Willam Christensen: Contributions to American Ballet

Birth: William Farr Christensen was born in 1902 in Brigham City, Utah.
Family: He belonged to a Danish Mormon family that had emigrated to America.
Dance Heritage:
- His grandfather taught folk and social dancing.
- His father and uncles were also educators in social dancing, running schools throughout the Northwest.
Introduction to Ballet:
- The Christensen family was introduced to ballet through teachers' conventions.
- The three Christensen brothers (Willam, Lew, Harold) received classical ballet training from various instructors.

Profession: All three brothers worked as choreographers, teachers, and directors, contributing significantly to the growth of ballet in the United States.
Influence: While they worked primarily in the West, their impact was felt nationwide.

First Teaching Position:
- Willam began teaching at his uncle's dancing school in Portland, Oregon, in 1932.
- Quickly organized a ballet company with his students; this group disbanded when he was hired as a leading dancer for the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1937.
San Francisco Ballet:
- He became the director of San Francisco Ballet in 1938.
- The company remains a major ballet institution in America today.

Relocation: In 1951, he moved to Salt Lake City for the health of his ailing wife, Mignon.
University of Utah:
- Started teaching ballet at the University of Utah.
- His classes led to the establishment of a university ballet department, which evolved into a professional company known as Ballet West in 1968.
Retirement: Christensen retired from Ballet West in 1978 and subsequently ran his own school, the Christensen Ballet Academy.

Pioneering Full Productions: In San Francisco, he staged the first complete American productions of:
- Coppélia (1939)
- Swan Lake (1940)
- The Nutcracker (1944)
- His versions were based on historical research and the recollections of older dancers who had performed in Europe.
Nutcracker Tradition:
- His version of "The Nutcracker," created a decade prior to George Balanchine's production, helped instill the tradition of performing this ballet as a Christmas classic.

Notable Original Ballets:
- Winter Carnival (lighthearted ballet)
- Nothin' Doin' Bar (a Prohibition-era farce)
- Christensen believed in ballet's ability to serve as theatrical entertainment accessible to all audiences.

Cultural Perspective:
- Throughout his career, Christensen maintained that ballet was not an inherently foreign art form.
Stage Name:
- Unlike many American dancers of his time who adopted foreign names, he chose to retain a version of his name, becoming known as Willam instead of William.

Teaching Influence:
- Christensen's students included notable figures such as:
- Janet Reed
- Scott Douglas
- Onna White
- Jocelyn Vollmar
- Kent Stowell
- Bart Cook
- Michael Smuin
- These students achieved significant success in ballet and musical theater across the U.S.
Awards:
- Received the Dance Magazine Award in 1973.
- Honored with the Capezio Dance Award in 1984.

Passing: Willam Christensen passed away at the age of 99 in Salt Lake City on October 17, 2001.
Survivors: He is survived by his second wife, Florence; a daughter, Roxanne Lazzara; a son, Lee Christensen; and nine grandchildren.