on Friday, in the dream died Zizi Jammer, an outstanding dancer and singer, star of “Casino de Paris”, the wife and Muse of the great French choreographer Roland Petit. Zizi, as everyone called her, survived her husband for 9 years.
her Real name — Rene Marcel Jammer, but the whole world knows it under her artistic pseudonym, consisting of only four letters – Zizi. She was 96 years old.
Zizi Jammer, though, and finished school at the Paris Opera and in 1939 made his debut in the corps de ballet of the famous theatre, and then acted on the stages of other theaters of the world, was not only a ballerina. She embodied the charm, the sparkle and chic of Paris 70 years, and was no less famous Parisian cabaret Diva and a movie star, starred in many Hollywood Charles Widor, Jean Delannoy and Terence young, was on Broadway and had a lot of fans. Her fanatical admirer was, for example, Joseph Cornell – American painter, sculptor, film Director avant-garde: he collected clippings of articles about her, her posters, photographs, kept her autograph dedicated to her one of his works.
She knew all of Hollywood: Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Judy garland, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, grace Kelly… She starred in the movies, the ballet with Baryshnikov (Carmen) and Nureyev (“Young man and death”). And in 70-e years of vocal and dance show exploded all over Paris… These programs were created for her by her husband Roland Petit. The best of his Revue, entitled “Zizi, I love you” (in fact, the public Declaration of love) was often begun with dummy aircraft, which hovered over the scene, and the ramp came down wrapped in a boa half-naked girls make up by Zizi. Then followed a tense pause and the last she appeared. It’s hard to describe what began in the courtroom.
“Then, for me, the undisputed symbol of Paris was not the Eiffel tower, and Zizi Jammer” – writes in his recently released memoirs “a Life in the ballet” who knew Jammer azariy Plisetsky, the brother of Maya Plisetskaya.
Her fantastic, mind-blowing outfits ryadili her in these productions, a friend of the family by the French couturier Yves Saint Laurent, was reproduced on the cover of Paris fashion magazine: ostrich feathers, corsets with ruffles, miniplate trapeze, in which she sported imitating fashionistas around the world.
“From Yves Saint Laurent all of a sudden. Pullover Zizi. “Forro”, tight feet. Attire color of pink champagne with a fluffy skirt of feathers – feet Zizi are in the context of this pink phantasmagoria” – describes Roland Petit’s book, “I danced on the waves” one of the suits Zizi, created for her by famous fashion designer.
“the People crammed in the “Casino de Paris” to look at Zizi, who dances, sings and recites in incredible costumes that are created by Yves Saint Laurent. One of her rooms.in – “Mon Truc en Plumes”, or “the Thing with feathers” she performed countless times. I remember the delight with which the audience already met the first chords of the same song, performed by Zizi surrounded by men with a huge “dancing” fans of ostrich feathers” – describes azariy Plisetsky one of her Paris shows.
Despite the rather lengthy work overseas, Zizi Janmar always remained a real Parisian. Slender, leggy, sarmenta, she was trimmed by Gavroche, it began the fashion short, almost “masculine”, women’s haircuts.
“Zizi is my Carmen, my devourer of diamonds! My engine, which I hooked all the new cars in the form of their productions” – talking about her Petit, listing roles in ballets (Carmen, “the diamond Eater”), which he did. The best of them made it as the ballerina’s name was Carmen. For this party he will think of her famous haircut.
they Met back in school at the Paris Opera, along came the famous troupe, from which, without passing to the next stage in the hierarchy of the Opera, she soon left. And here in 1949, Petit creates her “Carmen”, which will be a real revolution in the ballet art. Party Jose Petit the station itself.
to be precise, the ballet was created entirely on another dancer, but suddenly their rights brought to the party and stubborn Zizi, then Jammer Renee (a pseudonym in Hollywood she would think of Samuel Goldwyn). To get rid of the haunting beauty with a beautiful thick mane of curly hair, which Janmer a lot of admirers, Roland puts an impossible, as it seems, conditions.
“there’s something I conceived and Zizi had to listen. To cut a lush MOP of curly ringlets, which gave her a resemblance to Louis XIV, the comb her hair like a boy’s hair nepamatoti. Apply on face white makeup, like Pierrot the pantomime and, finally, get rid of emphasized femininity in the movements. The next day rabid photographers captured the new image of Zizi, in millions of instances replicating her face on the front pages” recalled Roland Petit. As a real actress, she was not afraid to lose for the role your gorgeous hair, all without a murmur, and even happily agreed. A few days in London “Princesses – in theater” premiered.
a Hurricane, a storm of applause shook the night theatre, but in the final power left Zizi. “Look turbid, shoulders down, and I hear in a nightmare, weak voice: “can’t be, now gonna faint”. Impossible! It should last until the end. And then, I don’t know how it happens, I slapped her a slap. A second surprise, her temperament gets the better, she literally lunges at menya screamed: “you Bastard!” and this is not a pas de Deux, and fight to the last, which came together two enemies: an angry tigress, which received a slap in the face, and I’m desperately happy that I managed to spice up the action until the death of Carmen. The curtain finally falls into a deep silence that precedes the triumph. The next day, the Newspapers not only London but also Paris, Berlin, new York tell about the event. Pictures all Zizi and her don josé, insight and inspiration. Since the morning an endless queue going around the building of the theatre, and the audience, diverging after the evening performance, we have to get to their cars through the crowd, eager for a ticket, which of ten in the evening took place at the theatre doors with Luggage, folding chairs and thermoses, to the next day when you open the cash register to be first”.
Then there was a quarrel, reconciliation, departure to Hollywood, return to Paris… Wedding in 1954… Born soon daughter Valentina… Performances at “Casino de Paris”, for the sake of the wife Petit headed for five years, rejecting proposals on the management of the Paris Opera ballet… the Creation of the Marseille ballet… New triumphs, new quarrels – as usually happens in life.
After the death of her husband, who lived lately in luxurious house in a picturesque place colony on the shores of lake Geneva, and then Geneva, Zizi moved to a quiet place called Toloshny, located near Lausanne, where for many years until his death lived the famous Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn. There Zizi and died.
According to the testimony of all who knew her in recent years, she “has retained an excellent memory, love of life and a clear mind”. To the end it will not leave Luigi Bonino – assistant of Roland Petit, a former dancer of its troupe, which is today around the world puts the ballets of his master. “Because Zizi is the sole heir to copyrights for all the performances of Roland, Luigi gave her a comfortable existence. But the loneliness of her sad – says azariy Plisetsky, often visited the star in the years Tolosa. – Zizi almost never rises from the seat on which you spend almost all the time. With her only assistant. So Zizi is always happy guests. When we talk about Roland, there, he will slip in an insult, that he was often cruel and brutal, unjustified… Then smile lights up the face Zizi, and she adds: “But no one has ever loved me the way Roland”.
