June Brae (17 May 1917 - 3 January 2000) was a British ballet dancer, who created leading roles for

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 ...

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, ...

and other choreographers. She was born June Bear on 17 May 1917 and brought up in Shanghai, where she studied alongside

Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (''née'' Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells ...

under the Russian George Gontcharov. She returned to London to study under Nicholas Legat, staying with her mother at the Women's Residence Club in Barkston Gardens, Earls' Court. In 1933 she joined the school of the Vic-Wells Ballet and in 1935 progressed to the Company, directed by Ninette de Valois. Soon after, she changed her name from Bear to Brae after de Valois declared "I can't have performing bears in the Company." Brae was soon taking leading roles, including the Rich Girl in

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensemb ...

(1936), a skater in Les Patineurs (1937), Josephine in Wedding Bouquet (1937), the Black Queen in

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

(1937) and La Superbe in Harlequin in the Street (1938). She was the Lilac Fairy in the 1939 revival of The Sleeping Princess and Venus in

Cupid and Psyche Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from ''Metamorphoses'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus). The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyc ...

in the same year. After the start of the Second World War, she toured England extensively with the Sadler's Wells Ballet, and was with the company when it was caught in the Netherlands during the German invasion on 10 May 1940, escaping back to England in the hold of a freighter. With Fonteyn and Pamela May, June was one of trio of exceptional performers and close friends who gained the nickname 'The Triptych'. She met David Bredon, whom she was to marry in 1942, at a party in Cambridge in 1938, at which Fonteyn and May also met their future husbands. After her marriage, she retired from dancing and had two children. In 1946 she returned to the stage, creating the role of The Choreographer in

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ...

's '' Adam Zero''. She then transferred to the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the co ...

), set up when the main Company moved to the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

, Covent Garden, including the principal role in Andrée Howard's ''Assembly Ball''. She retired soon after. She died on 3 January 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brae, June 1917 births 2000 deaths British female dancers 20th-century British ballet dancers