Hedvig "Hedda" Katarina Hjortsberg also known as ''Hedda Koersner'' (15 June 1777 – 3 October 1867) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

who starred for the

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this fi ...

. She was the sister of the Swedish actor

Lars Hjortsberg Lars Hjortsberg (22 November 1772 – 8 July 1843) was a Swedish stage actor. He belonged to the pioneer generation of elite actors of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has, alongside Emilie Högquist, been referred to as the most famous Swedish a ...

Life

Hedda Hjortsberg was one of six children to the stone mason Laurentius "Lars" Hjortsberg and the opera singer Maria Lovisa Schützer. Of their six children, four where employed at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

or the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

, and two became famous: Lars Hjortsberg as an actor, and Hedda Hjortsberg as a ballerina.

Career

Hedda Hjortsberg was enrolled as a pupil of the French ballet master

Louis Gallodier Louis Gallodier (c. 1734 – 6 June 1803) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer who spent the majority of his career in Sweden, where he was to have a great importance for the development of the ballet in Sweden as the ballet master ...

of the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1786, at the age of nine. She made her official debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in the season of 1790-91, in the part of ''Lucile'' in the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

''Det dubbla giftermålet'' by Jean-Rémy Marcadet starring Margaretha Christina Hallongren, Carl Dahlén,

Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini. She was engaged as a premier ballerina in the Royal Swedish Ballet between 1791 and 1806, and was by her retirement referred to as "The most excellent dancer of the Swedish stage." The writer

Marianne Ehrenström Mariana "Marianne" Maximiliana Christiana Carolina Lovisa Ehrenström, née ''Pollet'' (9 December 1773 – 4 January 1867), was a Swedish writer, singer, painter, pianist, culture personality, memoir writer and lady-in-waiting. She was a mem ...

called her the delightful darling of the audience, and describe her as gracious as a

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

: "une taille de nymphe, pétrie de graces, Terpsicore soulovée par les Zephirs." In 1804, she married businessman Erik Samuel Koersner, but was widowed soon after. In 1806, the Royal Swedish Opera was (temporarily) closed and remained so for three years. When it was reopened in the season of 1809-10, Hedda Hjortsberg performed with her five year old daughter in the ballet ''Dansvurmen'' on its inauguration.Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842

Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from the days of Gustav III to our days. First Book 1772-1842' Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Ge ...

Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 She also performed the part of Honor in ''Gustavs dröm''. In 1811, she married the mine manager Abraham Abrahamsson Hülphers (1777–1839) in 1811, and after that, she performed only as a guest artist.

Roles

She danced the parts of Lucile in the

ballet ''Det dubbla giftermålet'' by Jean Marcadet with Margaretha Christina Hallongren, Carl Dahlén, Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond and Carlo Uttini the season of 1790–91, Leonore in ''Enleveringen'' by

Louis Deland Louis Joseph Marie Deland (25 April 1772 – 15 April 1823) was a Swedish ballet dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and ballet master in the Royal Swedish Ballet. He is often considered the first native male star in the Royal Swedish Ballet. ...

with him, Hallongren, Uttini, Luigi Taglioni and Charles Jean Ambrosiani and Diana in ''Diana och Kärleken'' by Deland with Johan Fredrik Björkstrand, Deland, Hallongren, Casagli and Hedvig Elisabeth Casagli in 1800–01; she also did the part of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

in ''Venus och Adonis'' by Deland with H. Björkman, Casagli, Giovanni Battitsta Ambrosiani and Hallongren 1801–02, and as Frosine in ''Dansvurmen'' (Dance Craze) by Gardel with Deland,

Filippo Taglioni Filippo Taglioni (aka Philippe Taglioni; 5 November 1777 – 11 February 1871) was an Italian dancer and choreographer and personal teacher to his own daughter, Romantic ballerina Marie Taglioni. (He had another child who also danced ballet, ...

, Anna Christina Löfborg, Anders Ekholm, Raimond and Ambrosiani the season 1803–04.

References

* Klas Ralf, Prisma, Operan 200 år. Jubelboken Opera 200 Year Jubilee Book'
Runeborg website: Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon
* Löfgren, Lars, Svensk teater, Natur och kultur, Stockholm, 2003 * Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842

Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 * Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973 Repertoire of the Royal Theatre 1773-1973' 1974

Life

Career

Roles

References

Further reading