Choreographer, dancer and author Rudi van Dantzig passed away at his home in Amsterdam on January 19, 2012 at the age of 78. As a choreographer and artistic director, he made an incredible contribution to the blossoming of the art of dance in the Netherlands. His name will always remain linked with the Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet), where he started as a dancer in the early fifties and managed to attract the attention of the formidable Sonia Gaskell, the founder of the company. In 1955 he made his first choreography for the company and, as its sole artistic director from 1969 to 1991, went on to make another fifty pieces, ranging from modern creations to adaptations of the legendary classics, often in collaboration with Toer van Schayk as set and costume designer. Among famous dancers he worked with artists such as Rudolf Nureyev, Alexandra Radius, Clint Farha and many others. His most famous ballets include Monument voor een gestorven jongen (Monument to a dead boy), Vier letzte Lieder, Ginastra and Onder mijne voeten (Beneath my feet). Van Dantzig was awarded the Prix de la Critique and the Life Achievement Award from the Association Benois de la Danse. He is regarded as one of modern ballet’s most innovative choreographers. With fellow choreographer Hans van Manen and set designer Toer van Schayk, van Dantzig revolutionised Dutch ballet and made it an international byword for creativity.
Source: www.het-ballet.nl, www.dutchnews.nl
Josef Bartos
Thank you for your thoughts. One got stuck in my mind – that passion makes us different from AI. Just yesterday I read…I am a dance critic. I am a member of an endangered species