Rosella Hightower, a prominent American Indian ballet dancer who rose to an illustrious career in the 1940s and 1950s and later started one of the premier dance schools in Europe, died overnight Nov. 3 at her home in Cannes, in the south of France. She was 88 and had had several strokes.
Hightower was one of five Oklahoma-born American Indians to emerge as world-class ballerinas. The others were Yvonne Chouteau, Moscelyne Larkin and the sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief. Their remarkable accomplishments showcased American dance and talent to the world when Russian stars still dominated that scene.
Hightower was often praised for her virtuosity, versatility and mastery of a varied repertoire. By the mid-1940s, she had delivered with brio such major classical roles as Odette in “Swan Lake" and “Gaite Parisienne." New York Times dance critic John Martin raved about her debut at the Met as Myrtha in “Giselle," a role she had to learn in five hours after prima ballerina Alicia Markova fell ill in 1947.
Hightower performed with ballet's most celebrated partners, including Eric Bruhn and Andre Eglevsky, and had partnered with Rudolf Nureyev in a “Swan Lake" pas de deux in 1961, marking one of his first stage appearances after defecting to the West.
The next year, she founded her Centre de Danse Classique in Cannes and attracted recruiters for the world's top ballet companies. It was later named L'Ecole Superieure de Danse, and its curriculum incorporated classical ballet, jazz and the modern Martha Graham technique. She ran the school while guiding major ballet companies in Europe.
When the Marquis George de Cuevas, a Chilean-born arts patron, invited Hightower to be part of his Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in 1947, so began the most glittering and triumphant 15-year stretch of her career. Her versatility and skill peaked in exotic and modern roles such as in “Piege de Lumiere" (Trap of Light), in which she was a giant blue tropical butterfly leading escaped prisoners astray.
After De Cuevas died in 1961, his company folded and Hightower started her teaching school and took active interest in the youngest to the oldest students.
“She could size up dancers in just a couple of seconds to tell them if they actually had any future as professionals," said Sylvia Fawlofski, one of her former students. “Once in a blue moon, she would appear and give us a fun class with high kicks, jazzy arrangements and spirited footwork. At the end she would tell us: 'Now you are ready to go dance on Broadway.' “
Hightower was one of five Oklahoma-born American Indians to emerge as world-class ballerinas. The others were Yvonne Chouteau, Moscelyne Larkin and the sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief. Their remarkable accomplishments showcased American dance and talent to the world when Russian stars still dominated that scene.
Hightower was often praised for her virtuosity, versatility and mastery of a varied repertoire. By the mid-1940s, she had delivered with brio such major classical roles as Odette in “Swan Lake" and “Gaite Parisienne." New York Times dance critic John Martin raved about her debut at the Met as Myrtha in “Giselle," a role she had to learn in five hours after prima ballerina Alicia Markova fell ill in 1947.
Hightower performed with ballet's most celebrated partners, including Eric Bruhn and Andre Eglevsky, and had partnered with Rudolf Nureyev in a “Swan Lake" pas de deux in 1961, marking one of his first stage appearances after defecting to the West.
The next year, she founded her Centre de Danse Classique in Cannes and attracted recruiters for the world's top ballet companies. It was later named L'Ecole Superieure de Danse, and its curriculum incorporated classical ballet, jazz and the modern Martha Graham technique. She ran the school while guiding major ballet companies in Europe.
When the Marquis George de Cuevas, a Chilean-born arts patron, invited Hightower to be part of his Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in 1947, so began the most glittering and triumphant 15-year stretch of her career. Her versatility and skill peaked in exotic and modern roles such as in “Piege de Lumiere" (Trap of Light), in which she was a giant blue tropical butterfly leading escaped prisoners astray.
After De Cuevas died in 1961, his company folded and Hightower started her teaching school and took active interest in the youngest to the oldest students.
“She could size up dancers in just a couple of seconds to tell them if they actually had any future as professionals," said Sylvia Fawlofski, one of her former students. “Once in a blue moon, she would appear and give us a fun class with high kicks, jazzy arrangements and spirited footwork. At the end she would tell us: 'Now you are ready to go dance on Broadway.' “
