He was born in Belgrade on 17/10/1917, to a father of German descent and a Serbian mother. He completed his studies and a dissertation at Belgrade’s Law School. He trained in folklore dancing and was a high jump athlete, also taking part in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games with Serbia’s team. During WWII he joined the National Liberation Movement. After the war he worked for a long time as a dancer and choreographer with the Opera and Ballet Theater of Belgrade, participating in tours in European cities. He also collaborated with the National Theater of Serbia. In his choreographies he incorporated elements from local folklore dances. He was a researcher of Yugoslavia’s history and tradition and served as main choreographer and artistic director of the National Folklore Ballet of Yugoslavia, with which he toured North America numerous times. He created the choreographies for three feature films (1959, 1966, 1968), as well as for the film version of the opera Der Zigeunerbaron (1962). He collaborated with Belgrade Radio and Television for the television films Kostana (1985) and Letter of love [Ljubavno pismo] (1983). For the Greek National Opera he choreographed the opera La forza del destino staged as part of the Athens Festival (Odeon of Herodes Atticus, 1969/70). // Last update of the biography: December 2020 - The list of the productions below is complete.