Elaine Maria McDonald (2 May 1943 – 8 December 2018) was a pioneer ballerina in Scotland.

Early life

McDonald was born in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. When she was 11, she won a competition set up by the

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

in London, to study ballet in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

. She subsequently gained a place at 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 ...

Career

She first worked in the London Ballet Company, and then with the Western Theatre Ballet, based in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. This company had been established by choreographer

Peter Darrell Peter Darrell (''né'' Skinner; 16 September 1929 – 2 December 1987) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder of the Scottish Ballet. For almost four decades Darrell was one of the most productive and imaginative talents in Br ...

. Darrell was invited to relocate his company in 1969 to Glasgow in order to establish a national ballet company in Scotland. McDonald also moved to Glasgow at this time, and was promoted from Soloist to Principal.

Awards and honours

McDonald was made an OBE in 1983 for services to dance.

Court Case

McDonald had a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 1999, which left her disabled and using a wheelchair as well as needing regular home care. In 2014 she took her local council,

Kensington and Chelsea Council Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Kensington and Chel ...

, to court in order to challenge its decision not to provide an overnight carer to assist her. She lost her case at the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

. The ruling was seen as victory as the court stated failing to consider a person's dignity could be considered a breach of human rights, and linked dignity to

Article 8 Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides a right to respect for one's "privacy, private and family life, his home and his privacy of correspondence, correspondence", subject to certain restrictions that are "in accordance with l ...

of the

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Elaine 1943 births 2018 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scottish ballerinas