Francisco Miralles Arnau

Francisco Miralles Arnau (Valencia, August 2, 1871 - Paris, May 9, 1932) was a dancer, choreographer and Spanish and classical dance teacher.[1] His solid training allowed him to develop a successful international career in which he emphasized playing the Bolero.

Francisco Miralles
Born
Francisco Miralles Arnau

(1871-08-02)August 2, 1871
Valencia , Comunidad Valenciana, España
DiedMay 9, 1932(1932-05-09) (aged 60)
Paris, France
NationalitySpanish
Other namesThe dancer of the Russian Tsars
OccupationDancer, choreographer y dance teacher
Years activeEnd of 19th century and beginning of 20th century
Spouse(s)Cándida Espinosa Conde
Notes
Bibliography by Rodríguez Lloréns, R. (2015). Francisco Miralles. Pasos de baile para una leyenda. L'Eixam Edicions.

Biography

Early years

Francisco Miralles was born on August 2, 1871 in a humble family. From a very young age, he showed interest in Spanish dance. He initially took lessons from Spanish dance maestro Ramón Porta Ricart in the field of traditional Valencian dance. Later on, he continued studying with maestro José Martí and, finally, with Vicente Moreno. Vicente Moreno was the opera ballet teacher at Teatro Principal, one of the main theaters in Valencia.

Career

After his debut in the Valencian theaters, Francisco Miralles traveled to Andalusia and settled in Málaga. In this city he danced in the Café de España with the dancer Cándida Espinosa Conde, and they got married in 1897. He traveled then to Barcelona, where he was discovered by French managers when he worked at the Granvía Theater. He left Spain in 1898 to work in Paris, and, after his international career began, he would only come back to his hometown during the Great War.

He developed his artistic career mainly in Russia, where he was known as The dancer of the Russian Tsars, but also in France, America and Africa. He was the dance teacher of several artist from the Paris Opera, with whom he also performed many times. Also, famous writer Anaïs Nin learnt Spanish dance in Paris with Francisco Miralles from 1927 to 1930, as she recorded herself in her diaries.[2]

He taught many Spanish dancers, to whom he transmitted more than two hundred and fifty choreographies, whose titles he collected in his teaching notebook. Among all of them, his most notable student was Mariemma, who always remember her professor with admiration and appreciation.

Discography

Francisco Miralles was also concertmaster of castanets and recorded several albums with the Aerophone label, where he performed his own compositions.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.