Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer [Hardcover]

ALEXANDRA TOMALONIS (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

The story of Henning Kronstam, one of the greatest dancers of 20th-century ballet, is a testament of professional achievement and personal victory. Overcoming illness, family disapproval, and his own private torments, Kronstam dominated one of the world's most renowned companies, the Royal Danish Ballet, for nearly 30 years—beginning in 1956 when he created the role of Romeo at the age of 20 in Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet until a new generation, trained by him, took the stage. In 1979, he organized and directed the Bournonville Festival, introducing the world to the rarely performed works of August Bournonville, the Danes’ master choreographer.

Alexandra Tomalonis has documented Kronstam's major roles as recounted in his own words, revealing the genius behind the man and his art. A superb technician and impeccable classical stylist, Kronstam was also a great dance-actor. His range stretched from classical ballet to modern dance; his greatest roles included Bournonville's James; Balanchine's Apollo; Petit's Cyrano; and the Old Clown in Murray Louis's Hoopla. His refusal to substitute flash for style earned him the admiration of his peers, and he remains a beacon of artistic integrity and courage to the three generations of dancers he taught and coached.

In the writing of this book, the author conducted 200 hours of interviews with Henning Kronstam and talked with over 100 dancers and choreographers, including many who worked with him. She observed classes and rehearsals at the Royal Danish Ballet over a 10-year period to provide an unusually detailed view of backstage life. More than a biography of one man, this book tells the story of a great dance company. The 155 photographs accompanying the narrative showcase Kronstam's refined classical technique, unparalleled dramatic range, and the theatrical traditions of the Royal Danish Ballet.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With a broad repertoire, impeccable technique, and natural stage presence, Kronstam (1934-95) became one of the great Danes of dance. Tomalonis, dance critic for the Washington Post since 1979, uses a range of sources (including many hours of interviews with the subject), an even-handed treatment, and graceful prose to take the full measure of a complicated and talented individual. Begun as a study of Kronstam's roles, the book evolved into what the author calls "a portrait rather than a formal biography." It's actually a series of portraits in words and pictures (both stills and performance shots add considerable interest). Sections describe his early life and influential people and his work as a mature artist and later as a ballet master. About half the book analyzes Kronstam's major roles, such as the poet in George Balanchine's La sonnambula, James in August Bournonville's La sylphide, and Romeo in Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet. Kronstam suffered from bipolar disorder, which he hid from his contemporaries, and the author invited a psychologist to write, in her words, a "psychological autopsy" addressing that disease. An enjoyable divertissement for dance lovers and those interested in the performing arts, this is highly recommended. Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"He was the glue that held the company together...the reason it maintained its international reputation." -- Ib Andersen, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet

"Kronstam is slender and dark, with the clarity of a rapier, an intuitive sense of style, and a dynamic brilliance." -- Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Tribune

"The dance theories recorded by Horosko are sure to remain the solid foundation of classic modern dance." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2002

"The first we know of in the countless tomes published about Graham that contains a syllabus of Graham movements....invaluable." -- Back Stage, August 2002

...a welcome book on a unique dancer and artist... -- Dance Chronicle, 28:147-153, 2005

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081302546X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813025469
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,362,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer, November 24, 2002

By 

G. Mooney (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer (Hardcover)

I've had the rare pleasure of reading Alexandra Tomnalonis's book, "Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer" and it is wonderful. The book is crammed with information; with Ms. Tomalonis's writing style I never felt I was plowing my way through an encyclopedia. The narrative flowed and my interest did not waver. Kronstam emerges a fascinating man. He was a silent Dane not given to letting others know much about him. An artistic genius, his style was all but lost in the era of the Ballet Boom and the following changes in the art. The book tells about his exciting entrance to Royal Danish Ballet, his dancing career, his dramatic excellence, the dancers of his era, and the nurturing of the Bournonville tradition. It continues with his career as artistic director and ballet master, and his influence on the dancers fortunate enough to be coached by him (there are many insightful quotes by his protégé's). He was a man of great detail and it is fascinating to read about those tiny details he'd add or subtract from a ballet in order to make it perfect. I highly recommend to book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written book about an extraordinary man, November 1, 2002

By 

careful buyer (CT USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer (Hardcover)

This remarkable book looks superficially like a ballet biography. It is so much more than that. It deserves, and I hope finds, a readership far broader than a ballet book would normally reach... In the book we learn that his first experience as a professional was as a child actor in the very theatre he would later dedicate his life to, so his destiny on stage in some capacity was assured. He danced the principal roles in all the major ballets, and was especially notable in the Bournonville tradition that he helped maintain. He had many new works created for him by modern choreographers, including the part of Romeo in Ashton's Romeo and Juliet. Whenever the Royal toured, which was not often enough, foreign critics and audiences singled Kronstam out for special recognition for both his dancing and his acting. But I venture to say that ballet lovers who know of Nureyev and Bruhn, who were roughly Kronstam's contemporaries, may not know Kronstam's name. This book gives some interesting perspectives that help explain why.

The fact that the book is called "Portrait of a *Danish* Dancer" (rather than simply "Portrait of a Dancer") puzzled me at first. But Ms. Tomalonis has thoroughly captured Kronstam's complex personality, and in many ways that personality was the Danish national character in microcosm. It seems that many of Kronstam's inherent strengths and weaknesses were reinforced by the societal expectations of both his family and his nation. This may have contributed, consciously or unconsciously, to Kronstam's choice to remain in Copenhagen for his entire career when others chose to leave to pursue international recognition with foreign companies.

The book succeeds on so many levels. It has all the hallmarks of a good biography. The author, who personally met with and interviewed her subject extensively and also spoke with scores of his relatives and colleagues, discusses Kronstam's personal matters with tact and dignity. She portrays Kronstam with a kind of tenderness that does not detract from her clear-eyed understanding of him. The fact that Kronstam, an intensely private person, was comfortable and candid enough to reveal as much as he did to her bespeaks a level of trust in the author that few biographers enjoy. Inspite of the pervasive sadness of Kronstam's story at the end of his life, when she met with him, Ms. Tomalonis is able to show Kronstam's warmth and humor as well. It gives Kronstam an aura of nobility which he, in his typical humility, would probably have derided.

For balletomanes, like me, the book showcases Ms. Tomalonis' depth of both historical and current ballet expertise. Her writing style is so fluent and graceful, however, that the wealth of ballet detail never interferes with the book's story line. One can sense that this very expertise was part of the common language between author and subject that made it possible for Kronstam to communicate his thoughts so effectively to the author.

Finally, for anyone interested in understanding the creative process, there is a unique opportunity to hear Kronstam's own recollections of how he developed his roles, how he was able to inhabit a role with his characteristic intensity. Several of the modern ballets in which he created characters contain harrowing psychological plot lines, and one can only wonder how Kronstam was able to both shield and use his own vulnerabilities to bring these works to life. This section of the book should be required reading for dancers, because it illuminates the thoughtfulness and dedication required of any intelligent performer who wants to do more than execute steps and pantomime emotions. Actors, I am told, embrace the opportunity to "be" their characters, to try on other lives. Here Kronstam conveys that process in a human and insightful way. Ms. Tomalonis somehow manages to make herself invisible during these passages, so that it is Kronstam who emerges with tremendous immediacy... Kronstam could have expected no greater tribute than to have his story told with so much grace and feeling.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Self-Eclipsed Star, October 26, 2002

By 

Mel Johnson "Mel" (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henning Kronstam: Portrait of a Danish Dancer (Hardcover)

Although Henning Kronstam was a dancer of world-class talent and style, he chose to remain close to his beloved home, the Royal Danish Ballet. While Erik Bruhn made international headlines, Kronstam remained mostly at home, blessing the Danes with his perfect technique and great stage presence. I never understood why he had chosen so to shape his career, but Tomalonis' excellent book examines the artistic, psychological and social forces which informed him, and the reading is fascinating, whether the reader is a ballet fan or not. She writes compellingly and with grace and wit, so much so that one is almost loth to finish the book, which must, of course, end with its subject's death. One wishes men like Kronstam to live happily forever. Here is a story of a life well worth examining, and from which to learn.