Brabants, Jeanne (1920–)

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Brabants, Jeanne (1920–)

Belgian ballet dancer and choreographer. Born Jan 25, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium.

A major player in the development of modern ballet in Belgium and the Lowlands, studied modern dance choreography and technique with a variety of teachers, including Kurt Jooss and Sigurd Leeder, and classical ballet under Olga Preobrazhenska; performed intermittently (1939–50s); choreographed works for numerous companies, including Dance Ensembles Brabants, Royal Netherlands Theater, Royal Flemish Opera, and her own company, Ballet Van Valaanderen of Flanders, which she founded in 1969; has taught at schools including Royal Flemish Opera; choreographed works include De Reiskameraad (1961), Arabesque (1964), Rhapsody (1968), Presto, Viva Lento (c. 1971), Poèma (c. 1975), Ulenspiegel de geus (1977) and Nostalgie (1979).