Sonia Gaskell (14 April 1904 – 9 July 1974) was a Lithuanian- Dutch-

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, ballet and dance director.

Life and career

Sonia Gaskell was born in Vilkaviškis,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now located in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

), to Russian Jewish parents. She first studied ballet in

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. In 1921, she was sent to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

to escape Russian pogroms against the Jews. She relocated to Paris with her first husband in 1925, where she continued her ballet studies with Lyubov Yegorova and Léo Staats, and began dancing in nightclubs and touring cabaret shows during the 1930s. Gaskell danced for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

from 1927–29 and Les Ballets de Paris where she served as director and choreographer until 1939, when she moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

with her Dutch husband. She worked as a dance teacher in Amsterdam, hiding from the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

during

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, but still teaching. She established and served as director of companies including Ballet Recital, Ballet Studio '45 and the Netherlands Ballet. She was founder of the Netherlands Ballet Academy in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, and served as artistic director of the Dutch National Ballet from 1961–68. Gaskell retired as director in 1969, and afterward served on the board of

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and worked in TV productions. She died in Paris. Gaskell's students included Audrey Hepburn and noted choreographers Hans van Manen and Rudi van Dantzig.

Personal life

Gaskell married twice. About 1922 she married the mathematician Abraham Goldenson in Palestine, but the couple separated in 1939. She then married architect Philipp Heinrich Bauchhenss (1894–1948). She had no children.

Legacy

In 2009, the Jewish Historical Museum and the Netherlands Theatre Institute presented an exhibition based on her life and work. The Sonia Gaskell Prize is awarded for excellence in choreography.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaskell, Sonia 1904 births 1974 deaths Dutch ballerinas Dutch women choreographers Dutch Jews Ballet choreographers Lithuanian female dancers Lithuanian dancers Lithuanian women choreographers Lithuanian Jews People from Vilkaviškis Jewish dancers 20th-century Dutch ballet dancers Lithuanian emigrants to France