1. Lidija Sotlar was a Serbian-born Slovenian ballerina and teacher who was a member and a soloist of the Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet between 1948 and 1972, performing the role of 80 characters from a wide variety of ballet repertoire.
Lidija Sotlar led the Lidija Sotlar Ballet Group which she established at the Central Ballet School in Ljubljana and passed on her knowledge of ballet to several generations of Slovenian dancers and established the Yugoslav Ballet Artists in 1977 that she led artistically and organisationally until 1983.
Lidija Sotlar was raised in the town and finished four grades of primary school and was taught Slovenian.
Lidija Sotlar's family fled to Slovenia when the Second World War broke out and she continued her education in Ljubljana.
Lidija Sotlar was initially educated at the gymnasium and then at the Secondary School of Economics.
Lidija Sotlar became acquainted with ballet in 1942 after watching an opera-ballet performance at school and decided this would be her career.
Lidija Sotlar created and recreated 80 characters from a wide variety of ballet repertoire and increased the reputation of Slovenian ballet on tour in Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia and the former Yugoslavia.
Lidija Sotlar portrayed Saloma in 1954; Giselle and Myrtha Giselle at the Croatian National Theatre, Split in 1958; Zarema in Bahcisarajska fontana in 1961; Odette in Swan Lake in 1962 and Juliet in Romeo in Juliet in 1968.
Lidija Sotlar had roles as the Mistress of the Copper Mountain in The Stone Flower and as Liza in La fille mal gardee.
Lidija Sotlar ended her career in ballet in 1972 because she did not want audiences to remember her for minor roles she would have performance later in her life.
Lidija Sotlar established the Meeting of Yugoslav Ballet Artists in 1977 and was its artistic and organisational leader until 1983 as she organised multiple several ballet concerts in Slovenia and abroad.
Lidija Sotlar was married to the actor Bert Sotlar from 1955 to his death in 1992.
Lidija Sotlar died on 16 October 2018, and was buried at Zale.
Lidija Sotlar was decorated with the Honorary Badge of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia in 1999 "on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Slovenian ballet for artistic achievements and other merits in this field" by Milan Kucan, the President of Slovenia.
Lidija Sotlar was nominated for the Preseren Award on multiple occasions.