Decombe, Ferdinand-Albert

Decombe, Ferdinand-Albert DIT Albert (15 April 1789, Bordeaux; 1865, Fontainebleau), dancer, performed on the stage of the Opéra for the first time in 1808. He had wished to study ballet as a boy, but he had abandoned the idea of becoming a professional dancer after he had failed to find competent teachers in his native city. Auguste Vestris came to Bordeaux one day to dance, however, and Albert’s ambitions awoke once again. Ultimately, he went to Paris and became premier danseur at the Gaïté…