Deanne Bergsma

Deanne Bergsma (born 16 April 1941) is a retired South African ballerina who danced many different roles with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London.

Deanne Bergsma
Born16 April 1941
Pretoria, South Africa
OccupationBallet dancer
Spouse(s)Keith Grant, formerly General Manager of the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden
ChildrenSam Henry (b. 1975) Katherine Daisy (b.1977)

Early life

Bergsma was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

Career

Though she was taller than the typical height for a female ballet dancer,[1] Bergsma became a member of the Royal Ballet in 1958. She became a principal of the company in 1967.[2] She created the role of Lady Mary Lygon in Ashton's Enigma Variations (1968) and a principal part in Tetley's Field Figures (1970). In 1972, critic Clive Barnes of The New York Times reviewed her in Swan Lake, saying "She is a statuesque girl and strikingly lovely to look at; I would have hoped for more grandeur and amplitude to her movements."[3]

She retired from the company in 1974, although she returned in 1988 to take the role of Berta in a revival of Ashton's Ondine.[4]

She is currently one of the governors of the Royal Opera House.[4] Bergsma served on the judging panel for the Young British Dancer of the Year competition in 2011,[5] and as a judge in the semifinals of the Genée International Ballet Competition in 2010.[6]

References
  1. "Deanne Bergsma" Dance Dialogues: Interviews by Barbara Bergman (1982).
  2. Debra Craine and Judith Mackrell, eds., Oxford Dictionary of Dance (Oxford University Press 2010): 58. ISBN 9780199563449
  3. Clive Barnes, "Dance: Senior Ballerinas", The New York Times (21 May 1972) p. 65.
  4. "Governors". Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  5. "The Young British Dancer of the Year Award 2011" Ballet News (10 February 2011).
  6. "Royal Academy of Dance presents Genée International Ballet Competition 2010", Ballet News (19 November 2010).
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