems to have been born to the clarinet,” for Limoli, Dance had become a passion. Wilfred Bain wrote in Indiana University: The Bain Regime: “Michael Limoli was probably the most proficient dancer in the Indiana University Ballet Theatre. He was constantly torn between his great desires to make music and to dance. Fortunately he was able to perform at a high level in both fields.” The New York Times reported that “his playing was intimate and imaginative with gently tapered phrases and subtle interpretive strokes. . . . He used his cool tone to fashion soft, subtle phrases, often with eloquent results. (Joseph Horowitz) He cultivates a tonal beauty and lyrical suavity that is rare. (Peter Davis) Limoli has received rave reviews in the international press and was a featured artist in the Mozartwoche Festspiel in Salzburg, Austria. As a ballet dancer, Limoli’s performances were also highly applauded. After performances in Austria, the Salzburger Nachtrichtung wrote: “Der oft minutenlange Applaus swischen den einzelnen programmpunkten und die Bravo-Rufe fur Solisten Dusanka Duricanin und Michael Limoli. The Bloomington Herald Tribune reported that: “Principals Nancy Reed and Michael Limoli were also particularly affecting in this striking ballet. Limoli is first clarinetist of the I. U. Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a leading dancer with the ballet company.” Some of his prominent ballet teachers were Edward Caton, Stanley Williams, David Howard, Kent Stowell, Barbara Fallis and Valentina Pereyaslavec. Additionally, Limoli is a highly respected pianist. He has been an accompanist in many of the foremost Dance schools in NYC, including the David Howard School, the Joffrey School, Ballet Arts and at the Youskevitch School. He also was a pianist for many professional ballet companies, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest ballet the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet and Ballet Hispanico. Some of the Dance teachers for whom Limoli has accompanied classes include Igor Schwezoff, Alba Calzada, Melissa Haydn, Gelsey Kirkland, Darci Kistler, Therese Cappucili, Eleanor d’Antuono, Kirsten Simone, Anton Dolin, Jurgen Schneider, Nikolas Berisoff, Nathalie Krassovska, George Zorich and Marina Svetlova, to name a few. Limoli was a Fulbright Scholar and he has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Nevada Arts Council. Several well-known composers such as Bernhard Heiden, David N. Baker, John Eaton and Richard Cameron-Wolfe have created works for him. As a writer, Limoli’s program notes written for Ballet and Music performances at Skidmore College’s Zankel Autitorium have been greatly admired as well as articles on the Arts in several newspapers and journals.