Francis John Hart

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(4 July 1921 – 8 February 2015), was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and artistic director of

Ballet West Ballet West is an American ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1963 as the Utah Civic Ballet by Willam F. Christensen, the company's first artistic director, and Glenn Walker Wallace, who served as its first president. ...

from 1986 to 1997.

Early life

Francis John Hart was born in London on 4 July 1921, the son of Frank L. Hart and Ivy Hart. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dancing with Judith Espinosa. He was awarded the RAD Adeline Genée Medal. In 1938, he joined the

Vic-Wells 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 ...

, dancing lead roles by the age of 21.

Career

He created a role in

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 Russ ...

' 1940 ''

The Prospect Before Us ''The Prospect Before Us'' is a British folk rock album, by The Albion Dance Band, which was released in 1977 on the EMI Harvest label. The album was produced by Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol and was engineered by Vic Gamm. It was recor ...

'', before leaving to serve in the Royal Air Force from 1942 to 1946. He returned as a principal dancer, creating roles in

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 ...

's '' Sylvia'' (1952) and '' Homage to the Queen'' (1953). In 1955, Hart was appointed ballet master, and was assistant director of the Royal Ballet from 1962 to 1970. He resigned in 1970, and took up a position as head of the dance division of the

United States International University United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California, that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three inter ...

. In 1972 he served as artistic director of PACT Ballet. His last major position was as artistic director of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

’s

from 1986 to 1997.

Honours

Hart received the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award is an honour presented annually by the Royal Academy of Dance, to people who have made a significant contribution to the ballet and dance industry. The award was instituted by Dame Adeline Genee in 1953, ...

of the

Royal Academy of Dance The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a UK-based examination board specialising in dance education and training, with an emphasis on classical ballet. The RAD was founded in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Danci ...

in 1970, and was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

1971 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1971 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lon ...

.United Kingdom list:

Personal life

Hart married Ann Howard, a former coryphée 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 ...

. He enjoyed fine art, collected stamps, and had a "fondness for epicurean delights". He died in Salt Lake City on 8 February 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, John 1921 births 2015 deaths 20th-century British ballet dancers Administrators of The Royal Ballet Artistic directors British arts administrators Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Dancers from London English choreographers English male ballet dancers British philatelists Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet