Lord of the Dance

Wellington born Kristian Fredrikson, one of the most celebrated theater and dance designers in New Zealand and Australia has died in a Sydney Hospital of complications from pneumonia at the age of 65. His career began in Wellington as a reporter for The Evening Post, Dominion and Truth. After a short stint at design school, Fredrikson moved to Australia at the age of 21 and began working with the Melbourne Theatre Company. He went on to create sets at costumes for the New Zealand Ballet, Australian Ballet, Australian Opera, South Australian Opera, the Sydney Dance Company, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Houston Ballet in the United States. All of us at the ballet are deeply saddened by the loss of Kristian,” Australian Ballet artistic director David McAllister said. “Those of us who worked with him closely considered him as part of the family and we all benefited from his prodigious talent and imagination…the world will be a little less beautiful now that we don’t have Kristian to redesign it for us.” Sydney Dance Company artistic director Graeme Murphy said “Kristian, bugger you. So much to do. So sad to lose such a great friend and theatrical luminary.” Throughout his 40-year career Fredrikson’s talents were honoured with many awards, most recently a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award in 2003 for his work on the Australian Ballet’s production of Swan Lake.

Kristian Fredrikson: 1940 – 10 November 2005