The Berlin choreographer Tom Schilling has died. The Komische Oper Berlin and his colleague Arila Siegert announced this to the dpa. Schilling died on January 16th – a few days before his 98th birthday. However, he ordered that his death could only be announced after his funeral, said Siegert, who had worked with Schilling as a solo dancer. His urn was buried on Thursday.
Schilling was born in Thuringia. After studying at the Opera-Ballet School in Dessau, he began his dancing career at venues in Dresden, Leipzig and Weimar.
In 1956 he became ballet director and chief choreographer of the Dresden State Opera. In 1964 he took on the same task at the Komische Oper Berlin, where he set up a dance theater. He retired in 1993.
As long-time chief choreographer of the Komische Oper, Schilling was also awarded the German Dance Prize in 1996. It was said that with his ballets he shaped the image of artistic stage dance in the former GDR.