Not too many people may know that Audrey Hepburn always considered herself a dancer first, or that she also worked as a professional dancer on both the stage and in film. Indeed, ballet was a constant passion for her and played an important role in her life.
As a young ballet student, Hepburn idolized Dame Margot Fonteyn as demonstrated by her own serious commitment to craft. “Said Margot Fonteyn: The necessity of going to class is not only healthy in itself – for the amount of compulsory exercise is far more than anyone would do voluntarily, just to keep fit – it is also therapeutic in times of emotional stress. No matter how often one attends a ballet class, one must still maintain a particular degree of concentration, for each class is different from all others, and the concentrating for an hour or more on the manipulation of one’s limbs relieves and refreshes a mind that may be over-engrossed in emotional problems.”
I learned from an article on BBC News entitled ‘She believed you have to take sides’: How Audrey Hepburn became a secret spy during World War Two (1 January 2025) by Christopher Luu, that “as a teenager during World War Two, Audrey Hepburn played a very different role [from acting] – staging secret ballet performances to raise money for the Dutch resistance to Nazi occupation.” She also taught ballet and choreographed dances whenever possible despite starvation and bombings.
Luca Dotti, her son, says of his mother’s passion: “Through dance she could dream, she could fly, she could forget. It was the way that she escaped reality.” Hepburn danced in a safe house with closed blinds and only a candle for light, so she would not be discovered. A piano played very softly while she performed – but there could be no applause. At the end of the show, money was collected for the resistance.”
The wonderfully moving and informative book entitled “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II” by Robert Matzen recounts what she lived through during those terrible years. What kept Hepburn going was her dedication, passion, as well as the practice of ballet both classical and contemporary, as a student, performer, teacher, and choreographer.
These two great artists were both devoted to the art of ballet despite the difficult obstacles in their paths. Both Audrey Hepburn and Margot Fonteyn discovered a way to bring the beauty of ballet, and the discipline and excellent working habits learned in ballet training to their art and to the world.
I found ‘Dutch Girl’ so enlightening and inspiring. Perhaps you will too.
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