Louis Deland

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Louis Joseph Marie Deland (25 April 1772 – 15 April 1823) was a Swedish ballet dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and ballet master in the Royal Swedish Ballet. He is often considered the first native male star in the Royal Swedish Ballet.

[edit] Life and career

Louis Deland was the child of Louise-Antoine Deland, the hair dresser, parfymeuse and footman of queen Sophia Magdalena of Denmark; his father was originally from Luxemburg. He debuted on the stage of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in the ballet to the opera Orphée in 1782 at the age of ten, and so impressed the king Gustav III of Sweden, that he was sent to be educated at the ballet of Paris in France by the famous Gardel.

In 1792, he returned to Sweden, were he made his home coming performance in Armide 9 January and was hired as premier dancer, singer and actor at the Royal Swedish Opera and at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. He were soon considered the most notable male dancer in the country; he also had a beautiful voice and was considered very good in comical parts, and his interaction in the plays with Lars Hjortsberg and Carl Schylander were videly admired, he was considered to be a natural talent, who became one with his part- he was said to have a feeling of "childis loveliness" to his appearance, which he kept through his life.

Among his parts were Niklas in Tanddoktorn, Husca in Karavanen, Räfklo in Målaren och modellerna, Pierrot in Den talande tavlan and Crispin in Den föregifna skatten.

In 1803, he was appointed ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet and in 1809 to first dancing master, a postion he kept until 1820, with abrief interupption in 1816-1818. He also composed pantomimeballets, character dances and other entertainings.

Louis Delands career was destroyed when he, at the age of forty, suffered some kind of condition which made him lose his memory. His place were in many ways filled by Per Erik Sevelin.

Deland was married twice; first to the actor Carolina Kuhlman, and, after a divorce, to the actor Maria Rebecka Rydberg, active both on the Stenborg theatre and (in 1809-1829) on the Royal Dramatic Theatre. His daughter, Josefina Deland, bedame a known feminist. His brother, Jean Pierre Deland, was a violinist. The Deland family became a well known theatre family in 19th century Sweden; Louis Deland's nephews, Pierre Deland and Fredrik Deland, were also actors; the former director of the Deland troupe and director of Djurgårdsteatern, and Pierre's daughter with the actor Charlotta De Broen, Betty Deland, was to be not only a popular child- and adult actor but also instructor and vice principal of Dramatens elevskola.

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