Sonia Gaskell, originally Sara Gaskelytė, was born 120 years ago, April 14th 1904, in the family of grain merchants from Vilkaviskis, she grew up in a family environment that fostered music and dance culture, she studied in Kharkov (Ukraine) and later, Paris.
As a dancer, she travelled around Europe, honed her skills in Paris, danced with the most famous dancers of the world at the time, and in 1936-1939 became the founder and choreographer of “Les Ballets de Paris” and taught ballet in Paris. After she got married in 1939 she moved to Amsterdam where she was in charge of several ballet companies (Ballet Studio ’45, Ballet Recital and the ballet of the Netherlands), and founded the Netherlands Ballet Academy in The Hague. In 1956, due to her initiative, the Faculty of Dance was founded at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 1961, she was appointed director of the Netherlands National Ballet art, a post she held until 1968. Sonia Gaskell died in Paris 1974.
Although Sonia has created many ballets for her various companies, her greatest contribution to the development of the world’s ballet has been as a teacher and director, as a creator and promoter of modern choreography. The S. Gaskell award is handed out in the Netherlands.
Among her most famous students are: Audrey Hepburn, the Oscar-winning actress of US Broadway theatres and cinema, Hans van Manen, dancer, choreographer and teacher of the National Ballet in Amsterdam, who has choreographed 120 ballets, and Rudi van Dantzig, who has choreographed more than 50 ballets. This long-time director and writer of the Netherlands National Ballet has left a note to the people of Vilkaviskis: “Thank you for giving Sonia Gaskell to Holland and the world. You must be very proud that this famous woman was born in your town.”