In Memoriam: Juraj MofčanBallet — 12. September 2026.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Juraj Mofčan, Croatian ballet dancer and choreographer, long-standing soloist of the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and former president and distinguished member of the Croatian Association of Professional Ballet Artists, who passed away in Rijeka on 11 September 2026 at the age of 86.
He completed his ballet training in Zagreb, where he also began his professional career. In 1961, he joined the Zagreb City Theatre Komedija. From 1963 to 1967, he was a soloist with the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka, while part of his career was spent in Belgium, where he performed with the Ballet de Wallonie dance company. From 1968, he was a member of the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Over the course of his rich dancing career, he performed numerous notable solo roles in both the classical and contemporary ballet repertoire. He was particularly distinguished as a character dancer, combining powerful stage presence with technical assurance and acting sensitivity. He appeared in many major ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and The Firebird.
Among his notable roles were Rothbart in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, choreographed by Rostislav Vladimirovich Zakharov (1978); Rochefort in Georges Delerue’s The Three Musketeers, choreographed by Flemming Flindt (1978); the General in Johann Strauss’s Graduation Ball, choreographed by David Lichine (1978); Coppélius in Léo Delibes’s Coppélia, choreographed by Ivica Sertić (1980); Don Quixote in Ludwig Minkus’s ballet of the same name, choreographed by Pavel Rotaru (1981); and Kumek in Boris Papandopulo’s Kraljevo, choreographed by Dragutin Boldin (1990).
As a soloist with the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, he also performed on numerous European stages, including in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Germany and France. He was active as a choreographer as well, creating a number of choreographic works and appearing in various television programmes.
Mofčan remained deeply connected to his native Međimurje. At the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin, he gave a notable character and mime performance in Andrej Hieng’s Burleska o Grku, and also took part in other theatre projects outside his home company.
An important part of his work was devoted to passing on his knowledge of dance to younger generations. In the early 1990s, he founded a ballet school for children in Varaždin and dedicated himself to teaching, striving to pass on his extensive experience as a dancer and artist to young performers.
For him, ballet was much more than a profession; it was an art form that demanded dedication, discipline and lifelong development. Speaking once about his relationship with the stage, he said: “The moment you step onto the stage, there is no more pain, nothing remains but the audience and you.”
Through his many years of artistic and professional work, he left a distinctive mark on Croatian ballet as a dancer of exceptional stage presence, a choreographer and a devoted member of the ballet community.
