Petit, << peh TEE, >> Roland (1924-2011), was a French dancer and choreographer (creator of dances). After the end of World War II in 1945, he revitalized French ballet by creating a brilliantly stylish and theatrical dance style. Petit’s best known work is Carmen (1949), which starred ballerina Renee “Zizi” Jeanmaire, whom he married in 1954. He also choreographed such ballets as Les Forains (1945), Le Jeune Homme et la Mort (1946), The Wolf (1953), Paradise Lost (1967), The Queen of Spades (1978), Ma Pavlova (1986), and Clavigo (1999).
Petit was born on Jan. 13, 1924, in Villemomble. After dancing with the ballet of the Paris Opera from 1940 to 1944, he cofounded the Ballets de Champs-Elysees in 1945, remaining with the company until 1947. From 1948 to 1959, he was artistic director of the Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit. He served as artistic director of the Ballet National de Marseille from 1972 to 1998. Petit also choreographed films and stage revues. Petit died on July 10, 2011.
