The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

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 Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, 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 field; he also founded 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 ...

and 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 ...

. All of these were initially located in the old theatre of

Bollhuset Bollhuset, also called (The Big Ball House), (Ball House Theater), and Gamla Bollhuset (Old Ball House) at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater buildin ...

. The troupe was founded with the opening of the Royal Swedish Opera, which has served as its home since that time.

History

In 1773, the cultural professions of acting, opera-singing and ballet-dancing in Sweden were all performed by foreign troupes. The first ballet performance was performed at the Swedish court when the French ballet troupe of

Antoine de Beaulieu Antoine de Beaulieu (died 1663) was a French noble, dancer, and ballet master of the Swedish court from 1637 to 1663 and is considered to have introduced ballet in Sweden. Antoine de Beaulieu was employed in Sweden after a recommendation to the ...

was hired at the court of Queen Christina in 1638, and the first Public ballet performance were performed by the foreign theatre troupes at the theatre of Bollhuset later the same century. The only exception had been the period of 1737–1753, when the first professional Swedish troupe of actors had performed at Bollhuset; during this period, ballets were performed by the first Swedish dancers in this troupe. The perhaps first ballet performed by professional native Swedish dancers was in the play ''Den afvundsiuke'' ("The Envious") by

Olof von Dahlin Olof von Dalin (29 August 1708 – 12 August 1763) was a Swedish nobleman, poet, historian and courtier. He was an influential literary figure of the Swedish Enlightenment. Background Olof Dalin was born in the parish of Vinberg in Halland. H ...

in August 1738. However, no names are known about these first dancers. They were probably educated by Jean Marquard as dancing-master, and one of the dancers were also French, Gabriel Senac. In 1753, however, the first Swedish ballet, theatre and opera at Bollhuset were dissolved. Ringaren i Notre-Dame ballet 2009

Gustav III wanted to create and educate native talents in these professions. To accomplish this, he used the same method in the ballet as he was to use with the theatre; by having the first generation of native dancers educated by foreign professionals. When he fired the French theatre-company to create his national-stage in 1773, he kept many of the French dancers of this troupe. Dancers from France, Italy and Belgium, such as

Antoine Bournonville Antoine Bournonville (19 May 1760 – 11 January 1843) was a French ballet dancer 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 gre ...

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 ...

Giovanna Bassi Giovanna Bassi (1762–1834) was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustav III of Sweden, Gustavian age. Biography Giovanna Bassi was born i ...

and

Julie Alix de la Fay Léonne-Julie Alix de la Fay, also known as Julianne Bournonville and Madame Alix (14 December 1748 – 14 March 1826), was a French ballet dancer and dance instructor. She played an important part in the development of the Royal Swedish Balle ...

were hired to perform and to educate Swedish students. Most of the first students to the troupe were taken among children to the staff at the royal court and to professional musicians, as were the first students to the theatre and the opera. In the first ballet-troupe in the national stage of 1773, they were very few native talents with former professional experience; one of them was Charlotte Slottsberg, who could be counted as the first native Swedish ballerina known by name. The greatest triumph of the Swedish ballet during the 18th century is considered to be the Ballet performed by Gallodier to the Opera ''Gustav Adolf och Ebba Brahe'' (Gustav Adolf and Ebba Brahe) (1786); also the Ballet ''Fiskarna'' (The Fishes) by Antoine Bournonville (1789) became a great success. The Ballet was from the beginning closely linked to the Opera; ballets were a part of the performances of the Opera, and the dancers were also active on the Royal Dramatic Theatre. When the Royal Swedish Opera were closed down between 1806 and 1809–1812, the Ballet was not closed, only moved over to the theatre. During the 19th century, new ballets were made all the time, and older ones seldom performed; ''En komisk balett'' (A comic Ballet) 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. ...

was given 127 times between 1796 and 1809, followed by La Fille Mal Gardée, given 54 times in 1812–1842.

August Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nep ...

was active as a guest Ballet master 1839, 1847, 1857, 1858 and 1861–1864, and his favorite Swedish ballerinas

Charlotta Norberg Maria Charlotta "Charlotte" Norberg also known as ''Charlotte Törner'' (27 December 1824 in Stockholm – 25 February 1892 in Stockholm) was a Swedish Ballerina and ballet teacher. She was a star of the Royal Swedish Ballet in the mid 19th-centur ...

and Johanna Sundberg educated students in his techniques. The Ballet is considered to have been in a state of decay during the end of the 19th century; after the dismissal of Anders Selinder and Sophie Daguin in 1856, the Ballet was used more as a supplement to the opera and not as an independent artform, and Sigurd Lund, a student of Bournonville, was not independent enough to prevent this. It was not until 1913, that the Ballet returned to a more independent form. The '' Kungliga Hovkapellet'' (Royal Swedish Orchestra), the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera, is the performing partner for the Royal Swedish Ballet. Nicolas LeRiche is the director of the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Birgitta Svendén Birgitta Svendén (née Lundberg, 20 March 1952), is a Swedish operatic mezzo-soprano. Svendén was born in Porjus and then raised in Vuollerim. She studied at Operahögskolan in Stockholm, and later embarked on an international career in the f ...

is the general director of the Royal Swedish Opera. The members of Operans BalettklubbOperans Balettklubb
/ref> are supporters of the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Ballet Masters

* 1773–1803 :

* 1803–1804 : Filippo Taglioni * 1804–1806 : Federico Nadi Terrade * 1806–1816 :

(1st time) * 1817–1818 : Filippo Taglioni * 1818–1820 :

(second time) * 1820–1823 : André Isidore Carey * 1823–1827 :

Giovanni Battista Ambrosiani Giovanni Battista Ambrosiani (born 2 July 1772, Milan – 19 February 1832, Karlberg Palace) was an Italian ballet dancer. He arrived in Stockholm in 1795 and was taken on by the Royal Swedish Ballet as its premier danseur, then as its ballet mas ...

* 1827–1830 : Sophie Daguin (jointly with Wallqvist) * 1827–1833 :

Per Erik Wallqvist Per Erik Wallqvist (7 September 1797 in Stockholm – 16 February 1855Thalia. Theater-kalender för 1867 Stockholm 1866/ref>) was a Swedish ballet dancer and ballet master. Wallqvist was the ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Sw ...

* 1833–1856 : Anders Selinder * 1856–1862 :

Sigurd Harald Lund Sigurd Harald Lund (1823-1906), was a ballet dancer, choreographer and director. He was Ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gusta ...

(1st time) * 1862–1870 : Théodore Martin * 1870–1886 : Theodore Marckl * 1887–1890 : Robert Sjöblom * 1890–1894 :

(second time) * 1894–1901 : Max Glasemann * 1901–1905 : Otto Zöbisch (1st time) * 1905–1908 : Robert Köller * 1911–1913 : Otto Zöbisch (second time) * 1918–1920 : Michel Fokine * 1922–1926 :

Gunhild Rosén Gunhild Rosén (7 December 1855 - 1928) was a Swedish ballerina, choreographer and a ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm. Gunhild Rosén was born in Norrköping, and was a student of Anders Selinder. She became a figurant d ...

* 1926–1927 : Lise Steier * 1927–1931 : Jan Cieplinsky * 1931–1951 : Julian Algo * 1949–1951 :

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-1950 ...

* 1953–1962 :

Mary Skeaping Mary Emma Skeaping (15 December 19029 February 1984) was an English ballerina who is better known as a ballet teacher, director, choreographer, and producer. She served as director of the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm for nine years (19531 ...

* 1962–1963 :

* 1964–1966 : Brian Macdonald * 1967–1971 :

Erik Bruhn Erik Belton Evers Bruhn (3 October 1928 – 1 April 1986) was a Danish danseur, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author. Early life Erik Bruhn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the fourth child and first son of Ellen (née Evers), o ...

* 1971–1980 :

Ivo Cramér Martin Ivo Fredrik Carl Cramér (born March 5, 1921 in Gothenburg, died April 30, 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish dancer, choreographer, ballet director and director. He was the son of Carl-Rudolf Cramér and the nephew of Harald Cramér an ...

* 1980–1984 : Gunilla Roempke * 1986–1993 : Nils Ake-Häggbom * 1993–1995 : Simon Mottram * 1995–1999 : Frank Andersen * 1999–2001 : Petter Jacobsson * 2002–2008 :

Madeleine Onne Madeleine may refer to: Common meanings * Madeleine (name), also Madeline, a feminine given name *Madeleine (cake), a traditional sweet cake from France * Mary Magdalene, also called the Madeleine Arts and entertainment * ''Madelein'' (1919 ...

* 2008–2011 : Marc Ribaud * 2011–2017 : Johannes Öhman * Since 2017 :

Nicolas Le Riche Nicolas Le Riche (born 29 January 1972, in Sartrouville, Yvelines) is a French ballet dancer, choreographer and ballet director. Biography Le Riche entered the Paris Opera Ballet school at age ten and joined the corps de ballet six years later; hi ...

Principal dancers

* Brendan Collins *

Marie Lindqvist Marie Lindqvist (born 20 November 1970) is a Swedish ballet dancer. She has danced with the Royal Swedish Ballet since 1988, becoming a principal dancer in 1993 and a court danser (''hovdansare'') in 2004. She retired as an active dancer in Februa ...

Dragoș Mihalcea Dragoș Mihalcea () (born December 17, 1977) is the principal dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet. Mihalcea was born in Bucharest, Romania, and studied ballet at the urging of his parents. At the age of 14 he received a full scholarship from t ...

* Jenny Nilson *

Nathalie Nordquist Nathalie Nordquist is a Swedish ballerina, who has performed major roles in many renowned ballet companies, including the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and The Australian Ballet. Biography Nathalie Nor ...

''(on leave)'' * Anders Nordström * Christian Rambe *

Nadja Sellrup Nadja Sellrup (born 1977) is a Swedish ballet dancer. After terms with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and the Spanish National Dance Company in Madrid, she returned to Stockholm in 2007 to join the Royal Swedish Ballet where she is a princip ...

* Judith Simon *

Anna Valev Anna Valev, née Backman (born 1969) is a Swedish ballet dancer. Until her retirement from active dancing in 2012, she was a principal dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet. Biography Born in Täby in Stockholm County, she took an early interest in ...

* Olof Westring *

Jan-Erik Wikström Jan-Erik Wikström (born 11 September 1932) is a Swedish publisher and politician, who served as Minister for Education between 1976 and 1982. His father, Börje Wikström, was a pastor in the Swedish Evangelical Mission (EFS) and his mother, Es ...

* Calum Lowden

Soloists

*Katja Björner *

Jenny Brandt Jenny Augusta Elisabeth Brandt (13 December 1867, Stockholm- 17 April 1933), was a Swedish ballerina. She was a student at the Royal Swedish Ballet, became a student premier dancer in 1888, and was a premier dancer (ballerina) in 1889-1902. He ...

*Ann Brattselius *

Jurgita Dronina Jurgita Dronina (born 27 March 1986) is a Russian-Lithuanian ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, having previously danced with Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and English National Ballet. Earl ...

*Karin Forslind *Nikolaus Fotiadis *Tibor Horvath *Magdalena Irigoyen *Pascal Jansson *Calum Lowden *Eunsun Jun * Maya Schonbrun * Irina Laurenova *Andrey Leonovitch * Nathalie Perriraz *Nicole Rhodes *Jens Rosén *Oscar Salomonsson *Lykke Håkansson *Joakim Stephenson *Hugo Therkelson * Gina Tse *Jenny Westring *Johannes Öhman ''(on leave)''

Stockholm 59° North

Stockholm 59° North is a chamber company of soloist dancers from the Royal Swedish Ballet. Artistic Director is

Mia Hjelte Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 1983 ...

References

Kennedy Center ''Arts Edge''
* Georg Nordensvan : ''Svensk teater och Svenska skådespelare. Första bandet 1773–1842'' (1917) * Tryggve Byström: ''Svenska Komedien, 1737–1754'' * Klas Ralf, Prisma: ''Operan 200 år. Jubelboken'' * Klas Åke Heed: ''Ny svensk teaterhistoria. Teater före 1800''. Gidlunds förlag (2007)

External links

Royal Swedish Ballet homepage on Operan.se
(click "language" for English translation)
Archival footage of Stockholm/59 North performing Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven in 1997 at Jacob's Pillow
at Jacob's Pillow August 5, 2005 {{Authority control 1773 establishments in Sweden Ballet companies in Sweden 1773 in Sweden History of ballet