Dorothea Ashbridge (née Zaymes; 4 March 1928 – 30 December 2021) was a South African-born New Zealand ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher and international ballet judge.
Early life
Ashbridge was born in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa, in 1928, one of eight children. She studied ballet from an early age. At age 17 she left South Africa for London after an invitation from the
Sadler's Wells Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...
.
Career
Ashbridge joined the
Sadler's Wells Ballet three months after arriving at the Ballet School. There she danced with famous dancers including
Margot Fonteyn,
Robert Helpmann and
Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer King, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006), was an internationally renowned Scottish ballet, ballet dancer and actress. She was famous for her performances in Powell and Pressburger's ''The Red Shoes (1948 film), Th ...
and New Zealand dancer
Rowena Jackson
Rowena Othlie Jackson (also known as Chatfield; born 24 March 1926) is a New Zealand former prima ballerina.
Early life
Jackson was born in Invercargill on 24 March 1926 to William Ernest Jackson and Lilian Jane, née Solomon. As a young child ...
.
In 1966, after emigrating to New Zealand, Ashbridge branched out from ballet to choreograph pop music television shows ''C'mon!'' and ''Happen Inn.''
Ashbridge taught a number of New Zealand dancers and choreographers including
Douglas Wright,
Mark Baldwin and dancers in the
Limbs Dance Company
The Limbs Dance Company was formed in Auckland, New Zealand in May 1977 and disbanded in Wellington in September 1989. Limbs was "the first contemporary dance company in New Zealand to win a general following", and performed alongside notable New Z ...
where she was the resident ballet mistress from 1979 to 1989.
She taught at ballet schools in Auckland, at summer schools, the
New Zealand Ballet Company and from 1991 to 2001 she was a classical ballet coach at
UNITEC in Auckland.
Ashbridge served on the jury of World Ballet Competitions held in France, China and Japan.
In 2007 Ashbridge performed in a duet with Debra McCulloch at the
Tempo Dance Festival
Tempo Dance Festival is an annual pan-genre professional dance festival held in Auckland, New Zealand and is the 'longest standing annual dance event' of New Zealand, founded in 2003.
History
Tempo Dance Festival started in 2003 from an in ...
; the dance was choreographed by
Mary Jane O'Reilly.
She was honoured by the Festival in 2011.
Honours and awards
Ashbridge was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services to ballet, in the
2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Ashbridge died on 30 December 2021.
Personal life
Ashbridge married her husband New Zealander Bryan Ashbridge in 1958. He was a dancer with the Royal Ballet. They had one son born in 1965 and shortly after his birth they moved to New Zealand. They divorced in the 1970s.
References
Further reading
* Elana Kluner. 'Honouring Dorothea Ashbridge.' ''DANZ Quarterly'', Sum 2012; n.26: p. 10.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashbridge, Dorothea
1928 births
2021 deaths
New Zealand ballerinas
People from Cape Town
Prima ballerinas
Dancers of The Royal Ballet
20th-century New Zealand dancers
20th-century ballet dancers
South African ballerinas
South African emigrants to New Zealand
White South African people
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit