NORDENS STÖRSTA MÖTESPLATS OM DANS – GRUNDAD 1995

Mariane Orlando

Mariane Orlando was born in Stockholm and studied at the Ballet School of the Royal Swedish Opera. She was accepted in the company in 1948 and appointed principal in 1952 and retired in 1978. She also studied at the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in London 1951-52, and in Paris and Leningrad 1954 and 1959 respectively.

She made guest appearances in Oslo, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Ålborg, Berlin, London, Edinburgh, Paris, Leningrad, Wiesbaden, Luxemburg, Western Germany, China and the USA.

When the RSB guested in Beijing in June 2008, Mariane appeared as the Queen Mother in Swan Lake and got much media attention, as she was also part of the company's first China tour in 1960.

Mariane Orlando as Aili in The Moon Reindeer. Photographer: Enar Merkel Rydberg

Mariane Orlando has worked as a ballet teacher, coach for soloists and ballet master at the Royal Swedish Ballet for several periods until 1994. She taught at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm for eight years and she was artistic director of the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg 1996-99.

She has appeared as principal in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, The Rite of Spring (Massine), Aniara (Åkesson), The Firebird (MacDonald), Pillar of Fire (Tudor), Medea (Cullberg), The Moon Reindeer (Cullberg), The Nutcracker (Nureyev), There Is a Time and The Moor's Pavane (Limon) and many others.

When Mariane Orlando retired as a principal dancer after an exceptional career, she was honoured with an exhibition at the Dance Museum and there was a collection for a stipendiary fund, which bears her name: Mariane Orlandos Stipendiefond.

"Mariane entered the stage as a child prodigy. Her first part was as "The Soul" in Julian Algo's Visioner (Visions). She was 16 at the time. Her break through came two years later in Swan Lake. Then she had already been appointed as Principal, the youngest ever in Sweden.
Already early in her career her virtuoso technique, dramatic intensity, warmth and radiance gave a rich lustre to all the parts she was given. They spanned a wide range from the classics to contemporary works. Many parts were created for her by among others Birgit Åkesson, Birgit Cullberg and Ivo Cramér. Anthony Tudor staged his masterpiece Pillar of Fire for her. She danced internationally on Swedish tours and was in 1959 named "Dancer of the year" in Paris. During the 1961-62 season she appeared as a gust ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre. She also guested in the Soviet Union.
However her dancing years ended and she became a teacher and coach for solo dancers. In this way the tradition of dance has been given on to new generations. There are, as an example, several swan queens who have had their feathers groomed with her help. Mariane Orlando has also been Artistic Director for The Royal Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg."

Anna Greta Ståhle