Donya Feuer


Donya Feuer was an American dancer, choreographer and a pioneer of modern dance. She was also a theater director and filmmaker, and a long-time collaborator with director Ingmar Bergman.

Life and career

Feuer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied as a child with Nadia Chilkovski. After moving to New York she studied at the Juilliard School and with Martha Graham and Antony Tudor. After completing her studies, she was apprenticed to the Martha Graham Dance Company and performed in the State Department tour of Asia; in 1957 she danced in Paul Taylor's 7 New Dances. Also in 1957, she founded the Studio for Dance with Paul Sanasardo where she worked with him as a stage partner and collaborator in choreography, and pedagogy. In the Studio for Dance, she also worked with German choreographer Pina Bausch.
In 1963, Feuer relocated to Stockholm, Sweden, for a position as choreographer and later director with the Royal Dramatic Theater. In 1971 she met Ingmar Bergman and began an association which produced seventeen film, theater and television projects, including The Magic Flute in 1975 and Face to Face in 1976. Other collaborations included productions of Julius Caesar, King Lear and Peer Gynt. Feuer also directed The Dancer, a feature-length documentary released in 1994, and other films including Nijinsky: A Life. She produced theatrical performances in New York City, including Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale in 1995 and Maria Stuart in 2002.
Feuer died in Stockholm of ulcerative colitis.

Filmography

Selected films include:
As choreographer:
As director:
As a performer: