Annette Page (December 1932 – 4 December 2017) was an English ballerina. She was a principal dancer with the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

, and was usually partnered onstage by her husband, Ronald Hynd.

Life

Brought up in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, Page began to take ballet classes when she was about four. This led to her taking

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 ...

exams, and seeing the

in Manchester persuaded her to pursue a dance career. When she was twelve she auditioned for

Ninette de Valois Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, ...

, who offered her a scholarship to attend the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especial ...

, at which she began during the final year of the Second World War. At the age of seventeen she was given a contract by

Sadlers Wells 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-se ...

, the Royal Ballet's touring company, and a year later joined the Royal Ballet.Dean Speer & Francis Timlin,
A Very Merry Couple Ronald Hynd and Annette Page talk about dancing, PNB and Merry Widow
' from ''Ballet-Dance magazine'' dated April 2005 online at ballet-dance.com, accessed 28 April 2012 Page's debut in 1949 was as the balletic dog "Pepe" in a revival of the 1930s one-act ballet ''A Wedding Bouquet'', based on a play by

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West (Pittsburgh), Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, Calif ...

, which was first produced by the Vic-Wells Ballet (later the Sadler's Wells Ballet) on 27 April 1937; choreographed by

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 opposit ...

. ''Dance Magazine'' promptly reported a rumour that she was being "groomed to succeed

Fonteyn Fonteyn is a Dutch surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carel Fonteyn (fl. 1655–1665), Flemish painter * Margot Fonteyn (1919–1991), English ballerina * Mathieu Fonteyn (born 1985), Belgian swimmer * Sam Fonteyn (1925–1991), En ...

in the distant future. ... The rumour ... may be mere wishful thinking, but it is sincerely wishful." She did, however, rise to become a principal ballerina dancing all the great classical and romantic roles, usually partnered by her husband Ronald Hynd. Other partners included

Christopher Gable Christopher Michael Gable, CBE (13 March 194023 October 1998) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor. Life and career Dance career Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal ...

, Donald MacLeary, Anthony Dowell and

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

, with whom she danced ''The Sleeping Beauty'' and ''La Bayadere''. Her farewell performance was in April 1967 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden where she danced the role of Lise in Ashton's ''

La fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

''. And her final performance was as ''Cinderella'' with the Royal Ballet in Seattle, in which she had created a record by dancing the role twice in one day at the Royal Opera House.

Family

Page was later to assist her husband, Ronald Hynd, during his directorship of The Bavarian State Ballet, Munich and was a Member of The Arts Council of Great Britain. Hynd and Page had a daughter, Louise (born 1968).

Death

Page died of Motor Neurone Disease on 4 December 2017, two weeks before her 85th birthday.Annette Page obituary
legacy.com; accessed 7 December 2017.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Annette 1932 births 2017 deaths English ballerinas People educated at the Royal Ballet School Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet People from Manchester