Espinosa, Edouard
ESPINOSA, EDOUARD
ESPINOSA, EDOUARD (1872–1950), British ballet dancer and teacher. Espinosa belonged to a renowned family of dancers and teachers, originally of Sephardi extraction. His father Léon E. (1825–1904) studied at the Paris Opera school, danced at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, and toured the U.S. before joining the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow as premier danseur de contrast. He settled in London in 1872, where he opened a school. Edouard was born in London and trained by his father. He danced under Henry Irving at Lyceum Theatre, London (1891–96) and for a season (1893) under Charles *Frohman, New York. From 1896 to 1939 he was ballet master at Covent Garden and other London theaters, producing dances for numerous shows, including Chu Chin Chow (1916), Maid of the Mountains (1917), and The Last Waltz (1922). He was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1920 and of the British Ballet Company in 1930. After his death the latter was directed by his son Eduard Kelly Espinosa (d. 1991) and daughter Ivette (d. 1992). He also wrote manuals on dance technique.
[Amnon Shiloah (2nd ed.)]