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Dinna Bjørn

Dinna Bjørn (born 1947) is known as an expert on the work of August Bournonville (1805-1879). She was director of the Norwegian National Ballet from 1990 to 2002 and advisor to the artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet from 1997 to 2000. She has been director of the Finnish National Ballet since 2001 until July 2008. Dinna Bjørn began her career at the Royal Danish Ballet in 1964. In 1968, she won a bronze medal and the prize for the best artistic interpretation at the Varna international ballet competition in Bulgaria. In 2003 she received a Norwegian Royal Order of Merit by King Harald. She has been teaching and coaching the works and technique of Bournonville since 1975 and has participated in Bournonville research and reconstructions around the world. She was co-founder (with Frank Andersen) and member of the specialist faculty of "The Bournonville Summer Academy" in Midland, USA in 1985 and 1986 and at the Royal Danish Ballet in 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992. From 2003 to 2005 she was member of a production team behind the DVD documentation of the complete Bournonville classes. In 1976, Dinna Bjørn and Frank Andersen founded a company consisting of soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet. From 1985 to 1989 she was Artistic Director of this company, touring all around the world, performing Bournonville works and classical 20th century ballets. As Bournonville ambassador she vas conducted master classes and workshops, given lectures and participated in symposia worldwide. Dinna Bjørn has herself danced a wide range of major roles and solo parts in The Royal Danish Ballet repertoire and with the Norwegian National Ballet. She has created several choreographies for the Royal Danish Ballet and for her own company Dinna Bjørn Dancers, active from 1976 to 1982. She has been a jury member of several international ballet competitions and in 2005 she was the Chairman of the international jury in the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. In 2007 she was part of the international jury of the New York International Competition for young dancers. In the end of her term as the Ballet Director at the Finnish National Ballet, Dinna Bjørn received the Danish Dannebrogorden decoration and the Order of the White Rose of Finland - Knight 1st Class. 2/2008

Dinna Bjørn is leading the Workshop Dance Heritage from a Bournonville Perspective with Frank Andersen.

 

 

A Project by the Ausbildungskonferenz Tanz, organized by the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, funded by the Ministerium für Bildung und Forschung