Biography
Born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, Tomas
Schramek has been a professional dancer since the age of 15,
dancing with SLUK, a state folk dance ensemble, while studying for and
obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Academy
of Musical and Theatrical Arts in Bratislava. He joined The
National Ballet of Canada in 1969 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1973.
He became a Principal Character Artist in 1990. Mr. Schramek was appointed
Company Teacher in 1992 and was Assistant Ballet Master from 2005 to 2010.
As Principal Dancer, Mr. Schramek performed most of the
leading male classical roles, including Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty, the Prince in Swan Lake, Albrecht in Giselle, James in La
Sylphide, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo
and Juliet, Colas in La Fille mal
gardée and Franz in Coppélia.
As a Principal Character Artist, Mr. Schramek’s roles include
Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew, Widow
Simone in La Fille mal gardée, the
title role in Don Quixote and Dr. Coppelius in Coppélia.
In 2004, Mr. Schramek was honoured by the Slovak Republic
at a gala celebration for his accomplishments as a dancer living abroad.
Quotes
Giselle
“Thomas Schramek… as the grizzled Duke of Courland… gives a detailed performance that suggests the way maturity denies romance in favour of politically appropriate alliances.”
Ballet Review, 2009