August Bournonville
Choreographer
Born August 21, 1805 in Copenhagen, France (1805–1879)·d. November 30, 1879 in Copenhagen, Denmark (aged 74)
Ballet
4 Signature Roles2 Principal Houses
Spotlight
Career Trajectory
Bournonville's artistic journey began as a child prodigy on the Copenhagen stage in 1813, progressed through rigorous classical training in Paris under the masters of the age, and culminated in his appointment as ballet master of the Royal Danish Ballet in 1830—a position he held for nearly fifty years, during which he created over fifty ballets and established a distinctive national style that remains the pedagogical and artistic foundation of the company to this day.
Career Highlight
Appointed Ballet Master of the Royal Danish Ballet (1830–1877) and created the Bournonville School, establishing a distinctive Danish style of classical ballet that remains the defining aesthetic and technical foundation of the Royal Danish Ballet and has been preserved without alteration for nearly two centuries
Training & Education
Royal Ballet School at the Court Theatre, Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen (1812–1829); Académie Royale de Danse, Paris (1824–1829)
Principal Houses
Engagements
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Available Performances
Additional recordings will appear here as the catalog expands.