Jane Simpson Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 It was announced in Denmark this morning that Margrethe Schanne, ballerina of the Royal Danish Ballet and the most famous Sylphide of her day, died during last night - she was 92 years old. Some pictures from her career: http://www.b.dk/kultur/margrethe-schannes-karriere-i-billeder#slide-9 Link to comment
rg Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 thanks, Jane, i hadn't realized the legendary MS had lived such a long life. i've seen her dance only on film where her sylph-like airiness is duly documented, and think i caught a glimpse of her in Copenhagen on one or two occasions at social events. the attached scans show a newspaper archive publicity foto of Schanne as the sylph in LA SYLPHIDE, probably her most iconic role, sent around during the Royal Danish Ballet's '56 tour to the States. the reproduction of this same photo that was on a wall in a former old apartment sometimes had visitors guess it was Fonteyn, and i saw what they meant. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 What a lovely, open pose -- thanks, rg, for giving us a wonderful image of Schanne. Link to comment
Anne Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Margrethe Schanne was the motive on a postage stamp to celebrate the tenth Ballet Festival in 1959. The stamp can be seen here: http://frimaerker.ptt-museum.dk/frimaerke/437/dk-0438 By the way: I'm afraid one of the pictures in the picture slide show mentioned by Jane Simpson above is not of Schanne. I might be wrong, but I think pucture no. 5, the one in the Spanish looking costume, is of Margot Lander. Link to comment
Pamela Moberg Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 When I was a kid I saw Margrethe Schanne live. Some soloists from the RDB used to visit Gothenburg every summer - they danced in a local concert hall so the surroundings were not ideal, no ballets as such, just solos and pas de deux. Yet, it was a wonderful experience and I remember those performances well, even if it was many years ago. The other dancers I saw were Inge Sand, Frank Schaufuss and Mona Vangsaae (parents of Peter S.) And also Kjeld Noack, husband of Margrethe Schanne. Not being a stamp collector. but I have the stamp that Anne mentions. Ballet stamps are fairly rare in this world, there are some fairly garish Chinese ones. Sweden did issue a stamp a few years ago showing Romeo and Juliet with Annelie Alhanko and Per Arthur Segerström. Link to comment
Anne Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Talking about ballet stamps (sorry if i'm going a bit off topic here!): We also had a ballet stamp, or rather two in 2005. The occasion was the bicentenary of Bournonville's birth. You can find them here: http://frimaerker.ptt-museum.dk/frimaerke/1417/dk-1434 I know for sure that male dancer in the blue one is Thomas Lund (Napoli), but I have forgotten who the couple is on the yellow one (A Folk Tale - you can see the golden cup in her hand). My best guess is that it is Gudrun Bojesen and Kenneth Greve/Mads Blangstrup. Also, who are the two dancers, posing on each side of the stamps? I think the male one is Nicolaj Hansen, also a fine Bournonville dancer, but I'm not sure about the woman. Can anyone help? Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 The yellow couple are Bojesen and Blangstrup, I think. Link to comment
Anne Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Yes, I think you are right! That is also what popped up first in my memory, but I couldn't find documentation anywhere. Link to comment
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