The Royal Danish Ballet has enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Jacob’s Pillow since 1954 when Inge Sand, a leading soloist of the company, made her U.S. debut at the Pillow as a last-minute replacement. This engagement led to the American debut of a small contingent of soloists from the Royal Danish Ballet in 1955, which in turn led to the full company’s U.S. debut tour the following year. The impact of this cultural exchange prompted the King of Denmark to name Ted Shawn as a Knight of Dannebrog in 1957, and many other groups of Danish soloists have appeared at the Pillow in the years since. The company is now led by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Nikolaj Hübbe, who was also a Pillow student in 1985. In his first decade as director, Hübbe has updated the sets and costumes of many Bournonville ballets such as this production of A Folk Tale.
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