Rudi van Dantzig

Rudi van Dantzig (4 August 1933 – 19 January 2012) was a Dutch choreographer, ballet dancer and writer. From 1965 until his death he was the artistic co-leader of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

Life
Van Dantzig was born in Amsterdam. After Sonia Gaskell (left in 1969) and his other colleague left the Dutch National Ballet in 1971, he was the only artistic leader until 1991.

For a Lost Soldier
In 1986 he wrote an autobiographical novel, Voor een verloren soldaat, about his homosexuality and sexual relationship while a young boy with a Canadian soldier. The book became a great success and received several awards; an English translation, For a Lost Soldier, was published in 1991.

In 1992 a Dutch movie with the same title (English version: For a Lost Soldier) was based on it.  Van Dantzig also published a biography of the Dutch artist and resistance fighter Willem Arondeus in 2003.

Death
Van Dantzig died in 2012, aged 78 from lymphoma and male breast cancer.

References

More reading
 Utrecht, Luuk: Rudi van Dantzig: a controversial idealist in ballet. Zutphen, 1992. 

Other websites
Source (in Dutch) 
DBNL

Category:1933 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Deaths from male breast cancer
Category:Deaths from lymphoma
Category:Dutch LGBT writers
Category:Gay men
Category:LGBT choreographers
Category:LGBT dancers
Category:Writers from Amsterdam