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Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Earlier he had served as director of ballet for the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He was also associate director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and artistic associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992. From a family with no background of ballet or music, MacMillan was determined from an early age to become a dancer. The director of Sadler's Wells Ballet, Ninette de Valois, accepted him as a student and then a member of her company. In the late 1940s, MacMillan built a successful career as a dancer, but, plagued by stage fright, he abandoned it while still in his twenties. After this he worked entirely as a choreographer; he created ten full-length ballets and more than fifty one-act pieces. In addition to his work for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Earlier he had served as director of ballet for the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He was also associate director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and artistic associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992. From a family with no background of ballet or music, MacMillan was determined from an early age to become a dancer. The director of Sadler's Wells Ballet, Ninette de Valois, accepted him as a student and then a member of her company. In the late 1940s, MacMillan built a successful career as a dancer, but, plagued by stage fright, he abandoned it while still in his twenties. After this he worked entirely as a choreographer; he created ten full-length ballets and more than fifty one-act pieces. In addition to his work for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Webster (opera Manager)
Sir David Lumsden Webster (3 July 1903 – 9 May 1971) was the chief executive of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, from 1945 to 1970. He played a key part in the establishment of the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera companies. From a retail background, Webster became chairman of the Liverpool Philharmonic during the Second World War. From there he was asked to set up opera and ballet companies at Covent Garden. He persuaded the existing Sadler's Wells Ballet to move to the opera house but found no established opera company suitable to do the same, and he set up a new opera company from scratch. At first, Webster presented opera in English with a permanent company, but as Covent Garden flourished and international stars were attracted to appear, the policy gradually changed to presenting operas in their original language. By the time of Webster's retirement, the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet were world-famous. Early life David Webster was born in Dundee. When he was ten the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinderella (Ashton)
This version of the ''Cinderella'' ballet, using Sergei Prokofiev's ''Cinderella'' music and re-choreographed by Frederick Ashton, is a comic ballet. Ballet productions Plot outline Ashton's ''Cinderella'' is his own realised dream of a Petipa ballet and the ballet itself enacts the realisation of dreams, notably Cinderella's own. When we first see her she is a demi-caractere dancer dreaming of being a ballerina—that seems to be the balletic point of her solo with the broomstick in the kitchen—and it is as a ballerina that she magically enters the ballroom, stepping ''en pointe'' down the stairs and advancing in ''pas de bourree'' to the front of the stage. Back in the kitchen she recalls the slipper (or rather the pointe shoe) that she carries in her apron; the shoe is the clue to her dream and persuades her it was true. The Prince finds Cinderella, but in his arms she discovers her own identity as a ballerina and her dream of herself has been realised. Cinderella's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lady And The Fool
''The Lady and the Fool'' is a ballet, created by choreographer John Cranko with lesser-known operatic music by Giuseppe Verdi arranged by Sir Charles Mackerras. The story concerns the love of a poor clown for a society beauty, who finally rejects her wealthy suitors and chooses a life with the clown. Background and productions After the success of ''Pineapple Poll'', Mackerras and Cranko sought a new collaboration, eventually deciding on adapting music by Verdi to a story by Cranko. The piece was premiered in 1954 at the New Theatre, Oxford, with its London premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on 31 March 1954. The two clowns were played by Kenneth MacMillan and Johaar Mosaval, with Patricia Miller as La capricciosa. The following year the ballet was re-worked by Cranko for Covent Garden, opening on 9 June 1955, dropping one character and reassigning some dances to other characters, allowing the action to be more clearly focussed and the characters more interesting.Percival J. ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Dale (dancer)
Margaret Dale (30 December 1922 – 28 January 2010) was a British dancer who later became a producer and Director of Dance for BBC television. Early life and career She was born as Margaret Elisabeth Bolam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to John Howden Bolam and wife Gladys Margaret (Downs). She attended Dame Allan's School at Newcastle-on-Tyne and learned dancing from age 5. Between the 1940s and 1950s, she showed a flair for comedy, and sparkling technique when the company toured Europe and North America after World War II ended. She danced lead and soloist roles. One of Dale's greatest achievements came when she filmed Ashton's two-act ballet '' La Fille Mal Gardée'', with its original cast for television, uncut, shortly after it had triumphed in both New York City and Russia in 1960. Her black and white film documents the work's first cast and the choreographic details that were changed in subsequent performances. Dale's original cast television productions include Ashton's ''The D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tread Softly (1952 Film)
''Tread Softly'' is a 1952 British crime film with musical overtones, directed by David MacDonald and starring Frances Day, Patricia Dainton and John Bentley. A chorus girl investigates a series of mysterious happenings at a derelict theatre. It was made at Marylebone Studios and at the Granville Theatre in Fulham. While made as a second feature it also had aspirations to top the bill in some cinemas.Chibnall & McFarlane p.127 Set in a theatre it allows an odd combination of light musical numbers with a murder crime story. It includes several elaborate dance routines. Cast * Frances Day as Madeleine Peters * Patricia Dainton as Tangye Ward * John Bentley as Keith Gilbert * John Laurie as Angus McDonald * Olaf Olsen as Philip Defoe * Nora Nicholson as Isobel Mayne * Harry Locke as Nutty Potts * Betty Baskcomb as Olivia Winter * Robert Urquhart as Clifford Brett * Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Inspector Hinton * Michael Ward as Alexander Mayne * Nelly Arno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Cranko
John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Transvaal, Union of South Africa. As a child, he would put on puppet shows as a creative outlet. Cranko received his early ballet training in Cape Town under the leading South African ballet teacher and director, Dulcie Howes, of the University of Cape Town Ballet School. In 1945 he choreographed his first work (using Stravinsky's Suite from ''L'Histoire du soldat'') for the Cape Town Ballet Club. He then moved to London, studying with the Sadler's Wells Ballet School (later called the Royal Ballet) in 1946Dromgoole, Nicholas"John Cranko" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', retrieved 19 March 2015, and dancing his first role with the Sadler's Wells Ballet in November 1947. London Cranko collaborated with the designer John Piper o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pas De Trois
In ballet, ''pas de trois'' is a French term usually referring to a dance between three people. Typically, a ''pas de trois'' in ballet consists of five parts: #Entrée (the opening number for the three dancers, usually preceded by a short introduction) # Variation (or solo) for the 1st dancer #Variation for the 2nd dancer #Variation for the 3rd dancer #Coda (a finale usually set to music of a quick tempo in which the dancers bring the piece to a spectacular finish) Today, the most celebrated ''pas de trois'' in the classical ballet repertory are derived from the works of the great choreographer Marius Petipa. Although the Balletmaster created many ''pas de trois'' for the near 150 ballets he created throughout his career in Russia, only three survive: the ''Pas de trois des Odalisques'' from his revival of the ballet '' Le Corsaire'' (set to the music of Adolphe Adam and Cesare Pugni, choreographed for three women); the ''Paquita Pas de trois'' added to his 1881 revival of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jann Parry
Jann Parry is a British ballet critic and writer. She was ballet critic of ''The Observer'' from 1983 to 2004. Her biography, ''Different Drummer: a Life of Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...'', was the Society for Theatre Research’s book of the year in 2010. References Living people Ballet critics British critics Year of birth missing (living people) {{ballet-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corps De Ballet
In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A ''corps de ballet'' works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage. Specific roles are sometimes made for the ''corps de ballet'', such as Swan Lake, the Snow Corps de Ballet and the Flower Corps in ''The Nutcracker''. See also *Ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ... References * Ballet occupations Ballet terminology it:Glossario della danza classica#Corps de ballet {{ballet-dance-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the opposition of his conventional middle-class family, Ashton was accepted as a pupil by Léonide Massine and then by Marie Rambert. In 1926 Rambert encouraged him to try his hand at choreography, and though he continued to dance professionally, with success, it was as a choreographer that he became famous. Ashton was chief choreographer to Ninette de Valois, from 1935 until her retirement in 1963, in the company known successively as the Vic-Wells Ballet, the Sadler's Wells Ballet and the Royal Ballet. He succeeded de Valois as director of the company, serving until his own retirement in 1970. Ashton is widely credited with the creation of a specifically English genre of ballet. Among his best-known works are ''Façade'' (1931), '' Symphonic Var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive rehearsal rooms and technical facilities also housed within the site. Sadler's Wells is renowned as one of the world's leading dance venues. As well as a stage for visiting companies, the theatre is also a producing house, with a number of associated artists and companies that produce original works for the theatre. Sadler's Wells is also responsible for the management of the Peacock Theatre in the West End, during times not used by the London School of Economics. History First theatre and pleasure gardens Richard Sadler opened a "Musick House" in 1683, the second public theatre newly opened in London after the Restoration, the first being the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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