Background
Sonia Gaskell was born in Vilkaviškis, Russian Empire (now located in Lithuania), of Russian Jewish parents and first studied ballet in Kharkov, Ukraine.
Sonia Gaskell was born in Vilkaviškis, Russian Empire (now located in Lithuania), of Russian Jewish parents and first studied ballet in Kharkov, Ukraine.
In 1921 she was sent to Palestine to escape Russian pogroms against the Jews. She worked as a dance teacher in Amsterdam, hiding from the Nazis during World World War II, but still teaching. She established and served as director of companies including Ballet Recital, Ballet Studio "45 and the Netherlands Ballet.
Gaskell retired as director in 1969, and afterward served on the board of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and worked in television productions.
She died in Paris. Gaskell"s students included Audrey Hepburn and noted choreographer Hans van Manen. In 2009 the Jewish Historical Museum and the Netherlands Theatre Institute presented an exhibition based on her life and work.
The Sonia Gaskell Prize is awarded for excellence in choreography.