Cepta Cullen was considered Ireland's "first serious choreographer" and an important figure in the development of Irish

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

. She was also a performer and teacher. Cullen trained as a dancer in the

Abbey School of Ballet The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

under

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, ...

in Dublin. Her career spans from about 1928 to 1944 though she continued to teach. Cullen went on to open her own Ballet school after her teacher left Ireland and the Abbey school officially closed in 1933. Cullen's school was The

Irish Ballet Club Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

which she founded in 1939 and which was based in the

Peacock Theatre, Dublin The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

. The school staged fourteen ballets during the five years of operation. Possibly the most successful show she choreographed was ''Puck Fair''. The ballet was scripted by the poet

F. R. Higgins Frederick Robert Higgins (24 April 1896 – 6 January 1941) was an Irish poet and theatre director. Early years Higgins was born on the west coast of Ireland in Foxford, which is located in County Mayo. He was the eldest son of Joseph and Anni ...

, designed by

Mainie Jellett Mary Harriet "Mainie" Jellett (29 April 1897, Dublin – 16 February 1944, Dublin) was an Irish painter whose ''Decoration'' (1923) was among the first abstract paintings shown in Ireland when it was exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painte ...

and composed by

Elizabeth Maconchy Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy LeFanu (; 19 March 1907 – 11 November 1994) was an Irish-English composer. She is considered to be one of the finest composers Great Britain and Ireland have produced. Biography Elizabeth Violet Maconchy was ...

. The performance opened in the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the brot ...

in February 1941. It was a typical example of the work of Cullen between 1939 and 1944. The ballets were often based on Irish themes. Cullen had worked with a number of names from the Irish arts scene. She worked with

Micheál Mac Liammóir Micheál Mac Liammóir (born Alfred Willmore; 25 October 1899 – 6 March 1978) was an actor, designer, dramatist, writer and impresario in 20th-century Ireland. Though born in London to an English family with no Irish connections, he emigrate ...

on a ballet which eventually was written as part of a different production. Very little is known about Cullen apart from her work in ballet and her impact on ballet in Ireland. Cullen married Lieutenant Richard Patrick Gower on 30 July 1948 in Dublin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Cepta Date of birth missing Date of death missing Irish choreographers Irish women choreographers Irish ballet dancers Dancers from Dublin (city)