Beverly Jane Fry is an Australian
ballerina
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...
.
Fry was born in Bexley, Kent, England but at an early age moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia. She trained with the Australian prima ballerina,
Kathleen Gorham
Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Gorham (7 September 1928 - 30 April 1983) was an Australian ballerina.
Early life
Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, the second of four children of Marcus Gorham, an Irish-born railway employee, and his English-born wi ...
and with
Gailene Stock
Gailene Stock CBE AM (28 January 194629 April 2014) was an Australian-born ballerina, teacher and Director of the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden.
Early years
Gailene Patricia Stock was born in Ballarat, Victoria. She was the second of ...
.
She went on to become an international ballerina travelling the world in a performing career that lasted twenty years. Throughout her distinguished career she danced most of the major classical ballerina roles, and her interpretations have been recognized for their remarkable range of artistic and dramatic qualities and strong technical expertise.
Her repertoire includes: Odette/Odile in ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'', Swanhilda in ''
Coppélia
''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Éti ...
'', Aurora in ''
The Sleeping Beauty'', the Sylph in ''
La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...
'', Sugar Plum Fairy in ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...
'', the title role in ''
Giselle
''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'', as well as the role of Myrtha Queen of the Wilis, Juliet in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Taglioni in ''Pas de Quatre'', Desdemona in ''Othello'', Marguerite and Prudence in ''La Traviata'', and the elder sister in Frank Staff's ''Transfigured Night'' which she performed at the London premiere.
She has also danced leading roles in many neoclassical and modern works by notable choreographers such as
George Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
,
Antony Tudor
Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-1950 ...
,
Glen Tetley
Glen Tetley (February 3, 1926 – January 26, 2007) was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece ''Pierrot Lunaire ...
, Jose Limon and Istvan Herczog. In addition she has performed the Black Swan Pas de Deux at a gala performance in the Royal Albert Hall, London; Don Quixote and Le Corsaire Pas de Deux partnered by guest artists from both the
Bolshoi and
Kirov Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...
companies and in numerous galas throughout Britain with the "Russian and British Stars of Ballet". Among her partners were Vladimir Karakulev, Victor Barykin and Kirill Melnikov. Beverly Fry has appeared in two films (''
Nijinsky
Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...
'' and ''
La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...
''). Also in successive years, 1989 and 1990, she was featured on the official Sadler's Wells Theatre Commemorative Calendar.
Fry has danced with a number of companies during her career including
The Stuttgart Ballet,
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish ...
, Aterballetto (Italy) and
London City Ballet
London City Ballet was a British ballet company founded in 1978. Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife ...
where she remained as Principal Ballerina for 12 years. During this time she also made guest appearances with other companies throughout Europe. Over the years she has received personal coaching from many famous people namely, Dame
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring international ...
,
Galina Panov
Valery Matveevich Panov (russian: Валерий Матвеевич Панов; born 12 March 1938) is a Belarusian-Israeli dancer and choreographer. Born and raised in the Soviet Union, he trained in Leningrad and performed with the Kirov from ...
, Rosella Hightower, Patrice Bart, Galina Samsova, Andre Prokovsky,
Veronica Paeper, Glen Tetley and Scott Douglas.
In 1989 she was granted Australian citizenship under the clause, 'Residence outside Australia' as she was, 'Widely recognized as being of world standing in her field of endeavour, and engaged in cultural activities beneficial to the interests of Australia.'
Beverly Fry has performed in many galas in the presence of HRH
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
(Patron, London City Ballet) and was formally presented to her on every occasion. Following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, Beverly was invited by
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
to be present in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
for her funeral. She was also a contributor on the Official BBC TV obituary programme ''Diana – The People’s Princess''.
She has performed in China, Japan, the United States, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Iceland, Finland, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. She has also danced at the International Ballet Festivals in Lille,
Nervi
Nervi is a former fishing village 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Portofino on the Riviera di Levante, now a seaside resort in Liguria, in northwest Italy. Once an independent ''comune'', it is now a ''quartiere'' of Genoa. Nervi is 4 miles ( ...
, Budapest, the Carnival of Venice and Verona Festivals in Italy, the Sintra Festival in Portugal and the Jerash Festival in Jordan.
Her teaching qualifications include graduating Dux with High Distinction from The Australian Ballet School's Advanced Diploma of Dance Teaching and a registered Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) teacher. Her teaching credits include: Guest Teacher for The Australian Ballet School (ABS); Victorian College of the Arts; Australian Dance Theatre; Cecchetti scholars; Pineapple and Dance Works Studios, London; Temporary Custodian the Kathleen Gorham Ballet School; Adjudicator End of Year Assessments ABS and Guest Teacher at their inaugural Summer School in 1999.
Three years prior to retiring (from performing) she gave company class, rehearsals and individual coaching to both male and female dancers (soloists and principals) for London City Ballet, and in 1997 was Ballet Mistress to The Reanimators Company, London. More recently she has been on the Advisory Panel for the RAD and the
Australian Institute of Classical Dance (AICD) and given Master classes in Australia and Japan.
In January 1999 Beverly Jane Fry was appointed Director of Ballet for
The National Theatre, Melbourne by invitation from the Board. Since then her talents as a
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
have come to the fore choreographing and directing many ballets for the N.T.B.S. They include: a full-length ''Cinderella'' , a full-length ''Giselle'' and a new production of the ballet ''Carmen''. Ballets created especially for children include: ''The Magic Toyshop'', ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin'' (based on the
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
poem), and ''What the Moon Saw'', a captivating work with narrative, ''A Perfect Day'' and ''The Little Mermaid'', a work which was 2 years in the making which she produced, directed, and choreographed. She also designed the sets and did the musical arrangement. Premiered in 2002, this work (based on the
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...
fairytale) has since been the highlight of many festivals throughout Victoria. In 2003, she produced and directed her own interpretation of the Bournonville ballet ''
La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...
'' and in 2004 she staged a reworked version of her own original production of ''Carmen'' to include an exciting and fiery gypsy scene. She has subsequently staged reworked versions of her ''Cinderella'' 2005, ''Giselle'' 2006, ''La Sylphide'' 2007, and in 2008 choreographed, produced and designed a full-length ''Nutcracker'' with sold out seasons in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
References
website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fry, Beverly Jane
Australian ballerinas
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Australian Ballet School alumni
English emigrants to Australia
20th-century Australian dancers
21st-century Australian dancers
People from Melbourne