Projects
The Royal Danish Ballet Foundation allows space for new talent to emerge
The Royal Danish Ballet Foundation supports projects that promote the art of ballet and create new job opportunities for former dancers.
By initiating such projects, the foundation allows space for new talent to emerge. This reinforces the industry and brings ballet to a wider audience, both at home and abroad.
Danish Wounded Warriors
Rehabilitating veterans
Danish Wounded Warriors is a ground-breaking project where dancers from The Royal Danish Ballet apply their pilates instructor training skills to bring rehabilitation exercises for Danish war veterans with multiple traumatic injuries.
The exercises are based on Pilates, a training method that was developed during WW1 by Joseph Pilates, in an effort to rehabilitate injured soldiers. A century later, the unlikely pairing of ballet dancers and war veterans has brought back Pilates to serve its original purpose.
During their careers, ballet dancers acquire an extensive knowledge of rehabilitation exercises and body control, which is essential in the recovery processes, both physically and mentally.
In March 2010, a heavy influx of Danish veterans returned home from serving their country with severe injuries, post-traumatic stress, and amputations.
Unfortunately, rehabilitation options were extremely limited, which was broadcast all over the media. Something had to be done, thus leading The Royal Danish Ballet Foundation to initiate The Danish Wounded Warriors project.
Ballet dancers have resorted to Pilates for decades, when dealing with injuries, making them highly competent instructors. By applying the experience from their former careers to rehabilitation training, Danish Wounded Warriors aims to help amputees regain the ability to walk.
The project has now gained so much momentum that an independant organisation has been created (www.danishwoundedwarriors.com )
For further information, please visit the Danish Wounded Warriors’ website to learn more about the project, its initiators, on-going activities, and results.
// Danish Wounded Warriors
Further Education For Former Ballet Dancers
Ballet through the ages
Ballet dancers usually embark on their careers in their late teens, then dancing approximately 70 hours a week, until their retirement at the age of 40. Being a ballet dancer is a way of life. Some say, “Dancers die twice in a lifetime; the first time being when you retire, and second when you pass away”
Ballet dancers are known for being determined, strong-minded, disciplined, and creative –qualities that lend themselves well to alternative career paths.
After retirement, at the age of 40, the ballet dancers are off to pursue new endeavours in dance or theatre, however job options are limited. Accordingly many find careers outside the world of ballet, never to return again.
To prevent this from happening, The Royal Danish Ballet Foundation supports former ballet dancers in discovering new directions as ballet teachers, instructors, or choreographs, but we also support dancers in making new and challenging careers shifts.
“Dancers die twice in a lifetime; once when you retire, and once you pass away”
// Further education
