Russian dancer and choreographer Leonide Massine was born in Moscow and studied at the ballet school of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg. During the early years of Diaghilev's Ballet Russe, Massine became a principal dancer with the company and also choreographed a number of works, including "Parade" (1917) and "La Boutique Fantasque" (1919). After the breakup of the Ballet Russe, Massine worked occasionally in America before settling in Europe, where he worked for such companies as Sadler's Wells and Ballets des Champs Elysees. In addition to his work on the stage, he appeared in the two noted ballet films "The Red Shoes" (1948) and "The Tales of Hoffman" (1950). As both a dancer… and choreographer, Massine employed facial and body gestures from vaudeville, the circus, and the cinema. His choreographic ideas are so much a part of ballet today that they seem almost old-fashioned. During the height of his creative powers in the 1930's, Massine was lauded as the greatest choreographer in Europe.