NAPOLI

The Dance can, with the aid of music, rise to the heights of poetry. On the other hand, through an excess of gymnastics it can also degenerate into buffoonery. So-called "difficult" feats can be executed by countless adepts, but the appearance of ease is achieved only by the chosen few.
August Bournonville

AUGUST BOURNONVILLE (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, where his father had settled. At first, he was trained by his father, and later he studied under the Italian choreographer Vincenzo Galeotti at the Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen, and in Paris, France, under French dancer Auguste Vestris. Following studies in Paris as a young man, August became solo dancer at the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. From 1830 to 1877 he was choreographer for the same Ballet, for which he created more than 50 ballets admired for their exuberance, lightness, and beauty. He created ballets inspired by northern literature (he was a friend of famous Hans Christian Andersen). His ballets had varied settings that range from Denmark to Italy, Russia to South America, specialy the best-known ones: La Sylphide (1836), Napoli (1842), Le Conservatoire (1849), The Kermesse in Bruges (1851) and A Folk Tale (1854). A limited number of these works have survived, such as his own version of La Sylphide, and Napoli which is still performed by many companies today. He initiated a unique style in ballet known as the Bournonville School. He was reformer of male dance technique, by creating strong male roles during the period when ballerinas dominated the stage. Dancers trained by Bournonville generally were defined by their exceptional “ballon” (jumping ability) and the flowing quality of their movements. He also wrote a teaching manual, Efterlade Skrifter (Choreographic Scriptures) published in 1861. The title reflected Bournonville's devotion to religion and his belief in dance as a spiritual calling. His work became known outside Denmark only after World War II. Since 1950, The Royal Ballet has several times made prolonged tours abroad, not the least to the United States, where they have performed his ballets. His influence on the development of ballet remains strong. The Royal Danish Ballet School in Copenhagen continues to teach his technique and the Royal Danish Ballet frequently restages Bournonville's ballets with their original choreography intact.
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BRUCE STEIVEL is an internationally recognized choreographer and teacher. Previously, he served as the Artistic Director of Bern Stadt Theatre in Switzerland, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Universal Ballet of Korea and most recently Nevada Ballet Theatre, where he served as artistic director for over a decade. As Artistic Director for the Hong Kong Ballet and the Universal Ballet, he developed a strong internationally accepted company and launched each company on their first American and European tours. Hong Kong Ballet’s tour to mainland China was the first time the Hong Kong based company performed in China. As Artistic Director of Nevada Ballet Theatre, Steivel expanded the repertoire by adding 30 ballets – 13 from visiting choreographers and 17 from of his own creation. His Nutcracker was a holiday favorite, along with Peter Pan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Good Times. Steivel is frequently sought after as a guest teacher, teaching for Nederland Dans Theatre, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Hungarian National Ballet, the National Ballet of Portugal, the Berlin Stadstoper, Beijing Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Bat-Dor of Israel, the National Institute of Istanbul, Turkey and numerous schools in Japan and America.