Choreographer
August Bournonville was the Danish ballet master and choreographer who, over nearly five decades at the Royal Danish Ballet, created a distinctive national style that remains the foundation of classical ballet technique and repertoire.
Defining moments and milestones
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.
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
Royal Ballet School at the Court Theatre, Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen (1812–1829); Académie Royale de Danse, Paris (1824–1829)
A chronological journey through key moments
Recordings featuring August Bournonville in the Society index
Additional recordings will appear here as the catalog expands.