Carl Dahlén
Encyclopedia
Carl Dahlén was a Swedish ballet dancer and choreographer, active first at the Royal Swedish Ballet
at the Royal Swedish Opera
in Stockholm
, and second at the Royal Danish Ballet
in Copenhagen
at the Royal Danish Theatre
in Denmark. He belonged to the first male Swedish stars at the Royal Swedish ballet.
He was made a figurante in the ballet 1785, a coryfee in 1789 and premier dancer in 1791. He participated in the pantomime ballet Det dubbla giftermålet by Jean-Rémy Marcadet opposite Margaretha Christina Hallongren, Hedda Hjortsberg
, Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond and Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini the 1790-91 season. He was admired for his beauty and grace and was given attention by king Gustav III of Sweden
. The circumstances of his departure from the Swedish ballet was well known. A nobleman from the royal court was sent to him with the message from the king, that he had been given a higher allowance; upon delivering the message, the courtier "allowed himself" a certain remarc in connection to this, which insulted Dahlen, who gave him a slap to the face. Dahlen then quickly left the capital in fear of the noblemans revenge. He was active at the ballet in Copenhagen for the rest of his career. He also composed his own ballet, Armida, which was performed in 1821-22. He retired in 1823. He married the Danish singer Johanna Elisabeth Morthorst who were active at the theatre in Copenhagen in 1784-1827.
Royal Swedish Ballet
The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this field; he also founded the Royal Swedish Opera and the...
at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and second at the Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in Denmark. He belonged to the first male Swedish stars at the Royal Swedish ballet.
He was made a figurante in the ballet 1785, a coryfee in 1789 and premier dancer in 1791. He participated in the pantomime ballet Det dubbla giftermålet by Jean-Rémy Marcadet opposite Margaretha Christina Hallongren, Hedda Hjortsberg
Hedda Hjortsberg
Hedda Hjortsberg was a Swedish ballerina who starred for the Royal Swedish Ballet. She was the sister of the Swedish actor Lars Hjortsberg.- Biography :...
, Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond and Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini the 1790-91 season. He was admired for his beauty and grace and was given attention by king Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
. The circumstances of his departure from the Swedish ballet was well known. A nobleman from the royal court was sent to him with the message from the king, that he had been given a higher allowance; upon delivering the message, the courtier "allowed himself" a certain remarc in connection to this, which insulted Dahlen, who gave him a slap to the face. Dahlen then quickly left the capital in fear of the noblemans revenge. He was active at the ballet in Copenhagen for the rest of his career. He also composed his own ballet, Armida, which was performed in 1821-22. He retired in 1823. He married the Danish singer Johanna Elisabeth Morthorst who were active at the theatre in Copenhagen in 1784-1827.