- In full:
- Per Christian Johansson
- Born:
- May 20, 1817, Stockholm, Sweden
- Died:
- December 12 [December 25, New Style], 1903, St. Petersburg, Russia (aged 86)
Christian Johansson
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Who was Christian Johansson?
Christian Johansson (1817–1903) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer and teacher who significantly shaped Russian classical ballet.
Johansson trained in Stockholm and Copenhagen, learning from August Bournonville. A turning point came in 1841 when he partnered with Marie Taglioni, which inspired him to follow her to St. Petersburg. There, he joined the Imperial Ballet School, eventually becoming a principal teacher in 1860.
For over four decades, Johansson refined the Russian style, grounding it in Bournonville's method. His students included renowned dancers such as Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova, and Tamara Karsavina. Fondly called "Methuselah" by his students, Johansson's dedication and influence were highly regarded, contributing to the golden age of Russian ballet under Marius Petipa.
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Where was Christian Johansson from?
Christian Johansson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 20, 1817. He received his dance training at the ballet school of the Royal Opera in Stockholm. In 1836, he went to Copenhagen to train under August Bournonville. Johansson later moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he became a dancer and teacher at the Imperial Ballet School, contributing significantly to Russian classical ballet. He died in St. Petersburg on December 12, 1903.
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What kind of dancing was Christian Johansson known for?
Christian Johansson was a Swedish-born ballet dancer known for his contributions to the development of Russian classical ballet. He received training in Stockholm and Copenhagen, and his technique was impeccably correct and precise.
Johansson partnered with famous ballerinas like Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, and Carlotta Grisi. As his dancing skill waned, he became a teacher at the Imperial Ballet School, where he brought a new polish to the Russian style, using the method he learned from August Bournonville. The Italian style taught by Enrico Cecchetti and the French style taught by Christian Johansson together formed the foundation for the Russian school that was to become dominant in 20th-century ballet.
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How did Christian Johansson influence ballet in Russia?
Christian Johansson, born in Sweden, significantly shaped Russian classical ballet as a dancer and teacher. After training in Stockholm and Copenhagen, he moved to Russia and debuted with the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Johansson partnered with leading Russian and Western European ballerinas, gaining acclaim for his nobility and precise technique. In 1860, he transitioned to teaching at the Imperial Ballet School, where he refined the Russian style using the Bournonville method.
Johansson's students included renowned dancers such as Sergey and Nicholas Legat, Mathilde Kschessinska, Olga Preobrajenska, Anna Pavlova, and Tamara Karsavina. His dedication and support from Marius Petipa helped establish a golden era for Russian ballet.
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What was Christian Johansson’s role as a teacher in Russian ballet schools?
Christian Johansson was a Swedish-born ballet dancer and a key figure in developing Russian classical ballet. In 1860, he began teaching at the Imperial Ballet School and was officially enrolled on staff by 1869.
Johansson brought a new refinement to the Russian style, grounding it in the method he learned from August Bournonville. His teaching, combined with Enrico Cecchetti's Italian style, created the foundation for the Russian school of ballet that would become dominant in the 20th century. His students included famed dancers such as Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina.
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How did Christian Johansson’s teaching shape future generations of dancers in Russia?
Christian Johansson, a Swedish-born dancer and teacher, significantly shaped Russian ballet. After a distinguished dancing career partnering with famous ballerinas, he began teaching at the Imperial Ballet School in 1860 and was officially enrolled in 1869.
For over four decades, Johansson laid the groundwork for the golden age of Russian ballet under Marius Petipa, bringing a new polish and a firm technical base from the Bournonville method.
Highly esteemed and supported by Petipa, Johansson taught a remarkable array of talent, including the Legat brothers, Sergey and Nicholas, and ballerinas such as Praskoviya Lebedeva, Mathilde Kschessinska, Olga Preobrajenska, Anna Pavlova, and Tamara Karsavina. His dedication and impact on his students solidified his place in ballet history.
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Christian Johansson (born May 20, 1817, Stockholm, Sweden—died December 12 [December 25, New Style], 1903, St. Petersburg, Russia) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer and principal teacher at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, who made a fundamental contribution to the development of the Russian style of classical ballet.
Johansson received his basic dance training in the ballet school of the Royal Opera in Stockholm, graduating shortly after Anders Selinder, the first Swedish-born choreographer of note, was appointed ballet master there. In 1836, soon after making his debut, Johansson was sent to Copenhagen to finish his training under August Bournonville, whose approach derived from the pure French school of Gaétan and Auguste Vestris and Pierre Gardel. Between 1836 and 1839 he danced in both Stockholm and Copenhagen; in the former city in 1841 he partnered Marie Taglioni in La Sylphide during her brief visit as guest artist. That was to be the turning point in his career. Learning that Taglioni was proceeding to St. Petersburg, he resolved to follow her in the hope of securing an engagement. He managed to obtain permission to attend classes at the Imperial Ballet School, where he came to the notice of the ballet master, Antoine Titus, and made useful contacts that led to a debut and his being engaged at the Imperial Russian Ballet.
From that moment he was to devote his life to the Russian ballet. During a long and distinguished dancing career he partnered not only principal Russian ballerinas such as Yelena Andreyanova and Olga Schlefokht, but also many of the visiting ballerinas from western Europe—Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Amalia Ferraris. In his prime his innate nobility and grace were unsurpassed. His technique always remained impeccably correct and precise, even if, to Russian eyes, the turnout of his feet at times appeared a trifle exaggerated.
In 1860, when his dancing skill was waning, he turned his attention to teaching and began to give classes at the Ballet School, although he would not be officially enrolled on its staff until 1869. The part he played over the next four decades in laying the foundations of the golden age of Russian ballet under Marius Petipa was to be fundamental. He brought a new polish to the Russian style, providing it with a firm base in the method that he had himself learned from Bournonville. Few teachers have been held in such affection and esteem as he. Throughout his service, he enjoyed the fullest support of Petipa, but his pupils were the source of his strength. In his 80s he would still climb the three flights of stairs to the classroom, clutching his precious violin, and at the very sight of his class he would be miraculously reinvigorated. His students affectionately called him Methuselah. By the time he retired, in 1902, he had produced an incredible galaxy of talent, including the Legat brothers, Sergey and Nicholas, and the ballerinas Praskoviya Lebedeva, Mathilde Kschessinska, Olga Preobrajenska, Anna Pavlova, and Tamara Karsavina.