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1930
Born in Auckland
___________
1950
New Zealand
Government Bursary
___________
1953-57
Soloist and principal
dancer at London's
Festival Ballet
___________
1959
United Ballet
Company
___________
1978-90
Artistic Director
of Southern Ballet
Theatre
___________
1986
Queen's Service
Medal for Services
to Ballet
___________
2000
Officer, New Zealand
Order of Merit
___________
1992-2003
Royal New Zealand
Ballet Guest director
for Petrouchka
Choreographies for
Swan Lake, Peter Pan
and A Christmas Carol
___________
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Russell Kerr
Choreographer
Born in Auckland in 1930, the young Russell Kerr displayed an equal
talent for piano and dance. He settled on dance, where his career
began as a student of Auckland ballet teacher Kathleen Whitford.
He was awarded a New Zealand Government Bursary in 1950 to travel to
Europe. After making his European debut with the Jose Greco Spanish
Company, he danced with the Sadler's Wells (now) Royal Ballet,
with Ballet Rambert, and as a soloist with London's Festival Ballet.
He made a name for himself as a dancer with deeply informed musicality
and outstanding dramatic expression.
After returning to New Zealand in 1957, Russell began to work for the
New Zealand Ballet in 1959, of which he later became Artistic Director.
An exemplary work from that period is Prismatic Variations.
Jointly choreographed with Paul Gnatt, this work carried distinctly neo-classical tones, while its novelty also gave
indication of the company's assured originality.
Russell is regarded as a consummate professional who has held many
key positions in New Zealand dance: he was Director of the Nettleton-Edwards-Kerr
School of Ballet (1959-61), Artistic Director of the New Zealand Ballet
(1962-69), Director of the New Zealand Dance Centre (1969-77), and
Director of the Southern Ballet Theatre (1978-90). His teaching and
choreographic skills provide a continuing source of inspiration.
He is currently Vice Patron of the Auckland Dance Company, Patron of
the International Ballet Academy and a Trustee of the Christchurch
Dance Education Bursary Trust.
He was awarded a QEII Arts Council Fellowship in 1977, followed in
1986 by a Queen's Service Medal for Services to Ballet in the
New Zealand dance community and, in 2000, was appointed an Officer
of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
In 2005 Russell Kerr created a new full-length, two-act ballet based on the secret life of Hans Christian Andersen for The International Ballet Academy, Christchurch.
In June 2007, the third return season of Russell's version of Swan Lake toured the country. Raewyn White, NZ Herald, describes the work as "showing us once again the hallmarks that make him one of the great ballet choreographers. Kerr's rich musicality ensures we miss none of the emotional nuances of the score in the dancing".
Russell lives in Christchurch and continues to teach and choreograph. |
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