Eva Kloborg joined the Royal Danish Ballet in 1957 as a ballet child and she remains an active force in the company as a character dancer and beyond as an international teacher and stager of the Bournonville heritage. As the longest serving dancer in the company she is one of the few direct links to company choryfe's like Vera Volkova and Harald Lander. As a dancer she was as home in Balanchine as in her beloved Bournonville, and here she shares some of the tale of her long career
and her present quest to bring Bournonville abroad.
Meeting the Past
The RDB that Eva Kloborg joined was not an entirely happy band. The company was divided in sections following "The Lander Scandal" in 1951, when Ballet Master Harald Lander was dispelled from his post, accused of sexual improprieties. Lander left the country with his wife Toni Lander, who later became a principal at ABT and the case was never tried in court. A consequence of the case was that Lander's masterpiece "Etudes" was not performed by RDB.
In 1969, Danish Television mounted a TV version although performed by RDB's artists, was not an RDB production. Eva Kloborg was one of the young dancers chosen to participate, and the other young dancers were finally able to meet Harald Lander themselves and form their own opinion:
"Towards us Harald Lander was kind, funny and pleasing. Yes, he was also demanding and knew exactly what he wanted from us. It was a great experience to work with him and I am sure that the success of the TV production let to "Etudes" was a factor in "Etudes" returning to it rightful place in RDB repertoire ", says Eva Kloborg.
From Volkova to Balanchine
As a young aspirant Eva Kloborg got to work with Vera Volkova, who had recognized her potential as a child:
"Vera Volkova made a major contribution to the RDBs development. She was able to give us the Russian technique without killing Bournonville. She had a great respect for the Danish tradition and her teaching made us stronger and better in all genres.”
Vera Volkova had prepared Eva Kloborg so well that she got cast as Calliope in "Apollo", straight out of school. And Eva Kloborg has been in almost every Balanchine ballet presented at RDB ever since, including key roles in "The Four Temperaments", "Serenade" and "Symphony in C". One can talk about the Volkova ballerinas, a type of dancer, not seen before on the RDB rooster. Volkova cultivated a team of taller girls with a strong technique, great lines and musicality and Eva Kloborg was one of
the strongest girls in the group. The poster girl for this type was Mette Hønningen, who became the dominant ballerina from the mid60ties to the mid80ties. Eva Kloborg shared many prominent roles with Mette Hønningen, including Hans van Manen's "Songs without Words" and the role as Lady Capulet, which is a starring role in the Neumeier Romeo & Juliet, loved by Danish dancers and audience alike.
A Classical Dancer in a Modern Company
In 1966 Flemming Flindt, Danish principal who had most of his career abroad was appointed Ballet Master in Copenhagen. Daring, ambitious and on a roll following his successful first ballet "The Lesson" he wanted to take RDB into new territory.
"When peopletalk about Flemming Flindt's reign they emphasizes his modern work. As yes we did many of those, but people tend to forget that he also put on many classical works. It was Flemming who gave us a “ Swan Lake”, created for the company and his popular version of "The Nutcracker," says Eva Kloborg.
He wanted a new “Romeo & Juliet” for the company and searched the field and found John Neumeier’s version, which was perfect for the company and became the greatest hit during his reign.”
In the Flindt "Nutcracker" Eva Kloborg has danced five different roles over the years, including the evil Snow Queen and the soloist in "The Flower Waltz". The later including her signature diagonal grand jeté series which also appeared in her signature role as Teresina in Bournonvilles "Napoli" which she danced the first time in 1976.
A Natural Teresina
Teresina is a key role in the Bournonville repertoire. Teresina is a fairly modern and sassy girl, and some interpreters have had trouble handling her outbursts. Eva Kloborg's version is harmonious and natural. She was able to bring each of the three acts a special feel and dance quality. Her Teresina did react in the first act when Gennero is flirting with a customer, but she mixed sadness into the anger. In second act, caught in the grotto with the sea king Golfo, she is intrigued by the stranger, but finds her dignity when confronting him in the end of the scene and she managed to make Kirsten Ralov's version of the solo fluent and brilliant. Her take on the rather weak solo for Teresina, interpoled by Hans Beck from "Abdallah" combines her strong technique and elegance. The part where she stand on one too in a prolonged moment with her hand stretched out in front (known as the pillow move) is stored and unsurpassed in my memory.
Eva Kloborg has danced a lot of Bournonville, but mainly the pure dance roles. She has danced both leading girls in "La Conservatoire" , the divertissements in "Napoli", "Kermesse in Brügge", "Far from Denmark", Palmyra in "Abdallah", two leading roles in "Lifeguards on Amager", "La Ventana" "Flower Festival in Genzano" and "Wilhelm Tell" and been a glorious first girl in the Pas de Sept in "A Folk's Tale". What Eva Kloborg brought to Bournonville was an ability to make the girls steps as interesting and brilliant as the men.
Bournonville Abroad
Eva Kloborg has toured the world with the Bournonville Group, of which she is a founding member. In 1979 the group made as US tour presenting some of Bournonville's lesser known miniatures as a teaser for the upcoming first Bournonville festival. One of her key roles here was the Wilhelm Tell Pas de
Deux where she partnered Ib Andersen who left RDB to Join NYCB in 1980.
"I got a nice surprise last August. I entered a training hall and there was Ib. He was in town in relation to his production of "Kermesse in Brügge". Eva Kloborg will play the comedy part of the Mother in Law, as Bounonville in contrast to Balanchine includes Mothers in Law’s in ballets.
A Guest from the Past
She has embraced one particular Bournonville ballet for her whole life. She had her first role In "La Sylphide" as one of the two Sylph children who flies with the "Sylph" to eternity. She then became the nosy little girl in first act. Then she advanced to the corps and then to the pivotal role as Effy, James fiancé . As a more mature dancer she took on Effy's special Friend Nancy, James mother Anna for finally to get the ultimate challenge for for a character dancer: The role of Madge the witch.
'"Each Madge have her or his interpretation. Lis Jeppesen's Madge is a former Sylph. I have created a back story for my Madge, where Madge is a relation of James who has been treated badly by her relatives and arrives bent on taking her revenge on her chosen foil, James. She is targeting him from the moment she arrives. I even have a piece of the tartan, James family wear in my costume," explains Eva Kloborg.
It is an interesting and daring interpretation, but also one that makes a lot of sense. Eva Kloborg is following it with the role of Carabosse in Christopher Wheeldon's "Sleeping Beauty", where she also provides a strong and rather unpleasant character. But character dancing is not her only project.
Have Bournonville - Will Travel
Eva Kloborg teaches Bournonville all over the world and together with her husband, Former RDB Ballet Master Frank Andersen stages Bournonville worldwide. She has recently returned from Montevideo, Uruguay where they are staging "La Sylphide" for the company led by Julio Bocca.
"Julio Bocca spent 6 months at the height of his career in Copenhagen to study Bournonville. And getting a "La Sylphide" for his own company was a key wish", Eva Kloborg explains. "The dancers are interested and able to do most of the steps. Their biggest challenge is learning to walk and stand naturally. "
Teaching foreign dancers the Bournonville style is a high priority for the couple. Eva Kloborg teaches every year in Tokyo and at the annual Bournonville seminar in Biarritz in France with the team of Danish Bournonville specialists.
One of their major contributions to the Bournonville repertoire was a reconstruction of Bournonville's last ballet "From Siberia to Moscow" created together with Dinna Bjørn and Anne Marie Vessel. It was staged on Nina Ananiashvili's Georgian State Ballet. Their son, Sebastian Kloborg, Soloist at the RDB and a strong dramatic dancer guested as the male lead.
"So far it has been possible to combine my obligations at the RDB with my international work, so I get the best of both worlds," says Eva Kloborg. Coming back from Uruguay she will take on two featured roles in "Kermesse in Brügge" and "Romeo & Juliet", where she this time will be Lady Montague.
"Lady Capulet was my last pointe role and a good role to end that part of my career", explains Eva Kloborg.
This time around she takes pleasure in following some of her former pupils doing lead roles in the ballet. She have had the special experience of seeing her son as a brilliant Romeo, but Sebastian Kloborg has taken leave to dance a year with the Gauthier Dance Company in Stuttgart:
"It is natural for a young dancer to explore other venues. And if he should do it, he should do it now. Ballet has become much more international and he will gain the experience of being in a modern company."
So Lady Montague will miss the special experience of playing her son's mother on stage. Meeting Eva Kloborg is meeting a dancer that remains a true servant of her art form and her parent company and has found a new role and purpose as a character danseur and Bournonville ambassador.
Photos:
1. Eva Kloborg
2. Eva Kloborg as Carabosse in Christopher Wheeldon's "The Sleeping Beauty"
Copyright(c): The Royal Danish Ballet
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