1970s & 1980s Directing & Choreographing Internationally

Early 1970s

Stuttgart Ballet artistic director John Cranko and Glen Tetley discussed having Tetley join the company as a resident choreographer. Cranko had been heavily criticized by some of the German press and public for doing 'old-fashioned' story ballets like Onegin and hoped Tetley's contemporary works would allow him to continue doing his three-act ballets.

1973

Immediately following John Cranko's tragic early death in 1973, Stuttgart's prima ballerina Marcia Haydée pleaded with Tetley to come to Germany immediately. "Voluntaries" (1973) was created by Tetley for the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany to honour its deceased director. Tetley remembered the rehearsals as very intense, with the company's dancers easing their personal grief through communal creativity. "The tremendous spiritual power of that music really did help to lift the company up." (Playbill, August 31, 2006).

Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun performing with the Stuttgart Ballet in Tetley's "Voluntaries" in 1974. Photograph by Cully-Gottsauner

1974-1976

"Voluntaries" led to Tetley’s next position succeeding Cranko as artistic director of the Stuttgart Ballet from 1974-1976. Two notable members of the corps de ballet at that time were William Forsythe and Jiří Kylián.

Portrait of Glen Tetley during his time with the Stuttgart Ballet circa 1974-1976. Photographer Hannes Kilian.

In addition to holding his directorial positions, Tetley continued to choreograph and stage works for major international dance companies. These include: "Field Figures" for the Royal Ballet; "The Rite of Spring" for the Munich State Opera; "The Tempest" for Ballet Rambert; "Contredances" for the American Ballet Theatre.

Glen Tetley rehearsing dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet in "The Rite of Spring" in 1978. Photograph by Erik Petersen.

Early 1980s

In the first half of the 1980s, Tetley choreographed 6 new ballets for companies all over the world. These include "The Firebird" for the Royal Danish Ballet, "Revelation and Fall" for the Australian Dance Theatre, and "Dream Walk of the Shaman" for the Australian Dance Theatre.

1986

On April 1, 1986, the great Danish premier danseur Erik Bruhn, having presided for three years in a much-praised tenure as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canda, died at 57 of lung cancer. After Tetley created "Alice" (1986) and "La Ronde" (1987) for the National Ballet of Canada, Tetley began the role of artistic associate with the company from 1987 to 1989. Bruhn and Tetley had been friends since their days together at American Ballet Theatre, when Bruhn was a great international star and Tetley was still in the early stages of an amazingly diversified career as a ballet and modern. "When I first came to ABT," Tetley said, "Erik taught me his role in 'Miss Julie.' He was my ideal and guide as a dancer at ABT." (Washington Post, Alan M. Kriegsman, April 1, 1987)