Donya Feuer

Donya Feuer (31 October 1934 – 6 November 2011) was an American dancer, choreographer and a pioneer of modern dance. She was also a theater director and filmmaker, and a long-time collaborator with director Ingmar Bergman.[1]

Donya Feuer
Born(1934-10-31)October 31, 1934
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 2011(2011-11-06) (aged 77)
Stockholm, Sweden
NationalityAmerican
Known forDance and choreography
MovementModern dance

Life and career

Feuer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Samuel Kasakoff, of Russian-Jewish origin, a chemist and photographer who had immigrated to North Carolina, and Pauline Feuer, an internationally known social worker.[2] Donya studied as a child with Nadia Chilkovski. After moving to New York she studied at the Juilliard School and with Martha Graham and Antony Tudor. After completing her studies, she was apprenticed to the Martha Graham Dance Company and performed in the State Department tour of Asia; in 1957 she danced in Paul Taylor's 7 New Dances. Also in 1957, she founded the Studio for Dance with Paul Sanasardo where she worked with him as a stage partner and collaborator in choreography, and pedagogy. In the Studio for Dance, she also worked with German choreographer Pina Bausch.[2][3]

In 1963, Feuer relocated to Stockholm, Sweden, for a position as choreographer and later director with the Royal Dramatic Theater. In 1971 she met Ingmar Bergman and began an association which produced seventeen film, theater and television projects, including The Magic Flute in 1975 and Face to Face in 1976. Other collaborations included productions of Julius Caesar, King Lear and Peer Gynt. Feuer also directed The Dancer, a feature-length documentary released in 1994, and other films including Nijinsky: A Life. She produced theatrical performances in New York City, including Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale in 1995 and Maria Stuart in 2002.[4]

Feuer died in Stockholm of ulcerative colitis.[5]

Filmography

Selected films include: As choreographer:

As director:

  • 2000 The Working of Utopia
  • 1994 Dansaren (documentary)

As a performer:

  • 1992 Tre danser (TV movie as performer)
  • 1975 The Magic Flute (TV movie as Woman in Audience)

References
  1. Shakespeare Quarterly. Folger Shakespeare Library. 1985. p. 824.
  2. Franko, Mark (2005-04-27). Excursion for Miracles: Paul Sanasardo, Donya Feuer, and Studio for Dance (1955–1964). Wesleyan University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8195-6744-4.
  3. Mulrooney, Deirdre (2002). Orientalism, Orientation, and the Nomadic Work of Pina Bausch. Lang. p. 97. ISBN 978-3-631-38106-9.
  4. Propst, Andy (16 November 2011). "Choreographer/Director Donya Feuer Has Died". Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  5. Kisselgoff, Anna (15 November 2011). "Donya Feuer, Modern-Dance Choreographer, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
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