For decades, they personified ballet in Slovenia The husband-and-wife team of Pino and Pia Mlakar redefined Slovenian dance, taught its intricate beauty to younger generations, and became admired for their lifelong commitment to the art.

Pino Mlakar was born in 1907 in the town of Novo Mesto. Even at a young age, he developed a passion for the graceful movements of ballet – and the ability to tell stories through dance. As a young man, he enrolled in Rudolf Laban’s prestigious choreographic institute in Hamburg, Germany. There he met a fellow student named Maria “Pia” Scholz. They married, beginning a commitment to dance – and each other – that lasted more than seven decades.

In the interwar period, Pino and Pia Mlakar worked as ballet dancers in a number of cities, including Munich, Zurich, and Ljubljana. They were also unusually talented choreographers and teachers and they quickly established an international reputation for expressiveness of their style. One of their most famous performances was “The Devil in the Village,” based on the music by the Czech-born Croatian composer Fran Lhotka. The ballet, which they premiered in Zurich in 1935, was later performed in many European countries and brought the pair international acclaim.

Despite demand from Europe’s top ballets, the Mlakars settled in Ljubljana after World War II. They were determined to pass on their skills and experience to a new generation of Slovenian ballet dancers. Pia Mlakar took over the Ljubljana Ballet, while her husband became an instructor at the Academy for Film, Theater, and Television. They also founded Slovenia’s first state-operated ballet school. Their daughter, Veronika Mlakar, followed in their footsteps and became a prominent ballerina.

The politics of the era conspired against their long-held dream of setting up an international ballet center near Novo Mesto, but their impact on ballet in Slovenia was immense. They professionalized dance and introduced new techniques that revitalized ballet as an expressive art form. They authored more than 50 ballets as well as numerous books on dance. Pino and Pia Mlakar also received a number of prestigious prizes, including the Prešeren Award, which they won multiple times.

Pino and Pina Mlakar continued to promote ballet well into their old age, making frequent media appearances and sharing their love for the art of dance. Pia Mlakar died in 2000, at the age of 89. She was followed six years later by her husband, who was 99 years old.

Jaka Bartolj