John Cranko

John Cyril Cranko ( born August 15, 1927 in Rustenburg, South Africa, † June 26, 1973 on a return flight from the United States ) was a British dance director and choreographer.

Cranko first studied in Cape Town. In 1946 he went to London and joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. His productions were characterized by a clear dramatic structure. In 1947 he created for the Sadler's Wells Ballet a sensational choreography to Debussy's Children's Corner.

The first big success with this group he had in 1949 with Beauty and the Beast, 1951 Pineapple Poll and Harlequin in April. In 1955 he choreographed for the Paris Opera, La Belle Hélène. His first full-length British ballet performance in 1957 with The Prince pagodas. Cranko in 1961 was appointed by Walter Erich Schäfer director of the Stuttgart Ballet. He gathered a group of talented dancers around, among other things, Marcia Haydée, Egon Madsen, Richard Cragun, Birgit Keil and Suzanne Hanke.

Some of his choreography in Stuttgart in 1962 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, 1965 Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. In 1969 The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, 1970 Brouillards, 1971 Carmen (with music by Wolfgang Fortner and Wilfried Steinbrenner ) and finally in 1973 traces. Cranko's choreography contributed greatly to the so -called " German ballet miracle" in that started with a guest performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1969. Nuanced stories to tell, its clear dramatic structures and the extraordinary manner in which he mastered the art of the pas de deux, conquered the audience in New York. In 1971 he founded in Stuttgart ballet boarding school. The John Cranko school ballet school is today the Württemberg State Theatre and Vocational School and State Ballet Academy.

John Cranko died on June 26, 1973 during the return flight from a successful U.S. tour to Dublin. His grave is located in the small cemetery at Solitude (Stuttgart ) Castle. To celebrate his 80th birthday in August 2007, the Stuttgart Ballet hosted the Cranko Festival 2007, a series of events in Stuttgart. According to him the John Cranko company is named.