Mare Tommingas

Born
6.11.1959, Tallinn

Education
1978 graduated from the Tallinn Choreography School
1990 was awarded a scholarship from the Goethe Institute in Germany and studied modern dance in Cologne

Professional experience
1978–1989 worked as a ballet artist at the Vanemuine Theatre
1989–1998 was a ballet artist and choreographer
1992 founded a modern dance studio in Vanemuine with students from the University of Tartu
1998–2024 Ballet Director of Vanemuine Theatre, Administrative Director for Ballet since 2024
Is one of the founders of the Vanemuine Dance and Ballet School and a teacher of modern dance
Has designed costumes and done set designs for most of her own dance and ballet productions, also for musicals, operas and drama productions and has staged concert programs
Has organized the I.D.A. (International Dance Activity) Dance Festival which is dedicated to Ida Urbel, the founder of Vanemuine ballet
Since 2009 is a member of the International Dance Council CID Unesco

Productions at the Vanemuine Theatre
Three short ballets to the music of Vivaldi, Kreisler and Sumera Spring Manuscripts (1989), Dawn and White Night to the music of Eller (1989), Orff Carmina Burana (1991), Volkonski Little Prince (1991), African Sanctus. Barcelona to the music of Fanshawe, Mercury and Moran (1992), Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (1993), Bartok The Miraculous Mandarin (1994), Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker (1994), Leigh Man of La Mancha (1995), Going inside the Picture (1997), Stravinsky The Rite of Spring (1997), The Lost Woman in Me, Wolfgang AMADE Mozart, Strauss A Night in Venice, Styne Gypsy, Strauss The Bat (2006), Peer Gynt (2006), Sugar (2007), Queen, the Doors of Time (2009), Story of the Golden Key (2013), Midnight in Paris (in collaboration with Michael Shannon, 2015), Tilda and the Dust Angel (2020), Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker – A Miraculous Christmas Eve (2022), Tamberg Cyrano de Bergerac (2023)

Author of choreography and assistant producer of the following productions
Mowgli (Director Andres Dvinjaninov), Ugly (Director Ain Mäeots), Xerxes (Director Joachim Herz), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Director Finn Poulsen), Winter Fairy Tale (Director Taisto Noor), Koidula (Director Aivar Tommingas; co-director and designer)

Roles at Vanemuine
Hostess – Birth of Dance: Trap (to the music of Wakeman, 1982), Girl from the island – Kapp’s Kalevipoeg (1985), Girl – Montecchi and Capuletti (to the music of Tchaikovsky, 1986), Squirrel – Auster’s Bambi 1987), Soloist – I Know you’re Nights… (to the music of Beethoven, Ravel, Wagner, 1987), Venla, Mother Fox – Ojanen’s Seven Brothers (1988), soloist – African Sanctus. Barcelona (to the music of Fanshawe, Mercury and Moran, 1992), Woman – Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin (1994)

Acknowledgements
– 1989 young choreographer’s annual award of the Estonian Theatre Union for the productions of Dawn and White Night
– 1992 a young ballet artist’s award of the Estonian Theatre Union for the production of African Sanctus. Barcelona
– 1995 music theatre annual award of the Estonian Theatre Union for the musical Man of La Mancha
– 2004 the creative scholarship of the Foundation Tartu Kultuurkapital for organizing the I.D.A. festival
– 2006 the Republic of Estonia The Order of the White Star, IV Class
– 2007 for the best ballet performance of the year by the Estonian Theatre Union for the dance production Peer Gynt
– 2008 dramatic art annual award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia for contribution in developing Vanemuine ballet
– 2009 received the Tartu Medal
– 2017 recipient of the Tartu Star
– 2021 the Salme Reek children’s theatre award for directing and choreographing the children’s ballet Tilda and the Dust Angel