22 Facts About Erik Bruhn

Erik Belton Evers Bruhn was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author.

Erik Bruhn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the fourth child and first son of Ellen, owner of a hairdressing salon, and third child of Ernst Bruhn.

Erik Bruhn was taken permanently into the company in 1947 at the age of eighteen.

Erik Bruhn took the first of his frequent sabbaticals from the Danish company in 1947, dancing for six months with the short-lived Metropolitan Ballet in England, where he formed his first major partnership, with the Bulgarian ballerina Sonia Arova.

Erik Bruhn returned to the Royal Danish Ballet in the spring of 1948 and was promoted to soloist in 1949, the highest level a dancer can attain in the Danish ballet.

Technically exacting as it is, the role of Albrecht is not beyond the capabilities of any competent premier danseur, and Erik Bruhn is infinitely more than that; he is probably the most completely equipped male dancer of the day, with the flawlessly clean technique that comes only through a combination of enormous talent allied to correct day-by-day training from childhood.

Erik Bruhn formally resigned from the Danish ballet in 1961, by which time he had become internationally known as a phenomenon, although he continued to dance periodically with the company as a guest artist.

Back home Erik Bruhn, 32, is the idol of the Royal Danish Ballet, where he has brought new life to the classic roles reserved for a premier danseur noble.

Erik Bruhn was best known for his lead roles in La Sylphide, Giselle, Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake.

John Cranko made Daphnis and Chloe on him in 1962 at the Stuttgart Ballet, which Erik Bruhn considered his favorite from amongst the ballets created specifically for him.

Erik Bruhn was acclaimed in dramatic roles, such as Jean in Birgit Cullberg's Miss Julie, the Moor in Jose Limon's The Moor's Pavane, and Don Jose in Roland Petit's Carmen.

Erik Bruhn was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, one of Denmark's highest honors, in 1963, the same year he was awarded the Nijinsky Prize in Paris.

Erik Bruhn was director of the Swedish Opera Ballet from 1967 to 1973 and the National Ballet of Canada from 1983 until his death in 1986.

Erik Bruhn met Rudolf Nureyev, the celebrated Russian dancer, after Nureyev defected to the West in 1961.

Nureyev was a great admirer of Erik Bruhn, having seen filmed performances of the Dane on tour in Russia with the American Ballet Theatre, although stylistically the two dancers were very different.

Erik Bruhn became the great love of Nureyev's life and the two remained close for 25 years, until Erik Bruhn's death.

Erik Bruhn died in Toronto General Hospital on 1 April 1986 at the age of 57.

Erik Bruhn is buried in an unmarked grave at Mariebjerg Cemetery in Gentofte, an affluent northern suburb of Copenhagen, near the house where he grew up.

Mr Erik Bruhn was valued more as an epitome of manly elegance and for the sensitivity of his acting than as a virtuoso technician.

Erik Bruhn was one of the few dancers who could bring the house down simply by executing a series of entrechats as James in La Sylphide.

Erik Bruhn was the subject of the book Erik Bruhn: Danseur Noble by John Gruen, written with his cooperation and based in part on extensive interviews.

Erik Bruhn was posthumously recognized in 1987 for "exemplary contributions to Canada and its culture" as the first recipient of the annual Pagurian Award for Excellence in the Arts.