Dear School of OBT Families,
Please see below for a wonderful opportunity to attend a lecture with Frank Anderson, former Artistic Director of both the Royal Danish Ballet and the Royal Swedish Ballet, who is currently working with our company.
For more information please visit www.scanheritage.org.
School of OBT Staff
Internationally Recognized Ballet Director Frank Andersen Presents SHF Lecture on February 6
The Royal Danish Ballet – A New Connection to Portland
Friday, February 6, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Where: Portland State University, Cramer Hall, Room 171
Free and Open to the Public.
The Scandinavian Heritage Foundation’s Friday Night Lecture Series will present Frank Andersen, former Artistic Director of both the Royal Danish Ballet and the Royal Swedish Ballet, on February 6 in a presentation titled – The Royal Danish Ballet – a New Connection to Portland. The lecture is at 7:30 PM at Cramer Hall, Room 171 on the campus at Portland State University. It is sponsored jointly by SHF and the PSU Department of World Languages and Literature, and is free and open to the public.
Mr. Andersen will be in Portland to introduce Denmark’s Bournonville style of ballet to, and work with, Oregon Ballet Theater on both new and old world ideas. The program will focus on the rich history of the Royal Danish Ballet and its best-known leader - August Bournonville; the things that have made the Company a standout for more than 150 years; and what is involved in bringing a major work in this style to a company in the United States. Also attending will be OBT Executive Director Dennis Buehler.
Mr. Andersen was trained at the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen and became a leading dancer with that company performing all over the world. He also was one of the originators of the Bournonville Group – an ensemble of dancers dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the ballets of August Bournonville – one of the key figures in the ballet world in the 1800’s. Mr. Andersen served twice as Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet, from 1995 – 1999 and again from 2002 – 2008, with a stint in between as Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm. Since 1997, he has been an Advisor to the National Ballet of China, and has worked world-wide in the staging and presentation of Bournonville ballets.
He is currently working with Oregon Ballet Theatre on future programming options, with a goal to bring the rich traditions of Danish ballet to Oregon.
The Scandinavian Heritage Foundation has a mission to Preserve, Communicate and Celebrate Nordic heritage and culture. SHF is nearing completion of a new Nordic center in Southwest Portland and will begin diverse arts, education and cultural programming during the summer of 2015. For more information: www.scanheritage.org
