Henriette Hansen (7 May 1814 – 20 November 1892), was a Norwegian stage actress, opera singer and ballet dancer. She belonged to the pioneer generation of the first public theatre in Norway, the theatre of

Christiania Offentlige Theater Christiania Offentlige Theater ('Christiania Public Theatre') or ''Det Strømbergske Teater'' ('Strömberg Theatre') was a historic theatre in Oslo in Norway, active between 1827 and 1835. It was the first public theatre in Oslo and in Norway, and ...

in Oslo in 1827. This being the first public stage in Norway, she may be regarded as the first native professional ballet dancer in Norway: the first ballet dancer in Norway was likely the foreign born

Christina Doreothea Stuart Christina Doreothea Stuart, known under her stage name Madame Stuart (died after 1774), was a dancer, equilibrist, singer and musician active in Norway. She played an important part in Norwegian cultural history; she is noted as a pioneer figure of ...

Biography

Henriette Hansen was born in Christiania, (now

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

), Norway. She was the daughter of tradesman Christopher Hansen and Gunhild Jensdatter. In Norway, professional theatre was long managed by travelling theatre companies from Denmark and Sweden. In 1827, the first public theatre, which was to be the

Christiania Theater Hotel Christiania Teater – is a historic Oslo city hotel and landmark built in 1918, known primarily for the notability of its theater inside the hotel and recently its unique hotel design by Annemone Wille Waage. The 102-unit hotel is locate ...

, was opened in Oslo by the Swedish actor

Johan Peter Strömberg Johan Peter Strömberg (19 August 1773 – 20 September 1834) was a Swedish stage actor, dancer and theatre director. He was the founder of the first public theatre and acting school in Oslo, Norway. Biography Johan Peter Strömberg was bor ...

(1773–1834). Strömberg had the ambition to create Norwegian actors. On the inauguration of the Strömberg theatre on 30 January 1827, a ballet was performed by the Norwegian dancers Henriette Hansen and Andrine (Randine) Christensen, who were described as the foster children of Strömberg, followed by the play ''Hustrun'', translated from ''Die deutsche Hausfrau'' by German dramatist

August von Kotzebue August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue (; – ) was a German dramatist and writer who also worked as a consul in Russia and Germany. In 1817, one of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl L ...

(1761–1819). The main parts is believed to have been played by Erike Kirstine Kolstad (1792-1830), and her colleague Boiflin. Henriette Hansen was given very good critic for her talents both within singing, dancing and acting. However, she left the stage in 1831 after her marriage to dramatist and judge Henrik Anker Bjerregaard (1831–1842).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Henriette 19th-century Norwegian actresses 19th-century ballet dancers 1814 births 1892 deaths Norwegian ballerinas 19th-century Norwegian women opera singers Musicians from Oslo Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour