Charles Engell France, 59
Charles Engell France, a writer on dance, a collector and the influential assistant to Mikhail Baryshnikov when he was artistic director of American Ballet Theater in the 1980's, died recently. He was 59. He had been in poor health for years.
He spent part of his childhood in Copenhagen, where he studied at the school of the Royal Danish Ballet. He received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and worked toward a master's degree in French literature at the Sorbonne, Yale and Columbia, but ballet was his great passion.
Mr. France worked his way up through the ranks at Ballet Theater beginning as a driver for a Ballet Theater trustee who later became president of the American Ballet Theater Foundation. Eventually, he was put in charge of several small company projects, then went to work in the press office at Ballet Theater and was director of the office when Mikhail Baryshnikov was named artistic director in 1980.
Mr. Baryshnikov named Mr. France as his assistant, and the two worked together to revitalize Ballet Theater. Mr. France was widely recognized as a brilliant, astute artistic adviser who helped shape careers of both promising dancers and administrators.
Mr. France upon his extensive knowledge of dance to collaborate with Mr. Baryshnikov on two books, which Mr. France edited: Baryshnikov at Work and Baryshnikov in Color. Mr. France also wrote for Ballet Review early in his career. During his post-Ballet theater years, he also collected costume jewelry and other antiques.
He has no known survivors.