Jeanmaire, Zizi (1924–)

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Jeanmaire, Zizi (1924–)

French ballerina and film actress. Name variations: Renée Jeanmaire; Zizi Petit. Born Renée Jeanmaire in Paris, France, April 29, 1924; dau. of Marcel Jeanmaire (owner of a Paris chromium factory) and Olga (Brunus) Jeanmaire; studied ballet at Paris Opera Ballet School under Alexandre Volinine and Boris Kniaseff; m. Roland Petit (dancer and director of Les Ballets des Champs Elysées), Dec 29, 1954; children: Valentine Petit.

Spent several seasons with the de Basil and de Guevas Russian ballets, then joined Les Ballets de Champs-Elysées, a company formed by Roland Petit; joined Petit's Les Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit (1948), a troupe of 15 solo dancers; during company's initial season, danced leading roles in Que le Diable l'Emporte, Études Symphoniques, and Carmen, 3 new ballets choreographed by Petit; at company's NY debut (1949), dazzled US audiences with her unconventional interpretation of Carmen; starred in Hans Christian Andersen with Danny Kaye, a film that contains a 17-minute ballet choreographed by Petit; went on to star in several French movies and also appeared on Broadway in The Girl in Pink Tights (1953); combined singing and acting with dancing and starred in the stage shows Revue des Ballets de Paris (1956), Le Patron (1959), and An Evening with Zizi, which came to US (1964).

See also Women in World History.

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