Silja Maria Wendrup Schandorff (born 1969) is a Danish
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 performed 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 Ro ...
from 1985 to 2009. She has since served the
Royal Theatre as ballet instructor and deputy ballet master.
Biography
Born on 10 February 1969 in
Dragør
Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space f ...
, Silja Schandorff is the daughter of Axel Carl Schandorff, a Cyclist with Olympic bronze medal and goldsmith, and Runa Clara Wendrup Petersen, a ballet dancer in
Tivoli's Pantomime Theatre. Thanks to the encouragement of her parents, she entered the Royal Theatre's ballet school in 1975. When only nine, she performed a solo children's dance in ''
Elverhøj
''Elves' Hill'' ( da, Elverhøj) is a comedy by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, with overture and incidental music by Friedrich Kuhlau (Op. 100), which is considered the first Danish national play.
History
''Elves' Hill'' was commissioned by Frederik V ...
''. After her début in
Ib Andersen
Ib Andersen (born 14 December 1954) is a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and painter.
Biography Early days
Born in Copenhagen, Andersen was first exposed to dance through ballroom dancing. At age 7, he was accepted into the Royal Dani ...
's ''1-2-3–1-2'' in 1975, she quickly moved on to the Neoclassical works of
George Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
, starring in ''
Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2'', ''Tzigane'', ''
La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...
'', ''
Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
''Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky originally intended for act 3 of '' Swan Lake'' (Op. 20, 1875–76). With costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Jack ...
'', ''
Allegro Brillante
''Allegro Brillante'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3. The ballet is danced by a principal couple and a corps de ballet of eight. Balanchine said it "contains everything I knew about classic ...
'', ''
Agon'' and ''
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
''.
[
As a result of her dancing in the theatre's Balanchine season, she became a principal in 1992. While she has taken roles in '']La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...
'', ''Abdallah'' and ''A Folk Tale
''A Folk Tale'' ( da, Et Folkesagn) is a ballet in three acts, created in 1854 for the Royal Danish Ballet by the Danish ballet master and choreographer August Bournonville to the music of Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann and Niels W. Gade. The firs ...
'', she has not been a typical 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 ne ...
dancer, given her tall, slender figure and her artistic temperament. Instead she has moved from the Royal Ballet's romantic traditions to 20th-century modernism. She combined the two approaches in her interpretation of Harald Lander
Harald Alfred Bernhardt Stevnsborg Lander (25 February 1905 – 14 September 1971) was a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet.
Lander was born in Copenhagen. He started as a dancer, studying under ballet ...
's '' Études'', setting new standards for the work.[ Her favourite parts evolved as the title roles in '']Manon
''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...
'' and ''Giselle
''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
''.[
The choreographer Anna Lærkesen was particularly interested in Schandorff, creating adaptations specially for her. These included ''Partita'', ''Polacca'', ''Hommage à Bournonville'' and ''Hommage à Balanchine''.][ After retiring from the stage on 8 April 2009, she remained with the Royal Theatre until 2016, serving as artistic coordinator and instructor (2009-11) and deputy ballet master (2011-16). She has since directed a new production of ''Giselle''.][
]
Awards
Schandorff's awards include the Reumert prize as dancer of the year in 2002 and 2006, the Danish Theatre Cup in 2009 (for her role in ''Giselle'')Knight of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schandorff, Silja
1969 births
Living people
Danish ballerinas
People from Copenhagen
People from Dragør Municipality
Royal Danish Ballet dancers
Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog