Birgit Hartwig
Birgit Hartwig | |
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| Born | 2 January 1916 Castelrosso, Alscia |
| Died | 5 April 2002 (aged 86) |
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Birgit Hartwig (Gylic transcription: Birgit Hartyvik; 2 January 1916 – 5 April 2002) was a Gylian ballerina, actress, and choreographer. She was one of Alscia's best-known ballerinas.
Early life
Birgit Hartwig was born on 2 January 1916 in Castelrosso. She was of mainly Shalumite German descent, and her parents were both professional singers.
She attended primary and secondary school in her hometown, and was trained in dance. She made her debut in a 1929 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream — the same ballet where Ludmila Canaşvili would later make her debut.
Career
Having debuted on stage at 12 years, Birgit experienced a rapid rise to popularity. By the 1930s, she was well-established as one of Alscia's leading ballerinas, a distinction she shared with Adela Stein. Their styles were often compared: although Birgit was more technically accomplished, she lacked Adela's expressive verve as a performer.
Birgit also distinguished herself by her openness to modern material, highlighted by her 1936 starring role in On Your Toes, which popularised the jazz ballet "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue". She began acting in films as well, but her promising film career was set back by Alscia's accession to the Free Territories and the resulting challenges faced by Gylian cinema during the period.
She worked extensively as a choreographer. Some of her notable contributions included work on several Reda Kazan and Ellen Powell films.
She was the youngest member of the mauve circle, and also a member of the Gender and Sexuality Rights Association of Alscia and Anarchofuturist Association of Alscia. She was granted the title Baroness by the UOC, and received the Order of Arts and Letters.
The end of the Liberation War saw a rejuvenation of Brigit's career. She continued to act on stage and on film, and became an in-demand choreographer in Groovy Gylias, including for early promotional clips. She was active as an adviser and director for the Arts Council.
Her farewell performance was in Perséphone in 1982. She wrote her autobiography in 1986, and lived the remainder of her life in quiet retirement.
Death
Brigit died on 5 April 2002 in Deðras, of undisclosed causes.
Private life
Birgit identified as bisexual, and was married three times — twice to men — with two children.