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.

Life and career

Feuer was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

to Samuel Kasakoff, of Russian-Jewish origin, a chemist and photographer who had immigrated to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, and Pauline Feuer, an internationally known social worker. Donya studied as a child with Nadia Chilkovski. After moving to New York she studied at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

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 Paul Sanasardo (born 15 September 1928) is an American dancer, choreographer and dance teacher of Italian descent. Life and career Paul Sanasardo was born in Chicago, Illinois to a Sicilian family from Palermo, Italy. He attended the School of th ...

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 Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance m ...

. 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 ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'' in 1975 and '' Face to Face'' in 1976. Other collaborations included productions of ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'', ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' and '' Peer Gynt''. Feuer also directed ''The Dancer'', a feature-length documentary released in 1994, and other films including ''

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

: A Life''. She produced theatrical performances in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, including

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's '' A Winter's Tale'' in 1995 and ''Maria Stuart'' in 2002. Feuer died in Stockholm of

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and ...

Filmography

Selected films include: As choreographer: *1996 ''Jerusalem'' *1993 ''Backanterna'' (TV movie) *1992 ''Madame de Sade'' (TV movie) *1975 ''The Magic Flute'' (TV movie) *1968 ''The Girls'' *1966 '' Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist på nya äventyr'' (TV movie) 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feuer, Donya 1934 births 2011 deaths Artists from Philadelphia Modern dancers Contemporary dance choreographers Dance in New York City American female dancers Dancers from Pennsylvania Dancers from New York (state) Swedish female dancers American choreographers Film directors from Pennsylvania American women film directors Swedish film directors Swedish women film directors Swedish theatre directors 21st-century American women