Flemming Flindt

Flemming Flindt (1936–2009) was a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer who served as Director of the Royal Danish Ballet from 1966 to 1978. He trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School and became a principal dancer before pursuing choreography. His most celebrated and enduring work is The Lesson (1963), adapted from Eugène Ionesco's absurdist play La Leçon, which won the Italia Prize as a television film before transferring to the stage. As a choreographer, Flindt was drawn to theatrical, often provocative subject matter — his works The Triumph of Death and The Young Man Must Marry also attracted considerable attention for their dramatic intensity. He later became Director of the Dallas Ballet (1981–1996). The Lesson remains a repertoire staple for ballet companies worldwide, celebrated for its unsettling atmosphere and formally inventive use of the ballet class setting.