Chronology

1886

Alexander Sacharoff is born on May 26 in Mariupol, Ukraina, as the last of the seven sons of Maria Polianskaja and Simon Sacharoff.

1892

Clotilde Edle von der Planitz is born on November 5 in Berlin as the second daughter of Margarethe von Muschwitz and Hans Edler von der Planitz.

around 1898

Alexander moves to Saint Petersburg to attend high school.

around 1900

Clotilde moves to Munich with her mother and sister. She starts studying violin. Later she starts attending classes of Margaret Delius-Rice and Ethel Rice and ballet classes at the Munich Opera House. Her teachers there are Julie Bergmann and Anna Ornelli.

1903

Alexander moves to Paris and starts studying painting at the Académie Julian and the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

around 1905

Alexander moves to Munich.

1906–1909

Alexander attends classes of acrobatics also at the Schumann Circus, and of classical ballet.

1909

Alexander becomes a member of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München and made experiments in synesthesia with Wassily Kandinsky and Thomas von Hartmann.

1910

On April 25, Clotilde gives her first dance recital at the Munich Unionssaal under the name of Clotilde von Derp. On June 2, Alexander, too, debutes as a solo dancer at the Munich Tonhalle. Clotilde dances the First Elf in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Münchner Künstlertheater under the direction of Max Reinhardt. Besides, she dances there a harem dancer in Max Reinhardt´s pantomime Sumurûn.

1911

Clotilde dances with great success the main role in the pantomime Sumurûn at the London Coliseum Theatre under the direction of Max Reinhardt.

1911–1912

Alexander gives solo recitals in Germany (Hagen, Hamburg, Cologne, etc.). He also gives recitals with Rita Sacchetto. In 1912 Alexander returns shortly to Russia.

1913

Alexander and Clotilde meet at the Munich Press Ball. Clotilde dances the roles of Petit cuisinier and Petit mitron in The Bourgeois Nobleman at the Königliches Residenz-Theater in Munich.

1914

When the war breaks out, Alexander moves to Lausanne.

around 1916

Clotilde attends some ballet classes with Enrico Cecchetti in Lausanne.

1916–1917

Alexander and Clotilde give many recitals in Switzerland.

1919

First exhibition of Alexander´s collages at the Zurich Kunsthaus. They get married on July 25 in Zurich. Tour to the United States financed by Edith McCormick Rockefeller.

1920

On February 17, they debute at the New York Metropolitan in a charity performance. On April 6, they give their second recital at the New York Globe Theater.

1921

In March or April they debute at the Paris Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

1922

In April they debute at the London Coliseum. They settle in Paris.

1923–1930

Tours to Europe and the Middle-East.

1930

First tour to the Far East arranged by the impresario Strok: performances in Shanghai, Bejing, Osaka, Tokyo, Saigon.

1934

Second tour to the Far East arranged by Strok (China, Japan, Java). On their return to Europe they leave on tour for Canada and the United States.

1935

Performances in Montreal, Chicago, New York (Fisher Theatre, arranged by S. Hurok). Later tour to South America, with performances in Havana, São Paulo, Montevideo, Buenos Aires (Teatro Colon).

1935–1939

Tours to many European countries.

1940

At the outbreak of the Second World War, they are in Portugal. Unable to reach their flat in Paris, they settle in Lisbon.

1941

They emigrate to South America, where they separate. Alexander sets his residence in Buenos Aires and Clotilde goes to Montevideo. They episodically join to dance together.

1948

On July 19, Clotilde returns to Europe. Alexander reaches her later in Paris. They perform again together at the Paris Théâtre des Champs Elysées.

1952

They move to Rome. They start giving lessons at the Siena Accademia Musicale Chigiana.

1954

They give their last performance at the Roman Teatro Eliseo.

1954–1963

They give summer classes in Siena.

1955

Second exhibition of Alexander´s collages, set and costume designs at the Roman Galleria delle Carrozze.

1956

They found a school in Rome.

1955–1962

During these years Alexander episodically works as a costume designer.

1963

Alexander dies on September 25.

1974

Clotilde dies on January 11.