Background
Vernon war born in Berlin, the daughter of musicologist Friedrich Herzfeld.
choreographer university professor
Vernon war born in Berlin, the daughter of musicologist Friedrich Herzfeld.
She was from 1963 to 1981 prima ballerina of the ballet at the Bayerische Staatsoper. After retiring from the stage, she was founding director of the now independent ballet company Bayerisches Staatsballett. At age 6 she became a student of Tatjana Gsovsky.
Heinz Rosen engaged her at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she was prima ballerina from 1963 to 1981.
Her interpretations of major parts of the classical and contemporary repertory are remembered, including the title part of Giselle, Tatjana in John Cranko"s choreography of Onegin, and the heroine in Gerhard Bohner"s Die Folterungen der Beatrice Cenci. She taught at the Hochschule für Musik München, during her career as a lecturer, afterwards as professor and director of the Ballett-Akademie München.
In memory of Bosl, who died in 1975, she founded in 1978 the ballet academy Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung (Heinz Bosl Foundation). She succeeded in separating the ballet company of the Staatsoper, forming the independent Bayerisches Staatsballett (de) and serving as its director from 1988 to 1998.
In 2010 she retired from the Ballett-Akademie München and founded the Junior Company (Bayerisches Staatsballett II), a bridge between academic ballet training and professional dancers, to serve the needs of young dancers at the beginning of their careers.
Vernon died in Munich.
She was a member of the Berlin Ballet at the Berlin State Opera at age 14, and at age 17 the company"s youngest soloist.