Adam Darius


Adam Darius was an American dancer, mime artist, writer and choreographer. As a performer, he appeared in over 86 countries across six continents. As a writer, he published 19 books and wrote 22 plays.
In a program devoted to his career, the BBC World Service described him as "one of the most exceptional talents of the 20th century".

Biography

Adam Darius was born in Manhattan, New York City, into a family of Turkish and Russian ancestry.

Ballet career

Adam Darius began his ballet and contemporary dance training in 1945, at the age of 14, and went on to study with, among others, Anatole Oboukhov, George Goncharov, Olga Preobrajenska and José Limón.
His professional career began in 1946 with appearances at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, and then with numerous ballet companies including Britain's International Ballet, Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Denmark's Scandinavian Ballet. He was also choreographer of the Israel National Opera, where he choreographed four operas for opera star Plácido Domingo;. From 1964–1966, Adam Darius was the director of his own company, the Israeli Ballet.
Principal ballets:
In 1967, Adam Darius broke away from the traditional world of ballet and premièred his own fusion of dance and mime, described as 'expressive mime', at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and at the Arts Lab in London.
In the years that followed he toured many countries, including: South Africa ; the Soviet Union ; the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia ; Syria, Iran and Afghanistan ; Japan ; and Greenland.
Adam Darius' concept of physical theatre was also realized in the London productions of Yukio Mishima, Rimbaud and Verlaine and Tower of Babel, in collaboration with Kazimir Kolesnik. Among their further joint productions was A Snake in the Grass, presented in Amman, Jordan and acknowledged with the Noor Al Hussein Award.

Teaching

In 1978, Adam Darius and Marita Crawley founded the Mime Centre in London. In Britain he taught, among others, mime artist, dancer and director, Kazimir Kolesnik, rock star Kate Bush, Hollywood film star Kate Beckinsale, and West End principal Warren Mitchell.

Death

Darius died on 3 December 2017 in Espoo, Finland at the age of 87.

Books by Adam Darius

Honours and awards

Unless marked as being a SOLO performance, all shows were given in partnership with .
YearMonthCountryCityVenueRepertoireNotes
2000AprilJordanAmmanRoyal Cultural CentreResurrection
2000JulyCroatiaDubrovnikDubrovnik FestivalResurrection
2000AugustFinlandOuluOulu Music Festival TheatrePierrot in Exile
2000Nov.TurkeyIstanbulAtatürk Cultural CenterSelected solosSOLO
2001Jan/FebJordanAmmanBaccalaureate School TheatreA Snake in the Grass
2001AprilTurkeyIstanbulAksanat Cultural CentreResurrection
2001Sept.MoroccoCasablancaInternational Theatre FestivalResurrection
RabatSalle BahniniResurrection
2001Nov.FinlandHelsinkiJames DeanAs director
2002JuneSlovakiaBratislavaPantomime FestivalDeath of a Scarecrow
2002JulyLebanonBeirutFestival du RireHighlight repertoire
2003Feb.RussiaSt. PetersburgOkryty TheatreHighlight repertoire
2003MayItalyTurinDeath of a Scarecrow
2003Sept.JordanAmmanRoyal Cultural CentreDeath of a Scarecrow
2004MarchNew ZealandChristchurchHagley Community CollegeDeath of a Scarecrow
2004AprilMalaysiaKuala LumpurMalaysian National TheatreDeath of a Scarecrow
2004AugustMaltaVallettaSaint James Cavalier CentreDeath of a Scarecrow
2004Nov.SyriaDamascusAl-Kabbani TheatreDeath of a Scarecrow
2005Feb.SyriaDamascusFinnish/Jordanian Festival, Al-Assad Opera HouseFusionWith company
2005AugustTurkeyIstanbulSultan's PalaceDeath of a Scarecrow
2006Feb.PortugalPortoYukio MishimaWith company
Ponte del LimaTeatro Diogo BernardesYukio MishimaWith company
2006MayUkraineKievTYS Theatre; Death of a Scarecrow
2006Dec.ArgentinaRosario; Centro Cultural LavardenDeath of a Scarecrow
2007Oct.ArmeniaYerevanHigh Fest Theatre FestivalDeath of a Scarecrow
2007Dec.MacedoniaSkopjeDance: A Bridge between CulturesUNESCO sponsored lecture
2008Feb.EgyptAlexandriaTears of a Clown
2009Jan.FinlandEspooDeath of a Scarecrow
2009MarchMacedoniaSkopjeDeath of a Scarecrow
2009Oct.VenezuelaIsla de MargaritaTeatro Simon BolivarSelected solosSOLO
2009Nov.FinlandEspooTears of a Clown
2010MayBosnia & HerzogovinaSarajevoDeath of a Scarecrow
2010Nov.NepalKathmanduBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2012MayVenezuelaCaracasTeresa Carreño Cultural ComplexBasho - A Windswept Spirit
CaracasSala Juana SujoBasho - A Windswept Spirit
CaracasTeatro PrincipalBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2013MarchKuwaitKuwait CityBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2013OctMacedoniaSkopjeBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2014SeptRepublic of KosovoGjakovaGjakova Comedy FestivalBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2015MarchKuwaitKuwait CityRoyal PalaceBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2015Dec.7RussiaKrasnoyarskPalace of CultureBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2015Dec.8RussiaNovosibirskPhilharmonic Chamber HallBasho - A Windswept Spirit
2015Dec.10RussiaChelyabinskProkoviev Concert HallBasho - A Windswept Spirit