danceview
a quarterly review of dance

Commentary

Pehr Christian Johansson;
Portrait of the Master as a Young Dancer

A selection of letters from Pehr Christian Johansson to his teacher, August Bournonville, and a picture of ballet during the transition from neoclassicism to romanticism.

Translated by Pamela Moberg
copyright 1999 by Pamela Moberg

[Editor’s note: Christian Johansson is well-known to many balletomanes as a great teacher in St. Petersburg during Petipa’s reign at the Maryinsky Theater. He taught the men’s classes, and Petipa is said to have watched those classes and borrowed enchainements from them for use in his ballets. He also taught the “class de perfection,” the class that turned girls into young ballerinas. Karsavina was one of his pupils, and writes about these classes in Theatre Street.

And so we think of Johansson as a crusy old man. In this article, Pamela Moberg gives us, through her translations of Johansson’s letters written when he was a young dancer, a fascinating glimpse of the young man: opinionated, passionate about his art, bursting with ambition, and not above a bit of backstage politics. Scattered through these letters are portraits of Jenny Lind; (not to mention Johansson’s glowing accounts of his own dancing, including his double air tours!); Johansson’s dislike of teaching (!); a very unflattering description of Lucile Grahn (Bournonville’s pupil and the first Sylphide in Copenhagen) from a Swedish critic; complaints about a balletmaster the young dancer detested, calling him “shamless and tasteless” (and whose ballet Bachan, which Johansson describes, sounds very close to Le Corsaire), and who had the temerity to dance Fanny Elssler’s famous La Cachucha in drag.]

Life did not look too promising for the young Johansson—he was born 1 June 1817 in St. Paul Street in the southern part of Stockholm. His mother’s name was Margreta; she was 24 at the time of the birth of her son, and unmarried. That is actually all we know about her. We do not know much about Johansson’s early childhood either, but we can take for granted that it was rather destitute. Stockholm was a very squalid place in those days; one traveler described it ”as almost Siberian in character”.

Schooling was not made compulsory until 1842, and before that poor children normally did not go to school at all. Small boys could, of course, get some kind of apprentice job, the smaller they were the more sought after they were to become chimney sweep assistants. Small children were made to crawl along flues sweeping them clean. Another weird livelihood open to them was “Singing for corpses;” children sang at funerals for a few coppers. But that small boys would want to become ballet dancers was then probably even more farfetched than it is today. So we have absolutely no idea how the young boy Johansson was to be accepted into the Stockholm Opera ballet school 1 July 1829, shortly after his twelfth birthday.

Johansson’s teachers at the opera school was Mlle. Sophie Daguin, a French dancer who had come with a French troupe to Sweden at the age of seventeen, and just stayed on. The other teacher was Per Erik Wallquist, a dancer who had turned to teaching. After five years under their tutelage, Johansson signed a contract as a paid pupil. This contract is in the collection of the Drottningholm Theater Museum and reads, it is signed by Johansson. Underneath the signature the teacher Wallquist declared that “The mother of Pehr Christian Johansson has given her consent.” The situation seems rather odd, the boy was a minor and as such not allowed by law to sign a contract, on the other hand women were also considered as minors at that time. There is also the possibility that she was illiterate. As he was apparently illegitimate, there was no father either.

Crown Prince Oscar, who later became King Oscar I, took a keen interest in the arts and theater. He took a personal interest in Johansson´s studies, gave him a scholarship and saw to that he got to Copenhagen to study with August Bournonville.

Johansson returned to Stockholm and made his debut 25 November 1835 in a pas in The Marriage of Figaro. A Stockholm newspaper wrote:

“Yesterday the young dancer Johansson appeared in a pas de trois, together with Mlles. Daguin and Fägerstedt. M. Johansson has just returned from Copenhagen, where the skilful Ballet Master Bournonville has taught him the art with extraordinary zeal and altruism. He appeared a couple of times in the theater there, and the newspapers of Copenhagen have praised him highly. His debut here shows that he has well earned this praise. M. Johansson is still a youth, not yet fully developped in shape and muscle power, but has much elegance, agility and good precision, which all seem to make him a rather good acquisition to our ballet. Nor had he any reason to complain about the lack of response from the audience.” We do not know exactly what he danced in Figaro; it was probably a little Fandango in the third act, taught him by Bournonville.

Now we shall let Johansson speak for himsef. Throughout his career he kept up his correspondence with his teacher in Copenhagen, the great August Bournonville, the man whom he credited with forming his dancing and probably also his way of thinking about dance. Johansson is sometimes humble, sometimes proud, often very funny and sarcastic. His grammar is mostly correct and one is hard put to find a spelling mistake, even when he writes a few words in a foreign language, like French. This is rather extraordinary when one considers that his academc schooling of necessity must have been rather scant. I have made no attempt to correct his letters; they are translated exactly as he wrote them, abbreviations at all. [Editor’s note: Unfortunately, because of space constraints, long, flowery passages of thanksgiving and greeting have been deleted, as well as pleasantries, a few contract disputes, and travel arangements.] The ballet master at the Opera House in Stockholm at that time was Anders Selinder. The relationship between Johansson and Selinder was explosive in the extreme. The director of the theater was colonel Alex Backman and Johansson was at loggerheads with him as well.

Stockholm 10th January 1837.

M. Bournonville, My good Teacher,

…My duty would have been to inform you about the outcome of my debut; but as I knew that you would have been informed by M. Wallqvist, and as I immediately after my debut learnt that I would shortly appear in another pas I prefer to wait until I have danced that as well-25th and 27th November I danced my Pas de trois, as you know in The Marriage of Figaro. The public saw me with pleasure, every ecol was applauded, and I was quite pleased with myself; because it went very well. In Oedipus I danced (27 December) my beautiful pas de deux, which Bour: had the goodness to teach me. I would not have been able to dance in Oedipus if M. Kinnmansson, who had this opera for his benefit, had not requested me to dance, and upon the advise of M. Wallqvist I chose this well choreographed pas. The pas was enormously successful, and that evening I really triumphed.

I also saw the happiness glow in all the eyes of the premiere sujets; the Prince has been ill, and thus had not been able to see me dance before, came expres for my sake and went home immediately as the pas was over. Every ecol was applauded more than in my first debut. Le maitre de Ballet was also going to dance in this opera and chose le pas de la Vestal which he has never danced before. He asked me if I knew it, whereupon I answered that I had probably danced it 50 times in the school for you, but as he did not ask me to show him how it was choreographed by you, I thought that it would not be worth the trouble to offer him my services. Thus he fixed up this pas in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I never got to see this pas being performed; because he was taken ill in the nick of time so he was unable to dance. Otherwise he had arranged it thus, that he should commence, thereafter Silfverberg and I would come last-one wondered why the first dancer was going to start the divertissement; but the Direction had no objection. Oedipus has since not been performed, because several singers have been taken ill, but I have danced twice between plays which hitherto never has been done here. Thus I am the reason for the introduction of this new custom; because I have told the direction that this is how they do it in Copenhagen. The first time I danced my pas de deux and on the other occasion my pas de trois. The Direction has showered me with compliments, I don’t know if the President has written to you. It seems to me that all those compliments I have been told, rightly were due to you, who for nothing gave me tuition and gave the Swedish Stage a Danseur.... I have heard that La Sylphide and La Somnambula have been performed in your theater, and had much success. It is a great loss for me that I was not able to see these beautiful ballets before my departure. In Stockholm it is not possible to see something like that. Since I arrived home only one single ballet has been given, (La famille des innocens), it was given last Sunday and it went divinely. Selinder has only danced 5 or 6 times after my arrival, and I have not yet had the honour to dance the same evening as he.

Stockholm 16th April, 1837.

Dear beloved teacher,

…Regarding my comportment with my colleagues I am without reproach, they show me much courtesy and a pleasant demeanour, and I repay them with the same coin, I know that I have not failed any one of them. I do not think I have a single enemy in the entire corps de ballet, if not in  secret, and if it is  so, it would not be odd: because of the progress I have made during your tuition,  a lot of jealousy amongst certain people has occurred. M. Bourn: who better than anybody knows my serious mien would find that I, in the company of my colleagues, where often a mauvais ton is prevalent, and where I cannot furnish ni le coeur, ni lèsprit, never can find any pleasure. Yes, my good teacher, it is my determination never to faufiler myself with them, because I know that as long as I can retain my heart pure and immaculate, I can also count on your friendship as well as the regard of all righteous people. Mlle. Daguin takes a lot of interest in me these days. Perhaps she and the  directors together want to decide my coming appointment and that she already knows on which scale it is going to be, otherwise she has told you a lie. I thought Mlle Daguin to be a more straightforward and truthful person. …

Under the guidance of M. Selinder the ballet goes very well. This year Les Innocens has already been given twice as I have told you before, as well as La Dansomanie. M. Selinder has also mounted a Mythological divertissement, it was only performed twice. The first time it was performed I danced a pas de trois with M. Silfverberg and a pupil, in the adagio and the beginning of the allegro we danced with garlands wound around arches. The pas was not applauded at all.

The day before the pas was to be given a second time, Selinder was ordered to let me dance in a better pas; then M. Selin: suggested that I should learn a very long and boring pas, but with only one day to go I would not get time to work on it so I flatly refused and suggested in stead that I should dance my beautiful pas de deux, which I had learnt from you, M. Sel. did not like that at all, but our new Directeur lieutenant-colonel Backman liked my suggestion and approved of my request. I danced and was much applauded, for every ecol I was applauded and for every manifestation I thought of you. It was the first time I had the honour of dancing a pas de deux in the same evening as M. Selinder. In La Dansomanie, Sel. wanted me to dance an old gavotte en basque; but as I found this ridiculous and I already had been promised by lieut. Backman to insert my own pas, that gavotte came to nothing. I worked out a new pas, the score was given to me by count Oxenstjerna, (chamberlain to the princess), it was an aria from an opera by Donizetti, a very beautiful polonaise, one of my friends arranged it for dancing, and it was very effective. I wore a new costume of black velvet with white satin and gold, and a very smart toque with one single erect plume. This costume has caused a sensation. One seigneur at the court has made me a present of the costume, he has designed it himself. It cost at least 100 thaler banco.

La Dansomanie has been performed 4 times, in the first act I danced a pas paysan as jeune marie, towards the end of the ballet my Polonaise, which was generally liked. I have sufficient amour propre to believe that my composition was not so mauvaise, at least better than what M. Sel. could have arranged for me, and in consequence, I am planning to ask for the right to arrange my own pas when my new contract is signed. What do you think about that, M. Bournonville, do you think I am too  pretentious? M. Selin: does not know about the dance, still less about my schooling and my aims; consequently, he can not do choreography for me.

Stockholm 6th June 1837.

Monsieur Bournonville, my good teacher,

…My contract is still not ready, just once I went to see the Board of Directors. I am being offered 500 banco, and I want 700, or as much as Silfverberg gets, I believe that I have as much talent as he has and last winter I was on duty more than he was. When I asked the Directors if they were not of the opinion that I deserved as much as he got, the answer was: yes, much, much more, but our means are so small, likewise I am convinced that I will get what I ask for. I made a request to the Direction, that in my contract be given the right to myself choreograph my pas detache; but on that point they completely refused, while Mr. Selinder as BALLET MASTER will show his skill in choreography. If this is not granted me, I will not possibly sign any contract before H.H. the Crown Prince returns, on whose protection I am relying. If you could imagine in what ways Mr. Selinder choreographs his dances, you would surely agree that I would never dance what he puts together; because then I would lose all the esteem of the audience, and my abilities would be lost. Last winter the audience showed Mr. Selinder so much coldness, especially those evenings when we both were dancing, so he would want, in order not to be totally eclipsed, stir together some kind of sallad, with which he heralds the audience, and in which I can not show what I am able to do. This is now the only remaining means for him to harm me. Thus you see, my good M. Bournonville, that the right to choreograph my own dances is more important to me than the money. Every sensible person and particularly those who know the art of dancing, would find it impossible for him, who does not know my schooling, my means and who has never seen me work, to choreograph for me; that would be to completely bind my feet, to demean my worth in the eyes of the audience and to rob me of their support, but I hope that Mr. Selinder will not have that triumph. Yet, he is always very well behaved towards me—mais, l’habit ne fait pas le moine. Since the company here has seen the progress I have made during your good tuition, it is like an epidemic has struck them, now everybody wants to go to Copenhagen: probably they think that they will be able to buy talent by the pound; because I hardly believe that they are willing to endeavour the strain which is necessary to reach it.

Stockholm 15th January 1838.

My beloved Teacher!

…The day after my arrival [back in Stockholm], I went up to the Board of Directors which received me very politely. I immediately told the President that I wanted to mount Soldier and Peasant and to make my debut in it—whereupon he answered that it would not be possible immediately; as there is a new ballet to be given and it is being rehearsed every day, and, he told me, I think it is just about the same thing if you appeared in a Pas first but then I let him understand that it was my greatest wish and I hoped that he would have nothing against it; so then he promised that as soon as the ballet was given I would be able to start.

The so called ballet Bachan and the Slave Girl composed by Selinder was given last week; it is a real sallade and everything in it is oldish new. It was no success at all, it was applauded very little. The subject is, there is a slave trader who amongst his slaves has two young Greeks, who are Selinder and Mlle. Daguin. Bachan, delighted by the dance of the Greek girl, (in truth, anybody would be delighted) buys her—she does not want to follow Bachan, but a guardian angel who follows them everywhere, appears in that instant and makes her under-stand that she without fear can follow the young Greek who sneaks into her litter and pursues her—this is the entire action of the first act—in any case the entire act consists of dancing, there is a juggler (thus he is called in the programme, he ought to be called Dervich, as there are no jongleurs in Turkey) who enters with a chest from which he removes a whole heap of corps de ballet repre-senting dolls, one Tyrolean with lady, one Englishman with lady, one Cossack with lady, one Swedish peasant with lady who dance a Swedish rural dance, Kelpie’s dance, a Spaniard with lady etc. etc.—all of these dance for Bachan, then they are again stuffed into the chest—in the second act Bachans favourite sultaness becomes jealous of the attention Bachan shows the Greek girl. Even in this act Bachan takes delight in her dancing and gives her a handkerchief, with the assurance that she will hence-forth share his throne and heart. Zulima (the favourite sultaness) is desperate to find herself deserted by Bachan, grabs her dagger and wants to murder the Greek girl; but is stopped by the Greek who emerges out of an urn. Zulima calls for Bachan and insists that the Greek girl has tried to kill her, Bachan at first does not believe her; but finally he is convinced and immediately imprisons the Greeks and condemns them to suffer a cruel death, there is a change of scene and one sees a burning pyre, all the Turks and Bachan etc. enter in a funeral march with the Greeks, after these have prayed for a short while they bravely run up to the pyre. At this instant t the backcloth opens up and clouds, lit by Bengal fires, rise up with groups of angels.

At the same time emanates a cloud from the very pyre, in which the two lovers can be seen with their guardian angel. The Turks show great consternation at such a marvel and fall to their knees with their faces to the ground. A general tableau ends the ballet—this act consists mostly of dancing, several pas are executed against a large mirror, actually made of gauze—and a dance of weaponry is executed by amazons—the slave girls have changed costume. It has been given three times and should now rest a little, especially as there is another piece these days, Love and revenge in which a ballet master Springer plays monkey, it has had great success, he has taken curtain calls on both occasions, it will be performed tonight and tomorrow.

Yesterday I started rehearsing Soldier and Peasant with corps de ballet, it is a bit tedious, they learn so dreadfully slowly, but I shall somehow get it into them—even today I have rehearsed and they know almost all the dancing. ... On Monday 22nd inst. I think it will surely be performed, it will be a very fine spectacle.

Stockholm 2nd February 1838

My good teacher!

With joy I can now let you know that my ballet has been performed and that it went well and been generally appreciated. Since Selinder’s ballet was given thrice, I was allowed to start with mine, in eight days I got it ready, twice we rehearsed it in the theater and 22 January it was performed for the first time. As a prelude a very long tragedy called Hernani was performed so I did not get on the stage until a quarter to eleven. First it was decided that it would be the operetta Marie; but because of illness there was a change, yet the audience was not too sleepy and received me very politely, and my Pas de trois was very much applauded and towards the end there was general acclaim. Everything about the performance was very properly and well arranged, decor, costumes and all. Mr. Bournonville, you should know that here the costumes are very important, here reigns absolute luxury supreme in this respect. I got an absolutely new uniform, with a very good fit, my jacket was similar to yours, Mr. Bournonville, but I had a red ostrich feather which was hanging down and swaying in stead of the little erect feather that you wore.

The entire ballet has gone very well, an actor by the name of Wenbom acted The Father, everybody have done their things well and there was life in the whole thing. Many within the theater have given me compliments, count Oxenstjerna, baron Ruuth etc. were very, very pleased. The ballet has been performed the grand total of four times, that is 22, 24, 29 and 31 January. Not a single one in the corps de ballet has been applauded except me, neither Silfverberg, nor demoiselles Daguin and Fägerstedt got a handclap for their dancing, though Silfverberg really deserved it; but the audience here is so terribly cold towards them, Selinder and Mlle. Daguin danced in Bachan and the slavegirl, for example a pas de deux for which they got a couple of handclaps, but none of their solos were applauded. The second time my ballet was performed, my solos in the pas de trois were even more applauded than the first time, they have always gone well and my 2 tour en l’air have always been precise. Yes, how lucky I was to have you, Mr. Bournonville as my teacher and benefactor. God only knows what had become of me, I would probably have been in the same position as the others; but thank God, I am elevated over them, I have scored victories, they can not harm me any more. And for this I can only thank you, my good teacher, therefore never doubt my gratitude, Mr. Bour. I will NEVER forget you and the way you taught me and I will always seek to be worthy of your friendship.

I will not nearly dance as often this winter as I did in Copenhagen, the only ballets which will be performed here will be La Dansomanie, La Somnambula, and sometimes The Homecoming, furthermore I will dance some entr’actes. Here is enclosed a review of the ballet which some friends of Selinder had published, on the whole there is nothing bad, neither anything good, it says that The Homecoming can not be compared with the best work of Selinder. It is so stupid, it would be pleasant to know which ballets are the best of Selinder; he has simply stirred together Bachan, that one who has written this can probably not see the difference between ballet and divertissement.…

Stockholm 9th April 1838.

M. Bournonville, my beloved teacher.

…I see from your letter that the repertoire has been augmented with two new works by yourself which have had great success, some Swedish military people who have just returned from Copenhagen have seen The sacrifice of Hertha and they were quite delighted. I am absolutely astounded that you mounted the said work in four days, in truth one must admire you—even I have heard that the ballets are doing well: it is like that here too, if it goes on we will have succeeded. The darling opera of the audience Der Freischutz has once more been revived on the stage in a slightly renewed staging. Mlle Jenny Lind, one of the pupils with remarkably musical talent, and with a naive and lively acting which has singled her out from childhood, appeared as Agatha. The way, in which she performed this rather difficult role was probably the most interesting surprise which the Royal Theatre has had to offer the audience lately. As she has previously only appeared in very insignificant parts, the audience has never had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with her talent, therefore it was even more surprising for the public that, before they had any inkling, to watch her perform as, one could almost say a fully trained singer. She really made furore. Her highest note have peculiar strength and resonance. The excellent virtues of her singing are to a very high degree pure intonation, and an unusual mastery of voice, so that she from the fullest and strongest forte is able in a moment to descend to a whispering piano. It is being said here that no one has ever heard any singer in such a perfect voice.

Her performance is simple and free of mannerisms, but full of feeling and verve, it electrifies and delights. Jenny has the great advantage of being at the same time both singer and actress. She is full of enthusiasm for her art, with the pure devotion she possesses, and with her seriousness in the endeavour to fulfill the expectations of the general public , she will go very far. She is seventeen years of age, not beautiful, but she has something gentle and sincere in her demeanour and looks good on stage. A young man in his twenties appeared in the role of Max and had success, he will probably be a great singer in time.

Now the ape has gone away, that is to say Herr Springer who has mounted a spectacle here called Love and Revenge or The American Ape, he has performed his spectacle here 26 times and on most occasions to packed houses. This winter he has filled the theaters’ poor box office and also filled his own empty purse, every time he has received 100 banco and three times a benefit. This spectacle has really been for all the nurseries of Stockholm, for maids and grooms and not for a discerning public. The board of directors have been panned in all sorts of papers for mounting this piece which has greatly harmed good taste. Our stage director Lieut. Col. Backman has been ill for a long time and still is. Sometime ago he had a stroke and was quite unconscious, the doctors have given him up and everybody in the theater really wished for his death ; but, he rallied and thus did not die this time. The beginning of his illness was a cold, and a lot of bad press which he had to swallow, as he represents the dignity of the theater in the out of town cabarets etc.,—but more about this another time.

Stockholm 18th Sept. 1838.

Beloved Teacher!

…The Board did not say a word because I had been absent longer  than my leave allowed me to, on the contrary they were very amiable and kind. Lieut. Col. Backman said that he had been worried about me, he had thought that our Johansson somehow had been taken ill, as he had not heard from me. It looks like Backman is full of concern for me ; but I know him, he does not mean much by what he says. His lips speak what his heart does not feel. However, politeness is good enough for me. I have already appeared since arriving home.

It was last Saturday. I danced the pas from La Muette in Selinders masquerade-divertissement which was given after The Sons of King Eduard. As it was a French spectacle the day before and it would be the same the following day, there was not a numerous audience, nevertheless I received a  great proof of their benevolence towards me, because as soon as I made my entree , I was met by a strong applaudissement, and moreover I was very much applauded for my pas, which went very well for me. M.Bournonville, you must believe me, I was so happy and satisfied with this evening.

M. Selinder did not dance this evening, he was so clever, that he took a day off. Towards the end of this week The Homecoming will surely be performed. The Frenchmen, who are soon leaving have made furore here. They have performed very frequently, 4 a 5 times a week. They have had much more success than in Copenhagen, several of the sujets like Mlle. Edelin, Mme. Brice and Fransisque have always been very well received. The best seats are always occupied and Royalty attend unusually frequently at their representations. ..

Our ballet, as I mentioned, is in the doldrums, but will surely awake with the start; hark at this, M. Selinder is composing a great ballet which is to be named: Alfhild or The Lyre of the Elf Queen. In three acts. If only this venture would fare better than his last ballet Bachan and the slave girl, it died the death the third time it was performed and then went to rest forever. Our repetiteur and intimate friend of Selinder, Swartz, has written the program and arranged all of the music, it portrays Sweden in about the 11th century. Lately Selinder has been working both morning and noon on this ballet- the question is if it could be given 28th inst. The name day of the King. I have heard that I will play the role of a peasant and dance a pas and a solo, but yet I have not been called to any rehearsals. I wonder how it will work out in case I have any pantomime, how he is going to teach me, because he is so bloodily ashamed in my presence.

...The Directors told me some time ago that [Lucile] Grahn had written to them and requested coming here to dance in May; she intended to go by Lubeck to Paris; but as she can get what she wants to show her great talent, the inhabitants of Stockholm will not get the honour of seeing her. She asked for, not more and not less than five hundred banco for each performance.

I have heard from another source that the directors have written to her but she has not replied. In any case Grahn’s pretensions are not small. She is as usual I suppose. As I am talking about her I want to mention that she has had very bad press in the Swedish papers. What happened was that a man by the name of Rosen who is supposed to have been an editor and who for a while has been in the debtors jail, now is in Copenhagen from where he sends articles to the editor of the Dagligt Allehanda (Daily News) and these are often published. In these articles he writes about everything that is being given at the Royal Danish Theater and he criticizes it all. He has the idea, and in every article he bubbles about that our theater has it all, not only as far as tragedy and opera go, but also regarding ballet and it has as many resources as the Danish one has. All these articles are written in a stilted and stupid manner, and betrays the truth that Mr Rosen is not very well versed in the art of the theater. Amongst other things he says about Grahn that she can not walk—she makes, he says, a lot of spasmodical movements and stupid entrechats, so it looks like these were caused by mosquito bites—that she in an unnatural way twists here mouth so that her teeth should be seen as often as possible—that she has not got a trace of grace and talent for miming, everybody says she has—that she walks on points from one end of the theater to the other so that no land surveyor would ever accuse her of not making a straight line—that she with her legs can perform an open angle of many degrees, etc. etc. at the next opportunity I will send you some of these articles.

Stockholm 21st January 1840.

Good M.Bournonville!

…M. Bournonville, from your missive I understand that you have plans to abandon your post as teacher—I do admit that this might free you from much unpleasantness and much fatigue, and contribute considerably to your peace of mind, but how would this be possible; at the same moment that happens your pupils will be deserted; with the fire missing, how would the machinery work? There must be a man, with power, energy and eagerness to be the driving force. Where will be the spur if you are going to withdraw your hand. That is something you must think about. I would never doubt that you do not have your reasons as you have almost made this decision, and as I do not know your motives, I am not going to judge you. Maybe you feel ingratitude from your pupils, maybe you realize that all your endeavour and toil for their well being goes without recognition, what an unhappy lot for a teacher, and thus none of your work bears fruit. May no one of your pupils realize your worth too late!

...I have now been dancing almost every other day since before Christmas in La Vestale, Zampa, La Muette and Robert, this and my teaching has made it quite impossible to write to you before, though I would have liked to do so. I have many classes, altogether 16 hours a week, but every time I am dancing it is a loss for me, the time passes and I can not repair the damage the next day. I have however come to the conclusion that it is so madly boring to give classes, it tires both body and soul, many times I feel really sick of everything, it is a misfortune when an artist is forced to do such things, one gets no time at all to look after oneself.

…I also want to mention that from when I arrived, yes, from the beginning of the season, no ballet has yet been performed. Selinder is now rehearsing La Dansomanie, next Thursday it will be premiered, thus on the 1st. In the first act I will dance a little pas as bridegroom and in the second act a pas oriental.

Selinder has requested His Majesty to be allowed a benefit, as a reason for taking this step, he is supposed to having referred to his financial burden—he must keep his mother and brothers and sisters—and his salary has never been sufficient, in other words, he wants to strengthen his bad economy. With those works he has mounted, has he ever had a full house for the direction in order to merit a benefit, he is hardly ever on duty—however, the devil will see to that his wish comes true. A while ago, he danced La Cachucha in his masquerade divertissement—that man is totally shameless and foolhardy—the day before he was going to dance I got to know about it. He danced, but to his own and also to the direction’s great alarm it happened that, towards the end of the pas, there was not only applause but also cat-calls and sharp whistling. Some one on the 5th tier hollered da capo, he entered the stage again in the middle of this din and proceeded to dance again

How he danced is not even worth speaking about, I can just say that the general aspect was revolting, it nauseated me, he looked fine in drag; but was awfully fat and clumsy—there was a remarkable similarity between him and a certain gross and obese hag in a certain street in Copenhagen. Selinder has learnt the Cachucha from Granberg who has taught him how it goes. It had actually been decided that she was going to dance it in a new divertissement which Selinder was supposed to be composing; but, one day, it has been said, Selinder danced it for the direction and several others, they found it so charming and finally even the audience got to see it.

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Johansson in Russia

It is not difficult to understand that the atmosphere in the theater was hardly conducive to serious work and it comes as no surprise when Johansson began to waver about remaining in Sweden.

The internationally famous, Swedish born, ballerina Marie Taglioni made a guest appearance at the Opera. She insisted on Johansson as her partner and it was probably not difficult for her to persuade him to accompany her on her forthcoming tour of Russia. In September 1841 he acquired a passport in order to be able to travel abroad. Apparently he liked what he saw at the Maryinski in St. Petersburg because when he was offered a job there he accepted immediately. He made his debut in the ballet La Gitana and then danced all the leading roles in the classical repertoire. Several years before his retirement he started to teach at the Imperial school. He did the classes de perfectionnement and tutored all the big stars, Pavlova, Kschessinska, Karsavina and others. The latter has written about him in her memoirs Theater Street. She describes how he was often uncouth towards her and the other pupils, but he obtained results with his teaching. The favorite pupil was Nicolai Legat who carried the style further—therefore we can say that the Russian style of the Maryinsky theater actually is the fruit of the work of a Swedish pedagogue.

Johansson lived a bourgeois life in St. Petersburg. He married a Swedish girl, Emma Löf; the couple had six children, four girls and two boys, both of whom died in infancy. The family were members of St. Catharine Swedish Church in St. Petersburg and when one reads excerpts from the church register, one is struck by a line in the book for forthcoming marriages. There it states that Pehr Christian Johansson was the son of sea captain Johansson. Maybe that was a fairly vague profession for a father he had never known, but undoubtedly it gave him better social status. Of the four girls, only one followed in the footsteps of her father and became a dancer, however, the critics found her cold and seemingly disinterested—she is hardly remembered as a great ballerina.

When Johansson moved to Russia he changed his name and called himself Christian Petrovich Yoganson. He had a long life and worked as a teacher well into very advanced age; 12 December 1903 he had a stroke and died, 86 years of age. Two days later he was buried in the Smolensky cemetry. On a recent visit to Russia I tried in vain to find his grave because I wanted to pay a tribute to my compatriot. Sadly, the cemetry had fared very badly during all those years of communism and my search among the mossy gravestones yielded nothing. With tender bare hands I swept some stones free from snow and dead leaves and had to be content leaving my bouquet of roses on the grave of a nameless Russian.