Silja Schandorff

Silja Maria Wendrup Schandorff (born 1969) is a Danish ballerina who performed with the Royal Danish Ballet from 1985 to 2009. She has since served the Royal Theatre as ballet instructor and deputy ballet master.

Biography Born on 10 February 1969 in Dragør, Silja Schandorff is the daughter of Axel Carl Schandorff, a Cyclist with Olympic bronze medal and goldsmith, and Runa Clara Wendrup Petersen, a ballet dancer in Tivoli's Pantomime Theatre. Thanks to the encouragement of her parents, she entered the Royal Theatre's ballet school in 1975. When only nine, she performed a solo children's dance in Elverhøj. After her début in Ib Andersen's 1-2-3–1-2 in 1975, she quickly moved on to the Neoclassical works of George Balanchine, starring in Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, Tzigane, La sonnambula, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Allegro Brillante, Agon and Apollo. she remained with the Royal Theatre until 2016, serving as artistic coordinator and instructor (2009-11) and deputy ballet master (2011-16). She has since directed a new production of Giselle. and the Bikuben prize of honour in 2009. In 2016, she was honoured as a Knight of the Dannebrog.