Berger, Augustin

DANCER, BALLET MASTER, CHOREOGRAPHER, TEACHER (AUSTRIAN EMPIRE)
BORN 11 Aug 1861, Boskovce - DIED 1 Jun 1945, Praha
BIRTH NAME Ratzesberger, Augustin
GRAVE LOCATION Praha: Olsany Cemetery, 2807 Vinohradská (Cemetery 5, Section 11, Grave 2/3)

Antonin Berger was the son of the shoemaker Jan Ratzersberger. He was trained as a dancer and in 1878 he was engaged at the Stavovského Theatre in Prague. In 1881 was contracted by "Mouche d'Or" and he appeared in Paris and Toulouse. In 1883 he went to the National Theatre in Prague where he became ballet master in 1884. In 1886 he married the prima ballerina Giulietta Paltrinieri, but she died in 1889.

Berger stayed with the National Theatre until he left for Dresden in 1900. There he was ballet master and choreograhper until 1910. After two years in Warsha he returned to the National Theatre in Prague where ne stagted many ballets and opera between 1912 and 1923. In 1924 he officially changed his name to Augustin Berger. After a conflict in Praque he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York where he worked until his health forced him to resign in 1932.

Berger died in Prague in 1945. He had had an affair with the Italian dancer Aida Bragli and married Stasa Paszkovská as his second wife, but he was buried in the grave of his first wife Giulietta.

Family
• Wife: Paltrinieri, Giulietta (1886-1889)

Images

The grave of Giuletta Paltrinieri and Augustin Berger at the Olsany Cemetery, Prague.
Picture by Androom (12 Aug 2019)

 

Sources
Augustin Berger - Wikipedie


Berger, Michel

Published: 25 Dec 2021
Last update: 27 Dec 2021