Sir Jon Charles Trimmer (born 18 September 1939), also known as Jonty Trimmer, is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

ballet dancer who was with the New Zealand Ballet Company in 1958 and 1959 and from 1970 to 2007.

Early life

Trimmer was born on 18 September 1939 in

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in P ...

, New Zealand. He started learning ballet at age 12 at his sister's ballet school. In 1958, he joined the New Zealand Ballet Company where he worked until he left to study overseas.

Overseas experience

While overseas between 1959 and 1970 he: *attended the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

from 1960 to 1961 *toured with the

Sadler's Wells Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded i ...

from 1962 to 1964 *danced with

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direc ...

from 1965 to 1966 *danced with the

Royal Danish Ballet The Royal Danish Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and originates from 1748, when the R ...

from 1968 to 1969

Dancing with Royal New Zealand Ballet

In 1970 he returned to New Zealand to help revive the New Zealand Ballet and became the principal male dancer in that company. He has been with the company, now known as the Royal New Zealand ballet since then. Among the many roles he has danced were Petrouchka and the role of Albrecht in Giselle. He now dances character parts such as Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

Other work

Trimmer played the part of Edgar Marwick in

Peter Sharp Peter Sharp (born 16 July 1954) is an Australian professional rugby league coach. He was most recently the interim coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League. Coaching career Sharp has been the head coach of the Nort ...

's 1986 movie ''Undercover Gang''.IMDB
/ref> Also in 1986, he appeared in the TV series ''Fireraiser'' and was nominated for the best actor award.
In 2002 and 2003, he performed with

Helen Moulder Helen Moulder (born 1947) is a New Zealand actress. Biography Helen Moulder was born in Brightwater, Nelson, New Zealand in 1947. However she began her professional career in the UK in 1974, singing in musicals and pantomime and spending a yea ...

in her play ''Meeting Karpovsky''. Trimmer is

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the Centastage theatrical company as well as Te Raukura ki Kapiti

Honours and awards

In the 1974 New Year Honours, Trimmer was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to ballet. In 1982, he was awarded a Fulbright Cultural Grant.NZETC
/ref> In 1991, he was presented with a Scroll of Honour from the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

for services to entertainment and dance. In the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trimmer was appointed a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to ballet.NZ Ballet Staff information

Personal life

Trimmer met his wife Jacqui when they were both dancers in the New Zealand Ballet Company in 1958. He was 18 at the time.Christchurch City Library
/ref> In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours, Jacqui Trimmer was appointed a

, for services to ballet. He has danced with

Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (''née'' Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells ...

and

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

References

External links

Royal New Zealand Ballet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trimmer, Jon 1939 births Living people People educated at the Royal Ballet School New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand male ballet dancers People from Lower Hutt People educated at Wellington High School, New Zealand 21st-century New Zealand dancers 20th-century New Zealand dancers 20th-century ballet dancers