Hedda Hjortsberg

Hedda (Hedvig Katarina) Hjortsberg, (1777-1867), was a Swedish ballerina, sister of the Swedish actor Lars Hjortsberg. She was renowned in Sweden for her ballet dancing and was a star of the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Hjortsberg became a student of the French ballet-master Louis Gallodier at the age of nine in 1786, and when she graduated in the season of 1790-1791, she was considered as one of the first great native products and stars of the newly founded Royal Swedish Ballet, which was long dominated by foreign dancers.

Between 1791 and 1806 she was a premier-dancer of the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. The writer Marianne Ehrenström called her the delightful darling of the audience, and describes her as gracious as a nymph; "une taille de nymphe, pétrie de graces, Terpsicore soulovée par les Zephirs".

She danced the parts of Lucile in the pantomime ballet Det dubbla giftermålet by Jean Marcadet with Margaretha Christina Hallongren, Carl Dahlén, Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond and Carlo Uttini the season of 1790-1791, Leonore in Enleveringen by Louis Deland with him, Hallongren, Uttini, Luigi Taglioni and Charles Jean Ambrosiani and Diana in Diana och Kärleken by Deland with Johan Fredrik Björkstrand, Deland, Hallongren, Casagli and Hedvig Elisabeth Casagli in 1800-1801; she also did the part of Venus in Venus och Adonis by Deland with H. Björkman, Casagli, G.B. Ambrosiani and Hallongren 1801-1802, and as Frosine in Dansvurmen by Gardel with Deland, Filippo Taglioni, Anna Christina Löfborg, Anders Ekholm, Raimond and Ambrosiani the season 1803-1804.

When the Royal Swedish Opera reopened in 1809 after it had been closed since 1806, she performed with her five year old daughter in the ballet Dansvurmen, and in 1810 she perfomred the part of Honor in Gustavs dröm at the Opera.

Hjortsberg married the businessman Erik Samuel Koersner in 1804, who died shortly after, and Abraham Hülphers in 1811, and after that, she performed only as a guest-artist.

See also

• Charlotte Slottsberg
• Giovanna Bassi
• Ulrika Åberg

Sources

• http://runeberg.org/sbh/a0501.html
• Georg Nordensvan, "Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar; Första bandet, 1772-1842"
• Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973".

Link

• http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:rdsObgH6HWcJ:www.muslib.se/ebibliotek/STM/STM1984/STM1984KuzmickHansell.pdf+julie+alix+de+la+fay+bournonville&hl=sv&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=se