Birgit Cullberg

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Birgit Cullberg (born 3 August 1908 in Nyköping, died 8 September 1999) was a Swedish choreographer. The daughter of bank manager Carl Cullberg and Elna Westerström, Cullberg was married from 1942 to 1949 to Anders Ek. She was the mother of Niklas Ek, Mats Ek, and Malin Ek.

Cullberg studied ballet under Kurt Jooss-Leeder and Lillian Karina and was a member of the Royal London Ballet (1952-1957). In 1960, she was appointed director and choreographer at the Stockholm City Theatre.

Cullberg gained international recognition by founding the Cullberg Ballet in the 1960s. On retiring in 1985, her son Mats Ek took over the ballet company. The Swedish Arts Grants Committee instituted the Cullberg scholarship in her honour, and she was awarded an honorary professorship at the University of Stockholm, where she had studied when she was young. She also received the French honour Commendeur des Arts et Lettres and the Italian honour Cavaliere Ufficiale.