The Royal Danish Ballet has enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Jacob’s Pillow over the years, beginning in 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. This clip shows the original 1955 group in their debut engagement, featuring Stanley Williams, who later became a key teacher for the School of American Ballet. Among his students was New York City Ballet principal dancer Nikolaj Hübbe, a 1985 Pillow student who is now the artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Among other great Danish dancers with worldwide reputations was Erik Bruhn, who appeared on the same Pillow program with his former company in 1955.
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