Charles Didelot

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Charles-Louis Didelot (27 March 1767, Stockholm - 7 November 1837, Kiev) was a French dancer and choreographer. The son of the dance maestro of the King of Sweden, he studied dance with his father and then in Paris with Jean Dauberval. He then followed his study with Jean-Georges Noverre, under whose lead he debuted in London in 1788.

He arrived in Saint Petersburg in 1801 at the invitation of the director of the Imperial Theatres and he made his debute as the first dancer. His career ended in 1806, following an accident at the leg and to the death of his wife, Rose, a brilliant ballerine. From then on, Didelot taught dance, having an important influence over the development of ballet.

In Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, the yawning protagonist remarks on leaving the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in which Didelot worked: "I've suffered ballets long enough, But now Didelot is boring stuff".