Celebrated ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer Russell Kerr have died in Christchurch at the age of 92. His cause of death is yet to be disclosed.
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His friend, Jennifer Shennan, said Kerr died on Wednesday morning after a life devoted to ballet and the arts.
“He was an extremely talented dancer, but he was generous and compassionate in a world that is often highly competitive and pressured”, Shennan said.
In the 1950s, Kerr danced with prestigious dance companies in Europe, including Ballet Rambert, Sadler’s Wells, and Festival Ballet.
He returned to his home country to lead New Zealand Ballet in the 1960s, the New Zealand Dance Centre in the 1970s, and the Southern Ballet Theatre in Christchurch from 1978 to 1990.
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Born in Auckland in 1930, Kerr was given a government grant in 1950 that allowed him to travel to Europe.
“But he felt duty-bound to return to New Zealand in the late 1950s and hand on all he had learnt in Europe to Kiwi dancers, Shennan said.
“As a spirited dancer, a loved and compassionate teacher, prolific choreographer and producer of many classics in the ballet repertoire, his entire life was devoted to the art”, she added.
Back in Zealand, Kerr was director of the Nettleton-Edwards-Kerr School of Ballet from 1959 to 1961, artistic director of the New Zealand Ballet from 1962 to 1969, director of the New Zealand Dance Centre from 1969 to 1977, and director of the Southern Ballet Theatre from 1978 to 1990.
Kerr’s life of devotion to the arts was recognised with a Queen’s Service Medal for services to ballet in 1986 and his appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000.
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