Lis Jeppesen (born 1956) is a Danish ballet dancer who began to dance for the

Royal Danish Ballet The Royal Danish Ballet ( Danish: ''Den Kongelige Ballet'') is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world a ...

in 1974, becoming a soloist in 1980. She has frequently been acclaimed in the title role of ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

'' and has taken leading roles in

Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the ne ...

's ''

A Folk Tale ''A Folk Tale'' () is a ballet in three acts, created in 1854 for the Royal Danish Ballet by the Danish ballet master and choreographer August Bournonville to the music of Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann and Niels W. Gade. The first performance ...

'', ''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' (; ) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bournonville's is the only ve ...

'' and ''

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

''. She completed her dancing career in 1998 but has continued to take character roles.

Biography

Born in the

Vanløse Vanløse is one of the 10 official Districts of Copenhagen, districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It lies on the western border of the municipality. Vanløse covers an area of 6.69 km2, and has a population of 36,115, making Vanlø ...

district of Copenhagen on 5 April 1956, Lis Jeppesen is the daughter of the merchant Helvinn Emil Schørring J. (1915–75) and Alice Gunna Johansen (born 1919). From an early age she demonstrated her talents as a dancer, taking the role of Columbine in the

Tivoli Concert Hall Tivoli Concert Hall () is a 1,660-capacity concert hall at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. The building, which was designed by Frits Schlegel and Hans Hansen, was built between 1954 and 1956. The concert hall is used for classical music ...

when she was only six years old. She entered the Royal Danish Ballet School in 1963, joined the company in 1974 and became a solo dancer in 1980. Her first important role was in 1974 when, just 17, she performed in

Rudi van Dantzig Rudi van Dantzig (4 August 1933 – 19 January 2012) was a Dutch choreographer, company director, and writer. He was a pivotal figure in the rise to world renown of Dutch ballet in the latter half of the twentieth century. He was co-director and ...

's ''Monument for a Dead Boy''. ''

Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...

s critic Ebbe Mørk welcomed her "strong and sharp" performance. In 1977, she took the role of Clara in

Flemming Flindt Flemming Flindt (30 June 1936 – 3 March 2009) was a Danish choreographer born in Copenhagen. He studied at the Royal Danish Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet schools, joined the Royal Danish Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1955. He guested w ...

's ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'', impressing the audience with her large lively eyes. In 1979, Jeppesen starred in two major roles, taking the title roles in

Erik Bruhn Erik Belton Evers Bruhn (3 October 1928 – 1 April 1986) was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author. Early life Erik Bruhn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the fourth child and first son of Ellen (née Eve ...

's ''Giselle'' and in Bounonville's ''La Sylphide''. The following year, she was promoted to the rank of soloist, taking on a series of key roles in the 1980s, including Teresina in ''

'', Svanilda in '' Coppelia'' and Elenora in ''

The Kermesse in Bruges ''The Kermesse in Bruges, or The Three Gifts'' is a burlesque ballet in three acts created by the Danish ballet master and choreographer August Bournonville to music by Holger Simon Paulli, first performed by the Royal Danish Ballet on 4 April ...

''. Following a New York performance in June 1982, her Swanilda received special acclaim from

Anna Kisselgoff Anna Kisselgoff (born 12 January 1938) is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for ''The New York Times''. She began at the ''Times'' as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she h ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' who commented on her "tenderness and charm simply not see anywhere else" and her "puffed-cheek and wide-eyed hilarity". On 26 September 1987, Jeppesen married Jan Boris Pedersen with whom she has two children: Amalie (1987) and Mathilde (1994). In 1998, she retired from active dancing after performing for 26 years. She has since been employed as a character dancer and coach.

Awards

In addition to earlier awards, in 1989 Jeppesen was honoured as a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

References

External links

Lis Jeppesen
illustrated biography from

Berlingske ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...

in Danish {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeppesen, Lis 1956 births Living people Dancers from Copenhagen Danish ballerinas Royal Danish Ballet dancers Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 20th-century Danish ballet dancers