Glen Tetley centennial celebration continues
- Ikuko
- 5 hours ago
- 1 min read
This year, 2026, marks the centennial of Glen Tetley. Many ballet and dance companies across the world have been performing his iconic works to celebrate the American choreographer.
Tetley was born in February 1926 in Ohio. His life is detailed on the Glen Tetley Legacy website. Just to give you a little snippet about him, he was a medical student when he saw Anthony Tudor's Romeo and Juliet by American Ballet Theatre, which he said changed his life. At age 20, he transferred to New York University and started dance training. He went onto earning a degree in science and dancing in many opera, dance and musical productions, as well as with the Joffrey Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
In 1960s, Tetley shifted focus to choreography. Eventually, he formed the Glen Tetley Dance Company. He then worked as Co-Director of the Nederlands Dans Theater (1969-71), Artistic Director of the Stuttgart Ballet (1974-76), and Artistic Associate of the National Ballet of Canada (1987-89).
Tetley created various cross-discipline choreographies until 1999. He passed away in 2007.
The worldwide celebration already started in 2025, when Les Grands Ballets Canadiens performed his Voluntaries in September.
In February, his birth month, 2026, The Royal Ballet performed Pierrot Lunaire.
Currently, the Norwegian national Ballet is performing Voluntaries. For upcoming performances, click here.
Here is a documentary about Tetley.