# Sorella Englund

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**Sorella Englund** (born 23 December 1945 in [Helsinki](/source/Helsinki)) is a former [soloist](/source/Soloist_(ballet)) and [character dancer](/source/Character_dancer) with the [Royal Danish Ballet](/source/Royal_Danish_Ballet). She has been a keen supporter of [August Bournonville](/source/August_Bournonville), staging a number of his ballets in [Denmark](/source/Denmark) and abroad.[1]

## Biography

The daughter of [composer](/source/Composer) [Einar Englund](/source/Einar_Englund) (1916–1999) and [pianist](/source/Pianist) [Meri Gyllenbögel](/source/Meri_Gyllenb%C3%B6gel) (1917-1956), Sorella Englund was born on 23 December 1945 in [Helsinki](/source/Helsinki), [Finland](/source/Finland). Already as an eight-year-old, she began training with the ballet school of the [Finnish National Opera](/source/Finnish_National_Opera). She then studied with the [Finnish National Ballet](/source/Finnish_National_Ballet), joining the company in 1964. She moved to Denmark in 1966 when [Flemming Flindt](/source/Flemming_Flindt) engaged her to dance in the Royal Danish Ballet where she studied [Bournonville](/source/August_Bournonville) choreography under [Hans Brenaa](/source/Hans_Brenaa). Her breakthrough came in 1969 when she took the part of Hilda in Bournonville's *[A Folk Tale](/source/A_Folk_Tale)*. Erik Aschengreen, writing in *Berlingske Tidende* commented: "She stood on the stage like a ray of light. Wonderfully poetic. At one and the same time both innocent and dangerously threatening."[2]

She became a soloist in 1970 (a first for a foreigner) and, as a result of illness, a character dancer in 1993 before retiring as a dancer in 1994. She was ballet master with the [Boston Ballet](/source/Boston_Ballet) from 1996 to 1999. Her principal Bournonville roles have included Madge in *[La Sylphide](/source/La_Sylphide)*, Teresina in *[Napoli](/source/Napoli_(ballet))*, and Hilda in *[A Folk Tale](/source/A_Folk_Tale)*.[3][4] She has also danced in modern works including [Paul Taylor](/source/Paul_Taylor_(choreographer))'s *Aureole* (1968) and [Antony Tudor](/source/Antony_Tudor)'s *Jardin aux Lilas*. She has also participated in [Eske Holm](/source/Eske_Holm)'s ballets and happenings dancing Electra in his *Orestes* (1972) and taking the title role in his *The Firebird* (1975). With her exceptional radiance, Englund has been a challenge for contemporary choreographers. Roles have been created for her by [Constantin Patsalas](/source/Constantin_Patsalas) in *Das Lied von der Erde* (1988), [Kenneth Kreutzmann](/source/Kenneth_Kreutzmann) in *Lullaby* (1996) and [Tim Rushton](/source/Tim_Rushton) in *[Carmina Burana](/source/Carmina_Burana)* (1997).[2][5]

She produced *Abdallah* together with [Flemming Ryberg](/source/Flemming_Ryberg) and [Bruce Marks](/source/Bruce_Marks_(ballet)) for the Royal Danish Ballet (1986) and (as *Arabian Nights*) for the [National Ballet of Canada](/source/National_Ballet_of_Canada) (1988). In 1990, with [Else Marianne von Rosen](/source/Else_Marianne_von_Rosen) she staged *Thrymskvinden* at the Royal Danish Ballet. She produced *La Sylphide* for the [Scottish Ballet](/source/Scottish_Ballet) (1996) and for the [Tokyo National Ballet](/source/New_National_Theatre_Tokyo#New_National_Theatre_Ballet_.28NNTB.29) (2000).[1] In 2009, together with [Nikolaj Hübbe](/source/Nikolaj_H%C3%BCbbe), she produced a new version of *Napoli*, now set in the Italy of the 1950s. The ballet was successfully received when performed in New York in 2011.[6]

Sorella Englund is currently an instructor with the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen.[4]

## Awards

- [Tagea Brandt Rejselegat](/source/Tagea_Brandt_Rejselegat) (1978)
- Bournonville-Legatet (Bournonville Grant) (1989)
- Karen Marie Thorsens Teaterlegat (Karen Marie Thorsen's Theatre Grant) (1996).[4]

## References

1. Anne Middleboe Christensen, "Hvor danser den Kongelige Ballet Hen?", Det Schønbergske Forlag, 2002, ISBN 87-570-1627-5. Pages 54 and 55.

1. ["Sorella Englund (1945 - )"](http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/170/bio/808/), *Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon*. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 July 2011.

1. ["Sorella Englund"](http://www.ballerinagallery.com/englund.htm), *The Ballerina Gallery*. Retrieved 21 July 2011.

1. ["Sorella Englund"](http://kglteater.dk/OmKunstarterne/Ballet/Kunstnere/Instruktoerer/Sorella%20Englund.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120318122131/http://kglteater.dk/OmKunstarterne/Ballet/Kunstnere/Instruktoerer/Sorella%20Englund.aspx) 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine, *Det Kongelige Teater*. (in Danish) Retrieved 22 July 2011.

1. ["Ballet: Sæson 2010/2011"](http://kglteater.dk/da/Alle_forestillinger/Ballet_10_11/~/media/Forestillinger/Ballet_10_11/Et_folkesagn/Et.Folkesagn.Low_res.ashx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120318122255/http://kglteater.dk/da/Alle_forestillinger/Ballet_10_11/~/media/Forestillinger/Ballet_10_11/Et_folkesagn/Et.Folkesagn.Low_res.ashx) 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine, *Det Kongelige Teater*. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 July 2011.

1. [Alastair Macaulay, "A ‘Napoli’ Changed, Yet Unchanging"](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/arts/dance/royal-danish-ballet-performs-napoli-review.html), *New York Times*, 13 June 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sorella Englund](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorella_Englund) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorella_Englund?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.