Deanne Bergsma


Deanne Bergsma is a retired South African ballerina who danced many different roles with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London.

Early life

Bergsma was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

Career

Though she was taller than the typical height for a female ballet dancer, Bergsma became a member of the Royal Ballet in 1958. She became a principal of the company in 1967. She created the role of Lady Mary Lygon in Ashton's Enigma Variations and a principal part in Tetley's Field Figures. In 1972, critic Clive Barnes of The New York Times reviewed her in Swan Lake, saying "She is a statuesque girl and strikingly lovely to look at; I would have hoped for more grandeur and amplitude to her movements."
She retired from the company in 1974, although she returned in 1988 to take the role of Berta in a revival of Ashton's Ondine.
She is currently one of the governors of the Royal Opera House. Bergsma served on the judging panel for the Young British Dancer of the Year competition in 2011, and as a judge in the semifinals of the Genée International Ballet Competition in 2010.