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Leslie Edwards
Leslie George Edwards (6 August 1916 – 8 February 2001) was a British ballet dancer and ballet master. He was one of the final links with Ninette de Valois's original pre-war Vic-Wells Ballet. Apart from two years of military service during the Second World War, his entire 60-year career was effectively spent with what became the Royal Ballet organisation, until his final retirement from the stage in 1993. Early years Edwards was born on 6 August 1916 and trained with Marie Rambert after leaving school at the age of 15. He then joined the Vic-Wells Ballet School. He also trained with Margaret Craske, Stanislav Idzikowski and Vera Volkova. He debuted at Rambert's Ballet Club in 1932. Performing career Edwards was a cast member in the original production of Antony Tudor's ''Jardin aux Lilas'' in 1936. He first danced with the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1933, however, he only officially joined the company in 1937. With the Vic-Wells Ballet, he was a member of the first cast of Freder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of The British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire (later Commonwealth) and the Viceroy of India. Nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most Commonwealth countries ceased recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire when they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Wedding Bouquet
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type. In English grammar, " a", and its variant " an", are indefinite articles. History The earliest certain ancestor of "A" is aleph (also written 'aleph), the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, which consisted entirely of consonants (for that reason, it is also called an abjad to distinguish it fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antigone (ballet)
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; grc, Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010). The meaning of the name is, as in the case of the masculine equivalent Antigonus, "worthy of one's parents" or "in place of one's parents". She appears in the three 5th century BC tragic plays written by Sophocles, known as the three Theban plays, and she is the main protagonist of the eponymous tragedy ''Antigone''. In Sophocles The story of Antigone was addressed by the fifth-century BC Greek playwright Sophocles in his Theban plays: ''Oedipus Rex'' Antigone and her sister Ismene are seen at the end of ''Oedipus Rex'' as Oedipus laments the "shame" and "sorrow" he is leaving his daughters to. He then begs Creon to watch over them, but in his grief reaches to take them with him as he is led away. Creon prevents him from taki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 in Rustenburg in the former province of Transvaal, Union of South Africa. As a child, he would put on puppet shows as a creative outlet. Cranko received his early ballet training in Cape Town under the leading South African ballet teacher and director, Dulcie Howes, of the University of Cape Town Ballet School. In 1945 he choreographed his first work (using Stravinsky's Suite from ''L'Histoire du soldat'') for the Cape Town Ballet Club. He then moved to London, studying with the Sadler's Wells Ballet School (later called the Royal Ballet) in 1946Dromgoole, Nicholas"John Cranko" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', retrieved 19 March 2015, and dancing his first role with the Sadler's Wells Ballet in November 1947. London Cranko collaborated with the designer John Piper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oedipus
Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. The story of Oedipus is the subject of Sophocles' tragedy '' Oedipus Rex'', which is followed in the narrative sequence by ''Oedipus at Colonus'' and then ''Antigone''. Together, these plays make up Sophocles' three Theban plays. Oedipus represents two enduring themes of Greek myth and drama: the flawed nature of humanity and an individual's role in the course of destiny in a harsh universe. In the best-known version of the myth, Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. Laius wished to thwart the prophecy, so he sent a shepherd-servant to leave Oedipus to die on a mountainside. However, the shepherd took pity on the baby and passed him to another shepherd who gave Oedipus to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noctambules
''Noctambules'' is a ballet created in 1956 by Kenneth MacMillan for the Sadler's Wells Ballet. The ballet was choreographed to Humphrey Searle's ''Noctambules'', Op. 30 written for the ballet. The set and costumes were designed by Nicholas Georgiadis. The ballet premiered on 1 March 1956 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. Original cast * ''The Hypnotist'' – Leslie Edwards * ''His Assistant'' – Maryon Lane * ''The Faded Beauty'' – Nadia Nerina * ''The Poor Girl'' – Anya Linden * ''The Rich Man'' – Desmond Doyle * ''The Soldier'' – Brian Shaw The ''corps de ballet'' was divided into "rich people" and "poor people". Notable dancers among the "rich" included Australian choreographer Ronald Hynd and South African dancer Gary Burne. Notable dancers among the "poor" included Merle Park, Doreen Wells Doreen Patricia Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry (née Wells; born 25 June 1937) is a British former ballet dancer. Career Born in London, We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. Earlier he had served as director of ballet for the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He was also associate director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and artistic associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992. From a family with no background of ballet or music, MacMillan was determined from an early age to become a dancer. The director of Sadler's Wells Ballet, Ninette de Valois, accepted him as a student and then a member of her company. In the late 1940s, MacMillan built a successful career as a dancer, but, plagued by stage fright, he abandoned it while still in his twenties. After this he worked entirely as a choreographer; he created ten full-length ballets and more than fifty one-act pieces. In addition to his work for bal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Mirror For Witches
''A Mirror for Witches'' is a 1928 novel by American author Esther Forbes, dealing with the witch hunt in 17th Century New England. The book, which precedes by decades the more famous ''The Crucible'' by Arthur Miller, is still popular and remains in print. It pretends to be an authentic seventeenth century chronicle of a witch's life, based on contemporary sources. The book has also been adapted for the stage, including as a ballet by Denis ApIvor (1952) and as an opera, '' Bilby's Doll'' by Carlisle Floyd (1976). Synopsis Doll Bilby is a young girl, denounced by a relative as being a witch, and then caught up in the hysteria of the Salem witch trials. See also * Cultural depictions of the Salem Witch Trials Cultural depictions of the Salem witch trials abound in art, literature and popular media in the United States, from the early 19th century to the present day. The literary and dramatic depictions are discussed in Marion Gibson's ''Witchcraft M ... References 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Quest (ballet)
''The Quest'' is a ballet score by William Walton, written for a ballet of the same title, now lost, choreographed by Frederick Ashton in 1943. Two versions of the score exist: one for the small orchestra for which Walton wrote (because of wartime constraints), and a posthumously constructed version rescored for an orchestra of the larger size usually favoured by the composer. The ballet, with a scenario by Doris Langley Moore, was based on '' The Faerie Queene'' by Edmund Spenser. It was first given by the Sadler's Wells Ballet company. Background and first performances By the 1940s Walton was an established composer, known for works including a symphony, three concertos, the cantata '' Belshazzar's Feast'' and the "entertainment" ''Façade''. From the last, he had fashioned two orchestral suites, which the choreographer Frederick Ashton used for his 1931 ballet ''Façade''. During the Second World War Walton worked with the Army Film Unit and Ashton was in the Royal Air Force. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Prospect Before Us
''The Prospect Before Us'' is a British folk rock album, by The Albion Band, The Albion Dance Band, which was released in 1977 on the Harvest Records, EMI Harvest label. The album was produced by Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol and was engineered by Vic Gamm. It was recorded at Sound Techniques (studio), Sound Techniques Studio and Olympic (including live dances at Olympic), London. There are several instrumental tracks. The album cover was designed by Dave Dragon, based on an idea by Pete Scowther. Track listing Side 1 #"Uncle Berhard's"/"Jenny Lind" (instrumental) - 3:44 #"The Hunt Is Up" - 1:51 #"Varsoviana" (instrumental) - 2:42 #"Masque" (instrumental) - 1:00 #"Huntsman's Chorus" - 4:25 #"Minuet" (instrumental) - 2:05 #"Wassail Song" - 2:11 #"Picking of Sticks"/ "The Old Mole" (instrumental) - 3:39 Side 2 #"Merry Sherwood Rangers" (live version) - 3:18 #"La Sexte Estampie Real" (instrumental) - 1:51 #"I Wish I was Single Again" - 3:42 #"The Whim" (instrumental) - 3:29 # ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)
''The Sleeping Beauty'' ( rus, Спящая красавица, Spyashchaya krasavitsa ) is a ballet in a prologue and three acts, first performed in 1890. The music was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Opus 66). The score was completed in 1889, and is the second of his three ballets. The original scenario was conceived by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, and is based on Charles Perrault's '' La Belle au bois dormant''. The choreographer of the original production was Marius Petipa. The premiere performance took place at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on January 15, 1890. The work has become one of the classical repertoire's most famous ballets. History Tchaikovsky was approached by the Director of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg, Ivan Vsevolozhsky on 25 May 1888 about a possible ballet adaptation on the subject of the story of ''Undine''. It was later decided that Charles Perrault's '' La Belle au bois dormant'' would be the story for which Tchaikovsky would co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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