Maximilian Froman

Froman was born in Moscow, at the time in the Russian Empire, on 13 June 1889 into a family of a musician of Swedish origin; he was one of six children, many of whom pursued careers in the arts.^[1]

He graduated from the Moscow Imperial Theatre School and was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre from 1907 to 1917. In 1918 he performed in Kyiv.^{[2] [3]} From 1911 he also performed with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.^[1]

In 1921 he moved to Zagreb, where he performed at the Croatian National Theatre. He was a character dancer noted for his strong technique. He frequently appeared in productions by his sister Margarita Froman, including the premieres of Gingerbread Heart (1924) and Imbrek with a Nose (1935) by Krešimir Baranović.^[2]

Among Froman's most notable roles were parts in ballets by Mikhail Fokine, including Scheherazade, Petrushka and Polovtsian Dances.^[2]

From 1927 to 1929 he was a leading soloist at the National Theatre in Belgrade.^[4]

Between 1940 and 1945 he headed the ballet of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava.^[2] During this period he staged Scheherazade, Les Papillons, Polovtsian Dances, Les Sylphides and The Sleeping Beauty. He also introduced the Slovak premieres of Baranović's ballets Imbrek with a Nose and Gingerbread Heart.^[5]

He was married to Olga Chaletzky.^[6]

In 1949, after the Second World War, Froman emigrated to the United States, where he founded the Froman Professional Ballet School.^[3][7][6]

He died on 21 May 1971 after a long illness at his home in New London, Connecticut. He was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London.^[6]

• Margarita Froman