George De Cuevas

Passions

Vocation

Family

Chilean-American ballet impresario and choreographer who was best known for the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas that he formed in 1944. Though Cuevas was apparently homosexual, he married Margaret Rockefeller Strong, a granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, in Paris on 3 August 1927. The Cuevases would have two children, John (born 1931) and Elizabeth (born 1929, aka Bessie, later sculptor Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas). He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in July 1940, renouncing his title and becoming legally George de Cuevas. His title, however, continued to be used socially and in news reports. He founded a new ballet company as the Ballet International in New York City in 1944, performing at a now-destroyed theatre in Columbus Circle. The company was variously called the Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo or the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, but was most commonly called The de Cuevas Ballet by theatregoers. The final success of his career was a production of The Sleeping Beauty that debuted in Paris in October 1960 and was well received by critics. His doctors allowed him to attend the ballet's premiere, and he was rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair after the performance to a standing ovation from the audience. George de Cuevas died at age 75 on 22 February 1961, at his villa, Les Délices, in Cannes. Link to Wikipedia biography