Helgi Tomasson
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Helgi Tomasson (Reykjavík, 1942) Icelandic dancer.
He is a graduate of the School of American Ballet, and is the current Artistic Director of the San Francisco Ballet.In a career that has spanned more than four decades, Helgi Tomasson has displayed a rare grace, vision, and versatility in everything he has accomplished, both on stage and off. As a performer (including 15 years as principal dancer with the New York City Ballet), Tomasson brought a purity of style and a sense of excitement to dozens of roles—not only in works created for him by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, but also by choreographers as varied as Alvin Ailey, Gerald Arpino, John Butler, Benjamin Harkarvy, Brian MacDonald, John Neumeier, Anna Sokolov, and Norman Walker. Retiring from the New York City Ballet in 1985, Tomasson began a new phase of his career as artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet, elevating what was a respected regional troupe to the status of a major company recognized internationally for its broad repertory and stunning dancers.
Born in October 1942, Helgi Tomasson began his training at age 10 in his native Iceland, where he took classes in Reykjavik at the ballet school of the newly created National Theater. His first teachers were Danish-trained and performed with the Pantomime Theater in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens during the summer. At 15, young Helgi was invited to join them for the summer; realizing that he wanted to become a dancer, he continued his studies in Copenhagen. In 1959 he came to the attention of Jerome Robbins, whose company Ballets U.S.A. was on tour in Reykjavik. Robbins arranged for the scholarship that first brought Tomasson to the School of American Ballet. In 1962, he became a member of the Robert Joffrey Theatre Ballet and he went on the company's first Soviet tour. He joined the Harkness Ballet in 1964; over the next six years, he became one of the company's most celebrated principal dancers.
Tomasson joined the New York City Ballet as principal dancer in 1970, having won the silver medal (to Baryshnikov's gold) as a representative of the United States at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow the year before. In his 15 years with N.Y.C.B., he secured his status as one of the finest male dancers of his generation. He became an exemplary interpreter of works by both Balanchine and Robbins (a rare accomplishment for any dancer), inspiring both choreographers to create roles with which Tomasson would be indelibly associated-ranging from his astonishing and poetic solo that Balanchine created in Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fée for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival, to his dramatic portrayal of the Young Man in Robbins' The Dybbuk in 1974. (As an example of Tomasson's range, he also created the role of Franz in the traditional Coppélia that Balanchine and Danilova staged that same year.) An exemplary partner, he performed in tandem with many of City Ballet's leading ballerinas, including Violette Verdy, Patricia McBride, and Gelsey Kirkland.
Had he withdrawn from the limelight upon his retirement from the City Ballet in 1985, Tomasson's glorious achievements would already have secured his position in dance history. But he accepted the invitation from the San Francisco Ballet to become artistic director of America's first professional ballet company, a position to which he has brought his uncommon vision and exacting standards for the past 17 years. As a choreographer, teacher, and coach, Tomasson has fostered an uncompromising classicism that has become the bedrock of the company's training. The dancers he has trained continue to rise to new heights with each passing year; engagements in New York, London, Copenhagen, and Paris have brought rave reviews and been among the highlights of the company's 69-year history.
Tomasson's first choreographic effort was a piece for the School of American Ballet's 1982 workshop; his second work, Ballet d'Isoline (1983), was taken into the repertory of the New York City Ballet. Since assuming his position in San Francisco, he has choreographed more than 30 ballets, ranging from full-length productions of classical masterpieces to intricate and varied works that showcase the unique qualities of individual dancers. (Tomasson's works are performed by other companies as well, including the New York City Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Houston Ballet, Alberta Ballet, and Asami Maki Ballet.) He has also expanded the San Francisco Ballet repertory with works by internationally distinguished choreographers working in a myriad of styles.
Tireless in his contributions to the world of dance, Tomasson has judged ballet competitions in Italy, Moscow, Helsinki, and Japan; has served as a member of the N.E.A. Advisory Panel; and currently serves on the board of the School of American Ballet. His achievements have garnered him numerous awards and honors, including Commander of the Order of the Falcon by the president of Iceland in 1990, the Dance Magazine Award in 1992, and the Cultural Award of the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1995. Last year he was granted the rank of Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters. Juilliard will award Tomasson an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree at its 97th commencement ceremonies on May 24.
