Teet Kask (born 8 May 1968 in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet o ...

) is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Overview

In 1978, he joined the

Tallinn Ballet School Tallinn Ballet School ( et, Tallinna Balletikool) is ballet school in Tallinn, Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland acr ...

, where he studied

Vaganova Vaganov (russian: Ваганов) is a Russian toponymic masculine surname relating to a person living near the river Vaga, its feminine counterpart is Vaganova. Notable people with the surname include: *Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951), Russian bal ...

classical ballet. At 18 years old, he had leading roles in the Estonian National Ballet. A turning point for Kask came when he was engaged by The

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, 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 fi ...

, in 1989, as the first Estonian ballet artist to work full-time in West before the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

fell in 1991. In 1990, he was invited to work with the

Norwegian National Ballet The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...

. In 1997, parallel with dancing, Kask began to work as a freelance choreographer. In 2005, he graduated from

City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

with a Master of Arts in choreography.

Choreographer and director

2014 * Clocks'n'Clouds ballet, The Norwegian National Ballet, Oslo, Norway * Baan Sirin concert-performance, Bangkok, Thailand * Grüne Woche opening concert-ceremony director, Berlin, Germany 2013 * Tsar's Bride Rimsky-Korsakov's opera director,

PromFest PromFest is an international opera festival held biennially in Pärnu, Estonia, since 1996. PromFest stands for Pärnu International Opera Music Festival in Estonian. The main attraction of PromFest is an operatic production, in which the leadin ...

and

Kaunas State Musical Theatre The Kaunas State Musical Theatre is a musical theatre in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was established on November 27, 1940, in the former State Theatre hall adjoining the Laisvės Alėja. For some time, it mostly presented operettas. The building The ...

* Big Stage Azerbaijan National TV program director 2012 * Oliver musical for State Opera of Georgia and

Rustaveli Theatre Rustaveli National Theatre ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის აკადემიური თეატრი ) is the largest and one of the oldest theaters of Georgia, located in its capital Tbilisi on ...

, Tbilisi, Georgia * Eunoto for State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia * Motus II for State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia * Tampopo for

Nina Ananiashvili Nina Ananiashvili (born: ''Nino Ananiashvili'', ka, ნინო ანანიაშვილი; born March 19, 1963) is a Georgian ballerina and artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia. She has been described by the '' Daily Teleg ...

's 30 Years on Stage Celebration and State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia 2011 * Exitus for ETA – Estonia Dance Agency, Tallinn, Estonia * A Wingless Flight Into the Darkness for State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia * Father Hunger for STÜ – Independent Dance Union, Tallinn, Estonia 2010 * Joanna tentata

Birgitta Festival Birgitta Festival ( et, Birgitta festival) is an Estonian musical theatre festival which every year takes place in Pirita convent, Tallinn. The festival is the only one of its kind in the Baltic states. The festival is organised by Tallinn Philha ...

, Tallinn, Estonia * The Sound of Water Says What I think

Royal Holloway Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

, London, UK 2008 * Consecration of

Tallinn Airport Tallinn Airport ( et, Tallinna lennujaam, ) or Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport ( et, Lennart Meri Tallinna lennujaam) is the largest airport in Estonia, which serves as a hub for the national airline Nordica, as well as the secondary hub for Air ...

, Estonia * Games On the Grass Nargen Opera, Estonia * Plough- Shaped Era Pärnu Concert Hall, Estonia 2007 * w.o.r.k. in progress II Tartu, Viljandi, Pärnu, Estonia * w.o.r.k. in progress I Viljandi, Pärnu, Estonia 2006 * Scope at The Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway 2005 * Sad Pleasure at The Place Theatre, London * Amor Vincit Omnia at

Bonnie Bird Theatre Bonnie Bird Theatre is the 300-seat main performing venue of the Laban Dance Centre of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England. The Laban Centre was erected in 2002, designed by winners of the Pritzker Architecture Pr ...

, London * To Fish for Candid Arts Gallery, London 2004 * Female Interfaces at

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

, Paris * Fluxus for the European Art channel

Mezzo Mezzo is the Italian word for "half", "middle" or "medium". It may refer to: Music *Mezzo-soprano or mezzo, a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices *Mezzo forte ("medium-loud") ...

under European Classics, Paris * Distant Buddha at The Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway * Forever at Moscow Youth Theatre, Russia 2003 * Tango for Estonian Drama Company, Tallinn * Ithaka for

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974), was a Soviet classical violinist, violist and conductor. Oistrakh collaborated with major orchestras and musicians from many parts of the world and was the dedicatee of numerous violin w ...

Music Festival in Pärnu, Estonia 2002 * Runo the interval act for

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

Tallinn, Estonia * Fluxus for Vanemuine Ballet Company, Tartu, Estonia * Magic Mountain for Tallinn City Drama Company, Estonia 2001 * Shadowgraph at Black Box Theatre, Oslo * Peer Gynt for Eurovision Dance Competition, London * Lighthouse with Estonia National Opera and Ballet Company 2000 * Silent Areas at Hair 2000, Oslo 1999 * Gips for Vigeland Museum with photographer

Knut Bry Knut Johannes Bry (born 3 October 1946) is a Norwegian fine-art photographer and film director. Bry chose photography as a profession in 1975, when he was 29 years old. He has won a number of photographic awards, among them Photographer of th ...

, Oslo * Dream Sequence for multimedia artist Pia Myrvold, Paris * Ursula X for Estonian National Ballet, Tallinn 1998 * Duo for Nina Ananiashvili and Bolshoi Stars Japan Tour 1998 * Pling i Bollen for Norwegian food-artist ,

Henie-Onstad Art Centre The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is an art museum located at Høvikodden in Bærum municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is situated on a headland jutting into the Oslofjord, approximately southwest of Oslo. History The artcentre was founded ...

, Oslo * Primum Mobile for Norwegian photographer Knut Bry, Oslo * Post Machine for Norwegian multimedia artist Pia Myrvold, Oslo 1997 * Veritas Vos Liberabit for The Norwegian National Opera Ballet School, Oslo * Two at Nille Dance School, Oslo 1996 * Time To ... for The Norwegian National Ballet, Oslo

Ballet companies worked with

* 2004, 2014 -

Vanemuine Theatre Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It was the first Estonian language theatre. History ''1870–1906 The Beginning of the Beginning. Koidula’s Theatre, Wiera’s Theatre.'' On June 24, 1870 was the first day in Estonian theatre ...

Ballet * 2011–2012 – The State Ballet of Georgia * 1990–2004 – The Norwegian National Ballet * 1989–1990 – The

* 1986–1989 – The Estonian National Ballet

Producer/artistic consultant

* 2009/2010 – artistic consultant for the visual aesthetics, graphics and cultural programme for 30th International Hanseatic Days (24.-27.06.2010 in Pärnu, Estonia) * 2009/2010 – artistic consultant for the conception developing and planning of 11th Estonian Youth Dance and Song Festival in 2011 for organising team-Eesti Laulu- ja Tantsupeo SA * 2008 – producer of c.o.n.t.est08 - Competition of Nonverbal Theatre in Pärnu, Estonia * 2007 – invited participant of International Festival of Non-Verbal Theatre Personal Profile Moscow, Russia by Moscow Dance Agency TSEH * 2006/2007 – Estonian producer in the international contemporary dance project "The Migrant Body" (Estonia, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, the UK) * 2005/2006 – artistic director and producer of the

White Nights Festival The White Nights Festival is an annual summer festival in Saint Petersburg celebrating its near-midnight sun phenomena due to its location near the Arctic Circle; each year between around April 21 and August 21, the skies only reach twilight an ...

, Estonia * 2002–2004 – consultant for music and dance programs of the

Estonian Television Eesti Televisioon (ETV) ( en, Estonian Television) is an Estonian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Estonian Public Broadcasting. It made its first broadcast on 19 July 1955. History Eesti Televisioon (''Estonian Televisi ...

(ERR) * 2002 – choreographer and producer of the Interval Act of the Eurolaul 2002 * 2001 – founder, producer and director of the production company Motion ArtPro, Norway * 1997–2000 – founder and producer of Stage Fight Courses at Pärnu

Endla Theatre Endla ( et, Endla teater) is a professional theatre in city of Pärnu, Estonia. The theatre was opened in 1911. The first performance was "Libahunt" ("Werewolf") by Estonian writer August Kitzberg. The Estonian Declaration of Independence was p ...

, Estonia * 1995 – tour manager of the Swedish dance company " Pullet Proof"

Tutorial work

* 2011 – Estonian Dance Agency (ETA, Tallinn, Estonia) * 2009 – Baltic Movement Workshop ( Club ZAK Gdansk, Poland) * 2008 –

University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy ( et, Tartu Ülikooli Viljandi Kultuuriakadeemia) is an Estonian institution of higher education, situated in the provincial town of Viljandi, central Estonia. The UT Viljandi Culture Academy merged ...

, Estonia * 2006 –

Tallinn University Tallinn University (TLU; et, Tallinna Ülikool, ''TLÜ'') is a public research university in Estonia. Located in the centre of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn University is one of the three largest institutions of higher education ...

, Estonia * 2005 - 2006 – White Nights Festival in Pärnu, Estonia * 2002 - – The

Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the Arts ( no, Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, ''KHiO'') is a university college in Oslo, Norway, that provides education in visual arts, design and performing arts. It is one of two public institutes of higher learning in ...

(KHiO), Norway

Awards

1999 – title of "outstanding male dancer" by the Critics Survey of Ballet International/Tanz Aktuell International

Appearances as a dancer

* Man (Babels Barn/Child of Babylon, choreography by Kjersti Alveberg) * Pair 2 (

Holberg Suite The ''Holberg Suite'', Op. 40, more properly ''From Holberg's Time'' (Norwegian: ''Fra Holbergs tid''), subtitled "Suite in olden style" ( no, Suite i gammel stil, links=no, italics=no), is a suite of five movements based on eighteenth-century ...

, choreography by Ib Andersen) * White (Monotones, choreography by

Sir Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositi ...

) * Drosselmayer (

Nutcracker A nutcracker is a tool designed to open nuts by cracking their shells. There are many designs, including levers, screws, and ratchets. The lever version is also used for cracking lobster and crab shells. A decorative version portrays a person w ...

, choreography by

Dinna Bjørn Dinna Bjørn (born 14 February 1947) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. She has specialized dancing and directing the ballets of August Bournonville. Bjørn has also created five Hans Christian Andersen ballets for the Pantomime Theatre ...

) *

Tybalt Tybalt () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert / Tybalt ''"the ...

(

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 ...

, choreography by

Michael Corder Michael Corder (born 17 March 1955) is a British choreographer and director. Corder trained at 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 ...

) * Jean (

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

, choreography by

Birgit Cullberg Birgit Ragnhild Cullberg (3 August 1908 – 8 September 1999) was a Swedish choreographer. Her father Carl Cullberg was a bank director and her mother was Elna Westerström. Cullberg was born in Nyköping and was married from 1942 to 1949 to act ...

) * Death (Vier Letzte Lieder, choreography by

Rudi van Dantzig Rudi van Dantzig (4 August 1933 – 19 January 2012) was a Dutch choreographer, company director, and writer. He was a pivotal figure in the rise to world renown of Dutch ballet in the latter half of the twentieth century. Early life and trainin ...

) *

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

(Between

Amor and Psyche Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from ''Metamorphoses'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus). The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyc ...

, choreography by Anders Døving) * Rothbart (

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

, choreography by

Anna-Marie Holmes Anna-Marie Holmes (born April 17, 1942) is a Canadian-born ballet dancer, educator and choreographer. Holmes received an Emmy Award in 2000 for her staging of Le Corsaire for PBS. She was the founder and co-artistic director for the International Ac ...

) * Roles in performances: Stoolgame, Heart's Labyrinth, Stamping Ground (choreography by

Jiri Kylian Jiri ( ne, जिरी) is a municipality in Dolakha District in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,638 people.. Jiri, which lies about 190 kilometers from Kathmandu, is the ma ...

) *

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

(Sphinx), Young Husband (

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada *A La Ronde, an ...

), Roles in performances:

Mythical Hunters Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...

(choreography by

Glen Tetley Glen Tetley (February 3, 1926 – January 26, 2007) was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece ''Pierrot Lunaire ...

) *

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumit ...

(

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

, choreography by Robert Sund)

Overview

Choreographer and director

Ballet companies worked with

Producer/artistic consultant

Tutorial work

Awards

Appearances as a dancer

References

Further reading