Ulrika Åberg
Ulrika Åberg (1771–1852) was a Swedish ballerina, one of the first native ballet dancers in the Royal Swedish Ballet, which was in the beginning dominated by foreign dancers.
Ulrika Åberg was hired in the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in the position of a so-called Coryfé dancer in 1782, at the age of eleven, and the year after, she became the student of the Italian ballerina Giovanna Bassi, the female star of the Gustavian ballet.
She was educated in the Italian style of ballet dancing by her teacher and followed her mentor in her style and parts; she was considered as one of her country's first native ballet dancers, and was appointed as second dancer in 1785 and finally premier dancer in 1787. Her most popular part was in the ballet Tillfälle för Tjuven, where she made a success.
Among her parts were Lise in La Rosére de Salency by Jean Marcadet (husband of Marie Louise Marcadet) with Giovanna Bassi, Anna Sofia Lind, Antoine Bournonville and Joseph Saint-Fauraux Raimond the season of 1786–1787 and Mirza in Mirza och Lindor by Maximilian Gardel with Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini, Louis Deland and Jean Marcadet 1792–1793.
In 1795, Ulrika Åberg married and retired from the stage, only one year after her mentor Giovanna Bassi had done the same. She is mentioned as one of the first professional Swedish dancers; in reality, the first native Swedish dancers performed already in 1738 in Bollhuset, though their names are not known, and they were also native dancers in the first troupe in the Swedish Royal Ballet, even though they were in minority - she was, however, one of the first native Swedish ballet dancers, who were educated and trained in the Swedish Royal Ballet.
References
- Österberg, Carin et al., Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare. Lund: Signum 1990. (ISBN 91-87896-03-6)
- Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973 (The Royal Theatre's Repertoire 1773-1973)