Flemming Flindt
Encyclopedia
Flemming Flindt was a Danish
choreographer born in Copenhagen. He studied at the Royal Danish Ballet
and Paris Opera Ballet schools, joined the Royal Danish Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1955. He guested with the London Festival Ballet in 1955, the Ballet Rambert in 1960, the Royal Ballet 1963 and the Bolshoi Ballet
in 1968, becoming an étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet in 1961.
His first ballet was Enetime, a 1963 adaptation of Ionesco
's La Leçon
, original English title of the ballet The Private Lesson, to a score by Georges Delerue
and was commissioned by Danish television, later being adapted for the stage, making its premiere with Royal Danish Ballet
on tour in Paris in 1964; Flindt returned to the Royal Danish Ballet as artistic director from 1966 to 1978. Other ballets he made on the Royal Danish Ballet include The Miraculous Mandarin to Bartók
(1967), The Nutcracker
to Tchaikovsky
in 1971, Jeux to Debussy
in 1973 and Dreamland, to a score by Herman David Koppel
in 1974.
In 1978 he formed his own dance company. Its first work, Salome, premiered on 10 November 1978, at Copenhagen
's Cirkusbygningen (The Circus Building). It featured music composed by Peter Maxwell Davies
, performed by the Danish
Radio Concert Orchestra and conducted by Janos Fürst
. The principal dancers were Vivi Flindt
, his wife, as Salome; Jonny Ellisason as John the Baptist; and Lizzie Rhode as Herodias. Flindt danced the role of Herod, and Vivi danced her final scene completely nude. This caused less of a sensation than the couple's previous nude ballet Dødens triumf (The Triumph of Death), a television ballet in which the whole cast danced naked to a 1971 score by The Savage Rose
(its stage premiere at the Royal Danish Theatre
was in 1972). Salome was filmed and shown on national television.
From 1981 to 1989 he became artistic director of the Dallas Ballet, after which he continued to work as a freelance choreographer, especially with the Cleveland Ballet
. In 1991 he returned to the Royal Danish Ballet to make Caroline Mathilde
to another Peter Maxwell Davies score and Legs of Fire in 1998 to a score by Erik Norby
.
Flemming Flindt was made a Knight of Dannebrog
in 1974 and received the Carina Ari Medal in 1975. He was married to the dancer Vivi Flindt
, who created leading roles in a number of his ballets.
Flindt's works continue to be performed as part of the extensive repertoire of Ballet San Jose
. He was present in November 2008 to personally stage Ballet San Jose's production of his work, The Toreador. Flindt died on 3 March 2009 in Sarasota, Florida in the United States.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
choreographer born in Copenhagen. He studied at the Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
and Paris Opera Ballet schools, joined the Royal Danish Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1955. He guested with the London Festival Ballet in 1955, the Ballet Rambert in 1960, the Royal Ballet 1963 and the Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies, however it only achieved worldwide acclaim by the early 20th century, when Moscow became the...
in 1968, becoming an étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet in 1961.
His first ballet was Enetime, a 1963 adaptation of Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
's La Leçon
La Leçon
The Lesson is a one-act play by Eugène Ionesco. It was first performed in 1951 in a production directed by Marcel Cuvelier . Claude Mansard played the Maid and Rosette Zuchelli played the Pupil in that production. Since 1957 it has been in permanent production at Paris' Théâtre de la Huchette, on...
, original English title of the ballet The Private Lesson, to a score by Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue , was a French film composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. He won numerous important awards including Rome Prize , Emmy Award , Genie Award , ACE Award and Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1979 for A...
and was commissioned by Danish television, later being adapted for the stage, making its premiere with Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
on tour in Paris in 1964; Flindt returned to the Royal Danish Ballet as artistic director from 1966 to 1978. Other ballets he made on the Royal Danish Ballet include The Miraculous Mandarin to Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
(1967), The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
to Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
in 1971, Jeux to Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
in 1973 and Dreamland, to a score by Herman David Koppel
Herman David Koppel
Herman David Koppel was a composer and pianist of Jewish origin.Born in Copenhagen, he fled the Nazis with his family in 1943. He wrote 13 symphonies, numerous concertos, and 20 string quartets....
in 1974.
In 1978 he formed his own dance company. Its first work, Salome, premiered on 10 November 1978, at Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
's Cirkusbygningen (The Circus Building). It featured music composed by Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
, performed by the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Radio Concert Orchestra and conducted by Janos Fürst
János Fürst
János Fürst was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.János Fürst originally studied the violin at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in his native Budapest. After the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary, he continued studies at the conservatory in Brussels. He attended the Conservatoire de Paris...
. The principal dancers were Vivi Flindt
Vivi Flindt
Vivi Flindt is a Danish dancer. She studied at the Royal Danish Ballet School, then joined the company, making her debut as Birgit Cullberg's Miss Julie in 1965 and being promoted to soloist in 1967...
, his wife, as Salome; Jonny Ellisason as John the Baptist; and Lizzie Rhode as Herodias. Flindt danced the role of Herod, and Vivi danced her final scene completely nude. This caused less of a sensation than the couple's previous nude ballet Dødens triumf (The Triumph of Death), a television ballet in which the whole cast danced naked to a 1971 score by The Savage Rose
The Savage Rose
The Savage Rose is a Danish psychedelic rock group, founded in 1967 by Thomas Koppel, Anders Koppel, Alex Riel, Jens Rugsted, Flemming Ostermann, and Annisette. Ilse Marie Koppel was also participating. Nils Tuxen replaced Flemming Ostermann from their second album...
(its stage premiere at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
was in 1972). Salome was filmed and shown on national television.
From 1981 to 1989 he became artistic director of the Dallas Ballet, after which he continued to work as a freelance choreographer, especially with the Cleveland Ballet
Cleveland Ballet
The Cleveland Ballet was founded in 1972 by Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath as a dance school, the School of Cleveland Ballet. They subsequently recruited professional dancers who by 1975 were previewing performances around Cleveland. The company first performed at the Hanna Theatre November 16, 1976...
. In 1991 he returned to the Royal Danish Ballet to make Caroline Mathilde
Caroline Mathilde (ballet)
Caroline Mathilde is a two-act ballet to music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Its original choreographer was Flemming Flindt.It tells the story of the eighteenth century English princess Caroline Mathilde who was sent to Denmark aged 15 to be married to the 17-year-old schizophrenic Danish King,...
to another Peter Maxwell Davies score and Legs of Fire in 1998 to a score by Erik Norby
Erik Norby
Erik Norby was a Danish composer.-References:*This article was initially translated from the Danish Wikipedia....
.
Flemming Flindt was made a Knight of Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
in 1974 and received the Carina Ari Medal in 1975. He was married to the dancer Vivi Flindt
Vivi Flindt
Vivi Flindt is a Danish dancer. She studied at the Royal Danish Ballet School, then joined the company, making her debut as Birgit Cullberg's Miss Julie in 1965 and being promoted to soloist in 1967...
, who created leading roles in a number of his ballets.
Flindt's works continue to be performed as part of the extensive repertoire of Ballet San Jose
Ballet San Jose
Ballet San Jose in San Jose, California, USA, was founded in 1986 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year old Cleveland Ballet which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet company for a moderate, shared investment...
. He was present in November 2008 to personally stage Ballet San Jose's production of his work, The Toreador. Flindt died on 3 March 2009 in Sarasota, Florida in the United States.
Obituaries
- Danmarks Radio (Denmark's Radio), 3 March 2009
- Politiken News in English, Julian Isherwood, ed., 3 March 2009
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/arts/dance/13flindt.htmlNY Times by Jack AndersonJack Anderson (dance critic)Jack Anderson is an American dance critic and author. Since 1978, he has been a contributor of dance reviews and other articles in The New York Times...
, 12 March 2009]