Renowned ballet pioneer Willam F. Christensen says that in all his years, he's never been sick.
"I just got old," Christensen told the Deseret News during an interview from his home in Salt Lake City. "I feel like I can't do anything."
But he has.
Christensen founded the Utah Civic Ballet and oversaw its transformation into Ballet West. He worked with Maestro Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony to bring "The Nutcracker," a Christmas tradition for thousands of Utah families, to Salt Lake City. He taught at the University of Utah and founded the Christensen Ballet Academy and has choreographed more than 50 ballets.
And he will be honored with the first individual CORPS de Ballet International Award on Thursday, June 22, in the Alice Sheets Marriott Center for Dance on the U. campus. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the ceremony and reception are $25, available through any ArtTix outlet or by calling 355-ARTS (2787) or 1-888-451-ARTS.
CORPS is an acronym for the Council of Organized Researches of Pedagogical Studies of Ballet, said Barbara Hamblin, chairwoman of the U. Department of Ballet. "It was founded in 1997 by Richard Sias, a professor of ballet at Florida State University. The council has about 50 international members from the United States and Canada. And this is the first individual honor that will be awarded."
Established last year, the CORPS awards will be given out annually, Hamblin said. "We alternate between individuals and organizations. Last year, the National School Ballet of Canada received the first CORPS award ever. This year it was the individual's turn."
Nominating Christensen — known as "Mr. C" by his colleagues — was an easy choice for the council, Hamblin said. "We met last July and discussed the award. Bill's name came up, and we all thought it was a terrific idea."
Christensen, who will turn 98 on Aug. 27, said he is honored to receive such an award. "It's just great," he said. "And to know that I'll be around to receive it is just wonderful."
Christensen began dancing with his brothers, Lew and Harold, in the 1930s as part of a vaudeville act called Le Christs, which was later changed to The Buekoffs.
After moving to New York, he trained in classical ballet with Mascano, who immediately told Christensen to focus his energies on ballet.
Christensen moved to Portland, Ore., to help with his uncle's dance studio, then to San Francisco in 1937. In 1941, Christensen formed the Opera Ballet, which later became the San Francisco Opera Ballet and then the San Francisco Ballet.
He began teaching at the U. in 1951 and founded the first university-based dance program in the nation. Then came "The Nutcracker's" Utah debut in 1955.
The vision actually began in 1944 when Christensen was in San Francisco doing short "Nutcracker" excerpts. His idea to pull all the scenes together and create an evening's worth of dance and storytelling was fueled by encouragement from George Balanchine and from Christensen's brother, Harold.
"I had no idea 'The Nutcracker' would become the thing it is today," Christensen said. "I just thought I was doing something good by creating it. But I didn't know how big it would turn out to be. I'd like to think I did a good deed with all this."
The next step Christensen took was forming the Utah Civic Ballet in 1963, with the help of a Ford Foundation grant. In 1968, the Rocky Mountain States, a regional organization, adopted the company and changed its name to Ballet West.
"I've done a lot since I was in San Francisco," Christensen said with a laugh. "I still want to do more."
In 1973, the Christensen brothers shared the annual Dance Magazine award with dancer Rudolph Nureyev.
Five years later, Christensen retired as artistic director for Ballet West but was still a major figure in dance.
"His teaching ability is unique," Hamblin said. "There are a lot of people who can teach, but Bill has the ability to teach and inspire."
"All the others are gone now," Christensen said. "Balanchine and Abravanel are gone. So, I feel like the lone wolf."
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com