August Bournonville

August Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer who directed the Royal Danish Ballet for nearly 50 years and established the Danish style based on bravura dancing and expressive mime. He studied under his father, 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 also studied in Paris under Auguste Vestris and Pierre Gardel. He became a solo dancer at the Royal Ballet in Copenhagen and created more than 50 ballets admired for their exuberance, lightness and beauty. He created a style which, although influenced from the Paris ballet, is entirely his own. His ballets have a variety of settings that range from Denmark to Italy, Russia to South America. Some of his best-known ballets are La Sylphide, Napoli, Le Conservatoire, The Kermesse in Bruges and A Folk Tale. He also directed the Swedish Royal Opera at Stockholm and staged several of his works in Vienna. He retired in 1877 and was knighted. He died in Copenhagen in 1879. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and the founder of the Bournonville School and style, which is still practiced by the Royal Danish Ballet and other companies around the world.