David Drew (12 March 1938 – 16 October 2015) was an English

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 ...

and Principal Character Artist of

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 ...

Biography

Drew was born in London in 1938. He received his early training in dance at the Westbury School of Dancing in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, before entering professional ballet training at 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 ...

. He was a dancer with The Royal Ballet for the entire duration of his career: he joined the company in 1955 and was promoted to Soloist in 1961 and to Principal in 1974. He retired from The Royal Ballet as a Principal dancer following the 2002/2003 season, but continued to dance with the company as a Principal Character Artist and, in recognition of his long service to the company, he was also awarded the honorary title of Guest Artist. He contributed significantly to the improvement of the working conditions of the dancers notably during the redevelopment of the Royal Opera House between 1997 and 1999. He was the union representative of

for 40 years. He retired as a dancer in 2012. Drew was a teacher of

pas de deux In ballet, a pas de deux ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well ...

at the

, the founder President of the Ballet Association, and in 2006, he was awarded the MBE for services to dance. He was married to actress

June Ritchie June Ritchie (born 31 May 1941) is a British actress. Biography Ritchie trained at RADA, where she graduated in 1961, having won the Emile Littler Award for Most Promising Actress and the Ronson Award for the outstanding female student. She ...

. He died on 16 October 2015.

Repertoire

Created roles

* ''The Captain'' in ''Different Drummer'', choreographed by Sir

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. Ea ...

* ''Colonel Middleton'' in ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...

'', choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan * ''Demetrius'' in ''

The Dream A dream is an experience during sleep. Dream, The Dream, Dreams, etc. may also refer to: Art Paintings * ''Le Rêve'' (Detaille), an 1888 painting by Édouard Detaille * ''Le Rêve'' (Picasso) (''The Dream'' in French), 1932 oil painting by ...

'', choreographed by Sir

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 ...

* ''The Gaoler'' in ''

L'histoire de Manon ''L'histoire de Manon'', generally referred to as ''Manon'', is a ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan to music by Jules Massenet and based on the 1731 novel ''Manon Lescaut'' by Abbé Prévost. The ballet was first performed by The Royal ...

'', choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan * ''Giles'' in ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as an ...

'', choreography by William Tuckett * ''Grand Master'' in ''Rituals'', choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan * ''Max Merz'' in ''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name sur ...

'', choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Other roles

* ''Anastasia'' – The Husband * ''La Bayadère'' – The Rajah and The Brahmin * ''Cinderella'' – Ugly Sister and Cinderella's Father * ''Cyrano'' – de Guiche * ''Don Quixote'' * ''Enigma Variations'' – Nevinson * ''The Firebird'' – Kostcheï * ''Giselle'' – Hilarion and the Duke of Courtland * ''Job'' – Satan * ''

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 ...

'' – Thomas * ''Manon'' – Monsieur G.M. * ''Marguerite and Armand'' – The Father * ''Mayerling'' – Emperor Franz-Josef * '' A Month in The Country'' – Yslaev * ''Petrushka'' – The Conjurer * ''The Prince of the Pagodas'' – The Emperor's Chancellor * ''Romeo and Juliet'' – Friar Laurence, Mercutio, Lord Capulet and Tybalt * ''The Sleeping Beauty'' – Catalabutte and The King * ''Swan Lake'' – Baron von Rothbart * ''The Tales of Beatrix Potter'' – Mrs Pettitoes * ''Winter Dreams'' – Doctor Chetbutkin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, David People educated at the Royal Ballet School Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet English male ballet dancers Members of the Order of the British Empire Dancers from London People educated at Bristol Grammar School 1938 births 2015 deaths