WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Glen Tetley, whose fusion of ballet and modern dance shook dance traditionalists, died of melanoma in his West Palm Beach, Fla., home at the age of 80.
Tetley, a U.S. choreographer who enjoyed popularity in Europe, influenced dance companies worldwide with his pioneering choreography that integrated modern-dance movement into European choreography of line and partnering, The New York Times said.
His choreography was accepted more in Europe than the United States, where ballet and modern dance camps both were troubled by Tetley's fusion, the Times said. In 1969, he closed his Glen Tetley Dance Company in New York and went to Europe.
Tetley was associated with the Royal Ballet in Britain, the Australian Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet. He later choreographed works presented by the National Ballet of Canada and the Houston Ballet.
Before his European swing, Tetley was one of the original members of the Joffrey Ballet in 1956 and performed with Martha Graham's company in 1958, as well as several other U.S. modern dance groups in the 1960s.
Tetley, who died Friday, is survived by two sisters and his companion, Raffiele Ravaioli.
