Erik Bruhn (1928-1986). Danish-born dancer, choreographer, teacher and director

Regarded as one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century, Erik Bruhn was born in Copenhagen in 1928. In 1937 he commenced his studies at the Royal Danish Ballet School, and joined the Royal Danish Ballet in 1947, becoming a solo dancer (principal) in 1949. In 1947 Bruhn spent six months in Britain performing with Metropolitan Ballet and in 1949 he danced with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York. It was with ABT in 1955 that he danced an historic Albrecht to Alicia Markova’s Giselle. Bruhn was regarded the epitome of the danseur noble and, according to Mikhail Baryshnikov, brought to ballet a dignity of style, “a model to us all”. He was “indisputably one of the greatest dancers we have seen”.

Steeped in August Bournonville’s training method, technique and style, Bruhn remained with the Royal Danish Ballet until 1961 when he resigned from his position as solo dancer, although he continued to appear with the company as a guest artist. He danced, at one time or another, with most of the leading ballet companies in Europe and North America, including The Royal Ballet, and with many of the leading ballerinas of the time. Among the large number of roles created on him, his own favourite was Daphnis in John Cranko’s version of Daphnis and Chlöe. Bruhn also staged productions of the classics for a number of companies, including his own version of Swan Lake in Canada, as well as Bournonville’s La Sylphide, Flower Festival at Genzano and dances from Napoli.

Bruhn retired as a dancer in 1972, moving on to character roles. He was director of the Royal Swedish Ballet from 1967 until 1973, and National Ballet of Canada from 1983 until 1986. Rudolf Nureyev, though a very different dancer, was a great admirer of Bruhn from the first time he saw him dance on tour with ABT in Soviet Russia, and the two became close companions from 1961 until Bruhn’s death. According to critics, Bruhn’s precision of line, batterie and purity of style, all arising from his training, were exemplary. However, he was far more than a virtuoso performer, bringing poetry, complete identification and commitment to the roles he danced. In 1962, with Lillian Moore, he published the book Bournonville and Ballet Technique. He was appointed Knight of the Order of Dannebrog in 1963, and died in Toronto, Canada, in 1986