Georgette Tsinguirides

Born in 1928 and trained at the ballet school of the Württemberg State Theatres in Stuttgart as well as with Olga Preobrajenska and Madame Nora at Studio Wacker in Paris and at the Royal Ballet School in London, the dancer with German-Greek parentage received her first engagement at the ballet of the Württemberg State Theatres in Stuttgart. She became a soloist in 1957 under the direction of Nicolas Beriozoff. Even before John Cranko took over the direction of the company in 1961, she was already dancing in his ballet The Prince of the Pagodas in 1960, and later in The Lady and the Fool and Romeo and Juliet, among others. In 1966, Tsinguirides became Germany's first full-time choreologist in Stuttgart. John Cranko asked her to document his choreographies in Benesh notation. As a choreologist and ballet master, Georgette Tsinguirdes has since passed on Cranko's work to several generations of dancers in over 30 companies around the globe. On 1 December 2015, Tsinguirides celebrated 70 years of service with the Stuttgart Ballet; she retired in July 2017. She has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon and the Staufer Medal in Gold for services to the state of Baden-Württemberg, is an honorary member of the Stuttgart State Theatre. She received the German Dance Award in 2010.