Helgi Tómasson

Helgi Tómasson , also Helgi Tomasson (born October 8, 1942 in Vestmannaeyjar , Iceland ) is an Icelandic-American dancer, choreographer and ballet director. Since 1985 he has been director of the San Francisco Ballet School and artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet .

life and career

Helgi Tomasson began his training as a dancer with a teacher in Reykjavik and then became a student at the ballet school, which is affiliated with the Icelandic National Theater .

His career as a professional dancer began in 1957 with an engagement at the Pantomimeteatret in Copenhagen. Two years later he was discovered by the American choreographer Jerome Robbins , who taught him to study at the School of American Ballet in New York City. In 1961 he got an engagement at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, and with that began his American career. Two years later he became a member of the Harkness Ballet in New York, of which he was a member for the next six years.

At the age of 27 he took part in the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow as a representative of the United States , where he was awarded a silver medal. The gold medal was then awarded to Mikhail Baryshnikov . In 1970 George Balanchine hired him as a solo dancer for the New York City Ballet .

In 1985 he ended his career as an active dancer. In the same year he was appointed Artistic Director of the San Francisco Ballet, which he still holds today. He designed over 40 choreographies , most of them for the San Francisco Ballet.

family

Helgi Tomasson is married and has two sons, Erik and Kris Tomasson .

Awards

• 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance ,
• In 2006 the San Francisco Ballet was named Company of the Year by Dance Europe Magazine as the first non-European company .

Web links

• Helgi Tómasson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• biography

Individual evidence

1. ^ Anna Kisselgott: Helgi Tomasson performance. [1] New York Times, January 29, 1985, accessed July 11, 2017
2. ^ San Francisco Ballet School , accessed July 11, 2017
3. ^ SF Ballet , accessed July 13, 2017.

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .