Eugène Germain Coulon (1808–1891) was a respected dance teacher who played an important role in the development of dance in the ballrooms and salons in the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century. In London he was known as the French dance master and brought "the edifying influences, the reformative attributes and civilising refinements of society - 'the art of dancing' - to broader populations".Gretchen Schneider (2004). "Nineteenth-Century Social Dance", pp. 623–626, in International Encyclopedia of Dance, Editor Selma Jeanne Cohen, Vol 5, Oxford University Press, 2004, page 623. He taught a generation of dance teachers in the UK.
Family Born, April 1808, in Paris into a famous french dancing family, his father was Jean-François Coulon and his father's sister, Anne-Jacqueline Coulon was a dancer with Paris Opera from 1778 to 1802. His brother, Antoine-Louis Coulon (1796–1849), was a principal dancer in Paris and London who danced with Pauline Duvernay,The Romantic Ballet in Paris, Ivor Guest, Dance Books Ltd., 1966, page 118 Fanny Bias and Pauline Leroux and became known as a demi-caractère dancer.
In Paris on 29 April 1833For date and place of marriage, see Commons:File:Reconstituted marriage record of Eugène Germain Coulon and Louise Zulmée Leroux 29 April 1833 – Paris archives.jpg. Coulon married Louise Zulmé (née) Leroux (1804–1874),Born 22 March 1804 (Commons:File:Louise Zulmée Leroux reconstituted birth record – Paris archives.jpg); died 29 April 1874 (Commons:File:The Morning Post 1 May 1874 p. 7 Death notice of Louise-Zulme Coulon.jpg). Wikidata item: Q131587783. a singing teacherThe Morning Post, 29 June 1846, Page 1, Advertisement who possibly also sang in recitalThe Morning Post, 12 August 1840, Grande Fete at the Stadium and may have been the Louise-Zulmé Le Roux listed in Constant Pierre's history of the Paris Conservatoire as born 20 March 1804 and likely confused with Zulmée Leroux, who was awarded 1st Prize for Singing in 1819, married Bernard Dabadie in 1821, and died in 1877. The date of Zulmé Leroux's marriage to Bernard Dabadie is incorrectly given as 1822. There is a photograph of Madame Coulon in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Four children are known, three dying at birth or soon after, Leon Gustave (31 October 1834), Juliette Marie (10 June 1836), Louis Emile (23 February 1839) See also: Commons:File:Death record of Louis Emile Coulon, 23 February 1839 – Municipal archive The Hague.jpg and a daughter Jeanne Louise Coulon (1832–1892) who was an accomplished pianistThe Musical World, February 7, 1857, page 1, Mademoiselle Coulon and music teacher but took her own life seven months after the death of her father.The Morning Advertiser, London, 7 July 1892, Page 2, Suicide of a Music Teacher There is a photograph of Mademoiselle Coulon in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Maître de dance He trained for the stage but ill-health obliged a change of career in 1830 and he obtained a position at The Hague as professor to the royal family of the Prince of Orange. Coulon’s Hand-Book; Containing all the Last New and Fashionable Dances (London: Jullien & Co., 1860), Preface. Copy at libraryofdance.org. This lasted nearly seven years and he then moved to London at the invitation of his brother Antoine, who had opened a dance academy with Jas. Hervet d'Egville (possibly James Harvey D'Egville) in 1832.The Morning Post, 05 November 1832, King's Concert Rooms
When the Polka became the rage in Paris he travelled there and consulted with Henri Cellarius and his reputation was established when he introduced the dance to English ballrooms and "as the best Parisian teacher", was "specially sent for by the Almack's patronesses to introduce the dance to their select circle".The Atlas, 13 April 1844, page 7, Theatricals One newspaper wrote that he "introduced the Polka that chased away prudery, banished reserve, and taught all classes that dancing is and always was meant to be the foot's interpretation of the heart" and "has converted the solemn ball room into the scene of innocent revelry".Pictorial Times, 20 March 1847, Page 6, The Dancing Season A page of the paper was devoted to his portrait.Pictorial Times, 20 March 1847, Page 5, The Dancing Season
At about this time he moved from 47, which could accommodate 200 dancers,Cork Examiner, 05 August 1844, The Ball-room Polka to 48 Great Marlborough Street as it was "larger and more commodious".The Morning Post, 28 October 1846, Danse - Mr. E. Coulon In 1852 or 1853 he moved to 22 Gt Marlborough St., and then to 5 Bulstrode St, Cavendish-square in 1867.The Morning Post, 29 March 1867
He continued his collaboration with Cellarius as well as Jean Coralli and Eugene Laborde, the other principal dance teachers in Paris at the time, to distil the new elaborate and theatrical dances appearing on the stages of Europe into figures suitable for the ballrooms of France and the UK and to encourage uniformity in the execution of those dances in those ballrooms.Pictorial Times, 16 November 1844, page 7Brighton Gazette, February 27, 1845, The Polka and the Mazurka To that end in the next few years he would also introduce the Mazurka, Redowa, Valse à deux temps.
By 1860 he had taught 104 dance teachers across 56 towns in the UK.Coulon's Handbook, 3rd edition, page 99 At the time to have been trained by Monsieur Coulon was the highest qualification for a teacherThe Scotsman,January 29, 1845, Lowe's Rooms and remained so for fifty years.Ludlow Advertiser, April 14, 1894, Advertisement, Mrs Sharp (Pupil of M. Coulon)
He was still teaching at the age of 80The Morning Post, 22 February 1888, Advertisement and died at 83 after a long illnessThe Morning Post, 6 October 1891, p. 1, Death notice
Description of dance figures Coulon's descriptions of dance steps are on many music sheets and were collected in the books, The Ball-Room Polka Cotillon and Valse à Deux Tems as taught by Mons. E. Coulon in 1844,The Ball-Room Polka Cotillon and Valse à Deux Tems as taught by Mons. E. Coulon, 1844. Copy at libraryofdance.org. and Coulon's Handbook; Containing all the New and Last Fashionable Dances,. There were at least four editions of this book, three published by Jullien Co., in 1851,Morning Herald (London), December 12, 1851, page 8, .. just published Coulon's Handbook 1852,Illustrated London News, April 24, 1852, page 16, Second edition of Coulon's Hand book and 1860 and one by Hammond and Co. in 1873The Graphic (London), December 6, 1873, page 22, Coulon's Handbook of Dancing ...new edition
Art Monsieur Coulon's Dancing Class is a painting by Albert Ludovici Jnr (1852–1932). It secured Ludovici's admission to the Society of British ArtistsAn Artist's Life in London and Paris 1870-1925, A. Ludovici, London 1926 and when on display at the fifty sixth Exhibition of the Society of British Artists in 1879 it was described as "one of the most charming works in the exhibition".The Magazine of Art, 1880 (Gift Book), vol. 2, p. 159. A sketch of the painting is on page 157 of The Magazine of Art Gift Book.The Magazine of Art, 1880 (Gift Book), vol. 2, p. 157.
In addition to the Baugniet lithograph shown above there are two other portraits of Eugène Coulon in the National Portrait Gallery.
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