Donald Gene Britton (17 August 1929 – 31 May 1983) was a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...

with the two

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 ...

companies, the

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

Ballet and the Sadler's Wells Ballet from 1945 to 1965. Donald Britton was born in London in 1929. He originally started as a tap dancer "wandering into ballet" at the age of six. His family were living over a ballet school and young Donald became fascinated with the activities downstairs. He studied ballet with the Maddock School in London and then with Lilian Godwin in Bristol before joining the Sadler's Wells Ballet School during the second world war. In 1945 at the age of sixteen he was chosen as one of the founding members of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. During his early years there he achieved critical acclaim for his performances in ''Carnaval'' and ''Spectre de la Rose''. Following a period of military service he rejoined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet as a principal dancer in 1951. Known for his masculine, aggressive style, a number of leading solo parts were created for Britton by the leading choreographers of their time -

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 oppositio ...

(''Valses Nobles et Sentimentales''),

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 ...

(''Danses Concertantes'', ''Solitaire'' (1956) and ''The Burrow'' (1958)),

Walter Gore Walter Gore (8 October 1910 – 16 April 1979) was a British ballet dancer, company director and choreographer. Early life Walter Gore was born in Waterside, East Ayrshire Scotland in 1910 into a theatrical family. From 1924, he studied a ...

(''Carte Blanche'') and

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 to Herbert and Grace Cranko in Rustenburg in ...

(the title role in ''Sweeney Todd''). Britton also had a mischievous, lighthearted side which was seen to good effect in his portrayals of Captain Belaye in

Pineapple Poll ''Pineapple Poll'' is a Gilbert and Sullivan-inspired comic ballet, created by choreographer John Cranko with arranger Sir Charles Mackerras. ''Pineapple Poll'' is based on "The Bumboat Woman's Story", one of W. S. Gilbert's Bab Ballads, w ...

and Pierrot in Cranko's ''Harlequin in April''. Britton left the Royal Ballet in 1965 and taught 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, especially ...

. He continued to dance during this time in a number of West End musicals including The Grand Waltz then went on to further teaching in the

Arts Educational Schools Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school in Chiswick, West London, England. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musical theatre an ...

in London. Britton moved to France and founded the New Danse Studio in Brive in 1978. Following a serious illness as a result of which he returned to England, Donald Britton died in hospital in Birmingham on 31 May 1983.

References

*Fisher, Hugh (1956) The Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, London: Adam and Charles Black *Percival, John, 'Ballet's Tough Guy', Accent on the Male: 6 Donald Britton, ''Dance and Dancers'', July 1958 *Wilson, GBL (1957) A Dictionary of Ballet, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books *Wood, Roger (1952) The Theatre Ballet of Sadler's Wells, London: Phoenix House *Obituary in 'The Times' Newspaper, 1 June 1983 {{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Donald 1929 births 1983 deaths British male ballet dancers Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet 20th-century British ballet dancers