Deshayes, André Jean-Jacques

Deshayes, André Jean-Jacques (1777, Paris; 1846, Paris), dancer, was a descendant of a well-known family of musicians and dancers previously associated with the Opéra. He enrolled in the ballet school associated with the Opéra in 1788 and was admitted to the corps de ballet in 1791. The public was enthusiastic over his dancing, and it was not long before he was promoted to premier danseur. He worked closely with Pierre-Gabriel Gardel, therefore, and he appeared in the premiere of the famous…