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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

'And now, let there be dance'

 

"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing." – Moliere

 

Born in France on this date in 1622, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who acted and wrote as Moliere, was a playwright considered one of the great masters of comedy in Western literature.  Among his best-known works are The MisanthropeTartuffe and The Miser.  He was one of the first theatrical writers to combine words with music and dance – a precursor to today’s musical theater.

 

Moliere died in 1673 while performing the last play he had written – ironically titled The Imaginary Invalid.   Playing the role of a hypochondriac, he had a severe coughing fit and collapsed during the last act; many in the audience thinking it was part of the show.  True to the old saying “The show must go on,” he insisted on finishing the performance and died on stage after the final curtain fell.

 

His works continue to resonate, being performed around the world.   As his quote above notes, he was a patron of and supporter of the dance, which he said would keep people so preoccupied and in good spirits that they wouldn’t have time for mischief and misdeeds. He felt equally strong about using comedy, both to entertain and “skewer.”

 

“The duty of comedy,” the playwright added, “is to correct men by amusing them.”

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