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Elissa Minet Fuchs
Elissa Minet Fuchs (born Elise Minette Levy; March 10, 1919 – February 17, 2023) was an American ballerina and choreographer. Her career started in 1935 on the vaudeville stage and nightclub circuit, leading to gigs as a chorus girl on Broadway. With the fear of rising antisemitism around the world, she changed her name to appear French and conceal her Jewish identity. In 1937, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and danced with the company for one season. From 1938 to 1950, she danced with the resident ballet company at the Metropolitan Opera, retiring as a soloist. Fuchs founded and directed the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre in Louisiana and worked as the artistic director, ballet mistress, and choreographer at Greensboro Ballet in North Carolina.
Fuchs was born Elise Minette Levy to a Jewish American family on March 10, 1919, in New Orleans. Her father, Arthur Levy, was a businessman who sold light fixtures and her mother, Rose Levy, was an artist. Fuchs' older sister had been an actress before leaving the stage to get married.
She began dance lessons when she was three years old and, at the age of seven, began studying classical ballet. In September 1935, as she was getting ready to finish high school in New Orleans, she and her mother heard about professional dance opportunities in Chicago. Her father initially objected but, with the support of her mother, sister, and the family rabbi, she was permitted to travel to Chicago to seek work as a dancer.
Upon arriving in Chicago with her mother, Fuchs changed her name from Elise Minette Levy to Elissa Minet and decided to lie about her age, saying she was eighteen instead of sixteen. Her name change was to conceal her Jewish identity and appear French, as it was still risky for Jews to perform in public and a French identity appealed to the ballet world. Fuchs went to auditions with a friend and fellow dancer, Alda Marova. After four days of auditioning, she tried out for a vaudeville show produced by Mike Todd called Bring on the Dames, receiving a call back from dance director Fred Evans. Fuchs was hired for the show and toured for eight months. Her mother stayed with her for the first six years of her career, and was hired by Todd as a seamstress and wardrobe assistant.
In 1937, she worked on another of Todd's vaudeville shows in New York, but the show later folded. Afterwards, she went on to perform in various vaudeville shows and at nightclubs and supper clubs in Chicago and New York City, and performed as a chorus girl in multiple Broadway productions and on the Borscht Belt. Fuchs decided to go back to ballet and, in 1937, she joined the Russian-based touring ballet company Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, dancing with them for six months. After leaving the Ballet Russe, she worked at Bond International Casino in the city.
In 1938, she was offered a Can-can audition at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but her father refused to allow it due to the rise in Antisemitism in Europe and Adolf Hitler's rise to power in neighboring Germany. Fuchs stayed in the United States and won a series of auditions for the Metropolitan Opera's resident ballet company, beating out 500 other dancers including Nora Kaye and Alicia Alonso. She danced with the company until 1950, starting as a member of the corps de ballet and retiring as a soloist. At the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, she danced as Cleopatra in Faust, One of the Three Graces in Tannhäuser, High Priestess in Aida, and as a gypsy in Carmen. During this time, she took ballet classes with George Balanchine.
Fuchs danced her last professional role in March 2000 as Carabosse in Greensboro Ballet's production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty.
In the 1940s, Fuchs worked as a radio actress, working on radio soap operas. She joined Victory Troupe, an acting group, and worked with Milton Berle, Martha Raye, Victor Mature, Carol Landis, Walter O'Keefe, and Katie Smith.
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Elissa Minet Fuchs
Elissa Minet Fuchs (born Elise Minette Levy; March 10, 1919 – February 17, 2023) was an American ballerina and choreographer. Her career started in 1935 on the vaudeville stage and nightclub circuit, leading to gigs as a chorus girl on Broadway. With the fear of rising antisemitism around the world, she changed her name to appear French and conceal her Jewish identity. In 1937, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and danced with the company for one season. From 1938 to 1950, she danced with the resident ballet company at the Metropolitan Opera, retiring as a soloist. Fuchs founded and directed the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre in Louisiana and worked as the artistic director, ballet mistress, and choreographer at Greensboro Ballet in North Carolina.
Fuchs was born Elise Minette Levy to a Jewish American family on March 10, 1919, in New Orleans. Her father, Arthur Levy, was a businessman who sold light fixtures and her mother, Rose Levy, was an artist. Fuchs' older sister had been an actress before leaving the stage to get married.
She began dance lessons when she was three years old and, at the age of seven, began studying classical ballet. In September 1935, as she was getting ready to finish high school in New Orleans, she and her mother heard about professional dance opportunities in Chicago. Her father initially objected but, with the support of her mother, sister, and the family rabbi, she was permitted to travel to Chicago to seek work as a dancer.
Upon arriving in Chicago with her mother, Fuchs changed her name from Elise Minette Levy to Elissa Minet and decided to lie about her age, saying she was eighteen instead of sixteen. Her name change was to conceal her Jewish identity and appear French, as it was still risky for Jews to perform in public and a French identity appealed to the ballet world. Fuchs went to auditions with a friend and fellow dancer, Alda Marova. After four days of auditioning, she tried out for a vaudeville show produced by Mike Todd called Bring on the Dames, receiving a call back from dance director Fred Evans. Fuchs was hired for the show and toured for eight months. Her mother stayed with her for the first six years of her career, and was hired by Todd as a seamstress and wardrobe assistant.
In 1937, she worked on another of Todd's vaudeville shows in New York, but the show later folded. Afterwards, she went on to perform in various vaudeville shows and at nightclubs and supper clubs in Chicago and New York City, and performed as a chorus girl in multiple Broadway productions and on the Borscht Belt. Fuchs decided to go back to ballet and, in 1937, she joined the Russian-based touring ballet company Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, dancing with them for six months. After leaving the Ballet Russe, she worked at Bond International Casino in the city.
In 1938, she was offered a Can-can audition at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but her father refused to allow it due to the rise in Antisemitism in Europe and Adolf Hitler's rise to power in neighboring Germany. Fuchs stayed in the United States and won a series of auditions for the Metropolitan Opera's resident ballet company, beating out 500 other dancers including Nora Kaye and Alicia Alonso. She danced with the company until 1950, starting as a member of the corps de ballet and retiring as a soloist. At the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, she danced as Cleopatra in Faust, One of the Three Graces in Tannhäuser, High Priestess in Aida, and as a gypsy in Carmen. During this time, she took ballet classes with George Balanchine.
Fuchs danced her last professional role in March 2000 as Carabosse in Greensboro Ballet's production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty.
In the 1940s, Fuchs worked as a radio actress, working on radio soap operas. She joined Victory Troupe, an acting group, and worked with Milton Berle, Martha Raye, Victor Mature, Carol Landis, Walter O'Keefe, and Katie Smith.