Ursula Moreton (13 March 1903 – 24 June 1973) was a British ballerina and teacher, director of 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 ...

from 1952 to 1968.

Early life

She was born in Southsea on 13 March 1903.

Career

Dancer

Moreton studied with Cecchetti and debuted in 1920 in London in ''The Truth about the Russian Dancers'', a play starring

Tamara Karsavina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (; 9 March 1885 – 26 May 1978) was a Russian prima ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later of the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. After settling ...

. The next year, she was in

Serge Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

's staging of ''The Sleeping Princess'' and then danced with

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the world's first symphonic ballet, ''Les Présages'', and ...

's company. She danced roles in the ballets of

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 ...

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 ...

and Fokine.

Teacher

From 1926, she worked with

as her assistant, then from 1931, ballet mistress for

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 ...

. From 1946 to 1952, she was assistant director of

Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major Ballet company, 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 Ba ...

, and from 1952 to 1968, director of the

Created roles

All with

: *''Les Petits Riens'' (1928) *''Hommages aux Belle Viennoises'' (1929) *''Narcissus and Echo'' (1932)

Later life

She was awarded 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, ...

in 1961 for her services to ballet in Britain. She was awarded the

OBE 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 ...

in 1968 for her services to ballet. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Dancing 1972 in recognition of her contribution in the field of dance education. She was married to Gerald Vickers Stevens, and had one son, David Michael Frederick. She died in London on 24 June 1973.

Legacy

The Ursula Moreton Choreographic Award was created in her honour in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreton, Ursula 1903 births 1973 deaths British ballerinas