Royal Danish Ballet
Encyclopedia
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
companies in the world. Based in 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...
, Denmark
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...
, it originates from 1748, when 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 founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
styles of dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. The company was founded with the opening of 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...
, which has served as its home since that time.
History
From the outset, the Royal Danish Ballet employed some of the leading dancers and choreographers. Within a few years of its founding, in 1771, the Royal Theater Ballet School was established to provide native dancers, of which one of the first was Anine FrölichAnine Frölich
Anine Marie Magdalene Frölich, was a Danish ballerina, one of the first professional native ballet dancers in Denmark and a prima donna within the Danish ballet in her days...
. One of its early masters, Vincenzo Galeotti is credited with choreographing Amors og Balletmesterens Luner (The Whims of Cupid and the Ballet Master), the world's oldest ballet still performed with its original choreography. Galeotti was master of the company from 1775 to 1816, and that ballet is still part of the company's repertoire.
Another major master of the troupe was the Danish August Bournonville
August Bournonville
August Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. August was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet.August was...
. During the half-century that Bournonville led the company (1828-1879), he choreographed some fifty ballets, of which about a dozen are still part of the company's repertoire. The works are highly influenced by the French school of dance, since Bournonville studied in that country, and include key roles for male dancers, undoubtedly written with himself in mind. After his death, one of his successors, Hans Beck, used the basic steps he learned in Bournonville's classes to create the Bournonville school to teach contemporary dancers the tradition of the old master.
The third great period of the Danish Royal Ballet came in 1932, when Harald Lander
Harald Lander
Harald Lander is a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet.Lander started as a dancer, studying under ballet master Michel Fokine in 1926-27...
took over the helm of the corps. Trained in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, he both adapted traditional ballets and choreographed original works for the company. He encouraged local choreographers, who went on to create prominent works that won international acclaim. Among them was Børge Ralov, who choreographed the first modern Danish Ballet, The Widow in the Mirror, in 1934. He also trained many prominent international dancers, including Erik Bruhn
Erik Bruhn
Erik Belton Evers Bruhn was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, company director, actor, and author.- Biography :...
.
A prominent company director was Henning Kronstam
Henning Kronstam
Henning Kronstam was a famousDanish ballet dancer, ballet master and company director.Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, he began training with the Royal Danish Ballet at the age of nine...
(1978-1982), who directed the 1979 Bournonville Festival.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the Royal Danish Ballet underwent another transformation, with many internationally prominent choreographers, including George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
commissioned to work with it. Though modern works assumed increasingly important stature in the repertoire, the Ballet continued to remain loyal to its classical roots as well, earning it the reputation as one of the finest corps of dancers in the world, incorporating foreign as well as native-born talent.
In 2007 the appointment of New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
principal dancer
Principal dancer
A principal dancer is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company....
Nikolaj Hübbe
Nikolaj Hübbe
Nikolaj Hübbe is artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He was born on 30 October th, 1967, and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. He began his dance training at age 10 at the Royal Danish Ballet School and became an apprentice to the Royal Danish Ballet in 1984. He was promoted soloist in 1988....
as balletmaster was announced.
Artistic Directors
- 1748-1753 Des Larches
- 1755-1756 Neudin
- 1756-1763 Antonio Como
- 1763-1767 Antonio Sacco
- 1767-1768 Jean Baptiste Martin
- 1768-1770 Innocente Gambuzzi
- 1770-1771 Martini
- 1771-1772 Vincenzo Piatolli
- 1772-1773 Domenico Andriani
- 1773-1775 Vincenzo Piatolli
- 1775-1816 Vincenzo Galeotti
- 1816-1823 Antoine BournonvilleAntoine BournonvilleAntoine Bournonville was a French ballet dancer, actor, singer and a choreographer, active in the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet and eventually ballet master in the latter. He is considered to have played a great role in the development of the ballet in Scandinavia...
- 1823-1830 Pierre Larcher
- 1830-1877 August BournonvilleAugust BournonvilleAugust Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. August was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet.August was...
- 1877-1890 Ludvig Gade
- 1890-1894 Emil Hansen
- 1894-1915 Hans Beck
- 1915-1928 Gustav Uhlendorff
- 1928-1930 Kaj Smith
- 1930-1932 Victor Schiøler
- 1932-1951 Harald LanderHarald LanderHarald Lander is a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet.Lander started as a dancer, studying under ballet master Michel Fokine in 1926-27...
- 1951-1956 Niels Bjørn LarsenNiels Bjørn LarsenNiels Bjørn Larsen was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer and balletmester. He was admitted to the Royal Danish Ballet school in 1920 and debuted in a production of Gudindernes Strid in 1933...
- 1956-1958 Frank Schaufuss
- 1958-1960 Henning Rohde
- 1961-1965 Niels Bjørn LarsenNiels Bjørn LarsenNiels Bjørn Larsen was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer and balletmester. He was admitted to the Royal Danish Ballet school in 1920 and debuted in a production of Gudindernes Strid in 1933...
- 1966-1978 Flemming FlindtFlemming FlindtFlemming 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...
- 1978-1985 Henning KronstamHenning KronstamHenning Kronstam was a famousDanish ballet dancer, ballet master and company director.Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, he began training with the Royal Danish Ballet at the age of nine...
- 1985-1994 Frank AndersenFrank AndersenFrank Andersen is a former Danish ballet dancer who was twice artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He has been an influential supporter of the Danish choreographer August Bournonville.-Biography:...
- 1994-1995 Peter Schaufuss
- 1995-1997 Johnny Eliasen
- 1997-1999 Maina GielgudMaina GielgudMaina Gielgud is a former British ballet dancer and a veteran ballet administrator. She was artistic director of the Australian Ballet from 1983 to 1996 and is that company's longest serving director to date. She had a twenty year career as a dancer in Europe and the United Kingdom. Gielgud...
- 1999-2002 Aage Thordal-Christensen
- 2002-2008 Frank AndersenFrank AndersenFrank Andersen is a former Danish ballet dancer who was twice artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He has been an influential supporter of the Danish choreographer August Bournonville.-Biography:...
- 2008-present Nikolaj HübbeNikolaj HübbeNikolaj Hübbe is artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He was born on 30 October th, 1967, and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. He began his dance training at age 10 at the Royal Danish Ballet School and became an apprentice to the Royal Danish Ballet in 1984. He was promoted soloist in 1988....
Principal dancers
- Amy Watson
- Gitte Lindstrøm
- Gudrun Bojesen
- Susanne Grinder
- Yao Wei
- Alban Lendorf
- Andrew Bowman
- Jean-Lucien Massot
- Kristoffer Sakurai
- Mads Blangstrup
- Marcin Kupinski
- Thomas Lund
- Ulrik Birkkjær
SoloistsSoloist (ballet)In ballet, a soloist is a dancer in a ballet company above the corps de ballet but below principal dancer....
- Alexandra Lo Sardo
- Christina Michanek
- Diana Cuni
- Femke Mølbach Slot
- J'aime Crandall
- Jodie Thomas
- Kizzy Matiakis
- Lena-Maria Gruber
- Lesley Culver
- Tina Højlund
- Alexander Stæger
- Fernando Mora
- Gregory Dean
- Morten Eggert
- Nicolai Hansen
- Sebastian Kloborg
- Tim Matiakis
Character dancers
- Eva Kloborg
- Jette Buchwald
- Lis Jeppesen
- Mette Bødtcher
- Erling Eliasson
- Flemming Ryberg
- Mogens Boesen
- Poul-Erik Hesselkilde
Corps de balletCorps de balletIn ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
- Alba Nadal
- Amalie Adrian
- Birgitta Lawrence
- Camilla Ruelykke Holst
- Carling Talcott
- Caroline Baldwin
- Cecilie Lassen
- Charlotte Aamand
- Ditte Teildorf
- Elisabeth Dam
- Ellen Green
- Emma Håkansson
- Esther Lee Wilkinson
- Giorgia Minnella
- Hilary Guswiler
- Holly Jean Dorger
- Josee Howard
- Josephine Berggreen
- Julie Valentin
- Kristine Drewsen
- Laure Dougy
- Louise Midjord
- Louise Østergaard
- Maria Bernholdt
- Maria Stokholm
- Mathilde Søe
- Oda Grøner
- Rebecca Labbé
- Sascha Haugland
- Shelby Elsbree
- Stephanie Sahlgren
- Tara Schaufuss
- Benjamin Buza
- Bryant Steenstra
- Byron Mildwater
- Cédric Lambrette
- Charles Andersen
- Christian Hammeken
- Christopher Rickert
- Constantine Baecher
- Eliabe D'Abadia
- Gábor Baunoch
- James Clark
- Jón Axel Fransson
- Julien Ringdahl
- Julien Roman
- Jonathan Chmelensky
- Thomas Flindt Jeppesen
Apprentices
- Astrid Elbo
- Benita Bünger
- Ida Praetorius
- Stephanie Chen Gundorph Møller
- Viktoria Falck-Schmidt
- Andreas Kaas
- Jeppe Banke
- Lukas Hartvig-Møller
- Luke Schaufuss
- Magnus Christoffersen
- Oscar Nilsson