La Fontaine

Fr. /lann fawonn ten"/

1. Henri Fr. /ahonn rddee"/, 1854-1943, Belgian statesman: Nobel peace prize 1913.

2. Jean de /zhahonn deuh/, 1621-95, French poet and fabulist.

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▪ French ballerina

also called Mlle De Lafontaine

born 1655

died 1738

      French ballerina and the first woman professional ballet dancer.

      Before La Fontaine's debut in 1681 at the Paris Opéra as première danseuse in Jean-Baptiste Lully's (Lully, Jean-Baptiste) ballet Le Triomphe de l'amour, girls' roles on the public stage had been taken by young men. Although hampered by the long, confining costumes and limited ballet technique of the time, La Fontaine's grace and charm were such that she was called queen of the dance. After dancing at the Opéra for about a decade, in such works as Persée, Amadis, Didon, and Le Temple de la paix, she retired to a convent.

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