Sonja Kastl (born July 14, 1929) is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n film and stage actress, teacher, dancer and choreographer.

Early and personal life

Kastl was born in Zagreb on July 14, 1929 to a Croatian

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family of Đuro and Josipa Kastl. Her father was an architect and her mother was an opera singer. Kastl's mother abruptly ended her career because of the husband and his family disapproval. Kastl's family has relative connections with Croatian politician

Stjepan Radić Stjepan Radić (11 June 1871 – 8 August 1928) was a Croat politician and founder of the Croatian People's Peasant Party (HPSS), active in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He is credited with galvanizing Cro ...

. From her second marriage with doctor Boris Zimermann, Kastl had a 22-year-old daughter Mirjana who was killed in a car accident.

Career

Kastl began dancing at the age of five in the rhythmic school of Mirjana Janeček Stropnik. As a schoolgirl, she danced in the theater "Children's empire". In this theater Kastl sang and danced in the ballets "

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...

", "Three girls" and "Queen of dolls". In 1944, Kastl began her professional ballerina career at the Zagreb Opera Ballet. From 1947, she danced the solo roles. In 1949, Kastl acted in the film "Flag", where she embodied the character of a promising young ballerina Marija. She has performed in ballets such as '' Sleeping Beauty'', ''Ballad of Medieval Love'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Éti ...

'', '' Cinderella'', ''The Slaughter of the Amazons'', ''

The Miraculous Mandarin ''The Miraculous Mandarin'' ( hu, A csodálatos mandarin, translit= ˈt͡ʃodaːlɒtoʃ}, ; german: Der wunderbare Mandarin) Op. 19, Sz. 73 (BB 82), is a one act pantomime ballet composed by Béla Bartók between 1918 and 1924, and based on the ...

'' and ''

The Devils of Loudun ''The Devils of Loudun'' is a 1952 non-fiction novel by Aldous Huxley. Premise It is a historical narrative of supposed demonic possession, religious fanaticism, sexual repression, and mass hysteria that occurred in 17th-century France surroun ...

''. With the last one she has traveled the world together with choreographers Pio and Pina Mlakar. At 35, Kastl abandoned her career as a dancer due to a knee injury. Soon after she became the director of the ballet at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Over the next 40 years she worked at the choreography. In 2007, her memoir "To dance is to live" was released, written by singer and writer Davor Schopf and dancer and ballet critic Mladen Mordej Vučković.

Honors

In 1991, Kastl received the Vladimir Nazor Award for her lifetime achievement.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastl, Sonja 1929 births 20th-century Croatian actresses Actresses from Zagreb Croatian ballerinas Croatian film actresses Croatian Jews Living people Vladimir Nazor Award winners Dancers from Zagreb