Englund, Richard, 1931-1991

American dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher, Richard Englund (1931-1991), served as the leader of several small dance companies, including the pioneering regional ballet company, Birmingham Civic Ballet, as well as training companies for both American Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet.

Born in Seattle, Washington, Englund studied dance with Mary Ann Wells, with whom Robert Joffrey also trained. He received a scholarship and attended Harvard University, before transferring to the Juilliard School as a dance major in 1951. Englund danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1953-1955 and the National Ballet of Canada from 1955-1957. His major interest, however, was in choreographing and directing, rather than performing. In 1957, after appearing as guest artist with the Birmingham Civic Ballet, he accepted an invitation to direct the company, remaining through 1959. He then returned to New York where he danced in the original productions of the Broadway musicals, Greenwillow (1960) and Camelot (1960). At the end of 1959, Englund married Gage Bush, whom he had met in Birmingham, and they both joined American Ballet Theatre.

Richard Englund, American dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher, was born in Seattle, Washington on April 9, 1931. Growing up in Seattle, Englund's family was friends with the family of Robert Joffrey. Englund studied dance with Mary Ann Wells, with whom Robert Joffrey also trained. Upon graduation from West Seattle High School, Englund received a scholarship and attended Harvard University from 1949-1951, majoring in English and fine arts. He transferred to the Juilliard School as a dance major in 1951. Englund danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1953-1955 and the National Ballet of Canada from 1955-1957.

Englund's major interest, however, was in choreographing and directing, rather than performing. In 1957, after appearing as guest artist with the Birmingham Civic Ballet (Birmingham, Alabama) and dancing with the company at the first regional ballet festival in Atlanta, Georgia, he accepted an invitation to direct the company, remaining through 1959. He then returned to New York where he danced in the original productions of the Broadway musicals, Greenwillow (1960) and Camelot (1960). At the end of 1959, Englund had married Gage Bush, whom he had met in Birmingham, and they both danced with American Ballet Theatre from 1960 through 1962.

In 1962, Englund returned to Birmingham to become director, choreographer, and teacher for the Birmingham Civic Ballet. This well-respected company would be proclaimed the State of Alabama Ballet by the governor, but, in 1967, after problems with board members, Englund formed the Alabama State Ballet. Many of the dancers and staff from his former company chose to follow him. During the summer of 1967, he accepted the challenge presented to him by the Huntington Performing Arts Foundation to head the dance division of a large project in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. The project involved forming a small professional dance company, the Huntington Dance Ensemble, to give performances and to work as artists-in-residence in the schools of the district. Englund remained with the Huntington Dance Ensemble until it was forced to disband, due to a loss of federal funding. In 1969, the dance company continued under Englund's direction (very briefly under the names American Dance Repertory Company and the American Dance Company), with an organization, American Dance Associates, Inc., being formed to support the group. In 1970, the new company name became Dance Repertory Company, and the small company toured the country giving performances and residencies through 1972.

In the fall of 1972, Dance Repertory Company was taken under Ballet Theatre Foundation as its own training company. Renamed Ballet Repertory Company, Englund served as its director. As of September 1, 1981, the company's name was changed to American Ballet Theatre II (ABT II). In connection with Ballet Theatre Foundation, Englund also directed summer training programs for young dancers drawn from auditions held around the country. He and Oliver Smith co-directed Ballet Theatre Workshop, a program to develop new choreographers. By mid-1985, Ballet Theatre Foundation ended the company and its training programs.

In the fall of 1985, at the invitation of Robert Joffrey, Englund took over the directorship of Joffrey II, the training company of the Joffrey Ballet. He also became responsible for the annual Choreographers' Workshop program. Englund was working with this group at the time of his death on February 15, 1991.

Richard Englund was much sought after as a speaker and lecturer, and as a guest teacher at regional ballet festivals. Among his choreographic works, which were included in the repertories of a number of companies, are: Capriccio, Crazy Quilt, Grand Tarantelle, and Jigs 'n Reels . He often designed the sets, costumes, and lighting for his ballets, using the name Eric Richter.

In addition to his work with dance companies, Englund was the charter member of the dance department faculty of the Governor's School of North Carolina. He served as director of the International Ballet School in 1982 and 1986, in connection with the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a juror for the Prix de Lausanne in 1985. He was an active supporter of the Dance Notation Bureau, serving on its board of directors and as its president from 1980-1982. He was a member of the Dance Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts, and a panelist of the Dance Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. He received two Silver Bowl Awards for his contribution to dance in Alabama.

Richard Englund's wife, Gage Bush Englund, continued to work with Joffrey II as a teacher and rehearsal coach, but later returned to ABT to become ballet mistress of the ABT Studio Company. The Englunds had two daughters, Alixandra, who attended Brown University and became a theatrical costume designer, and Rachel, who joined New York City Ballet, appearing under the name of Rachel Rutherford.