Gordon Hamilton (1918 – 14 February 1959) was an Australian ballet dancer. Gordon Hamilton was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1918. Hamilton trained with

Mischa Burlakov Mischa is a diminutive form of the name Mikhail. Men * Mischa Auer (1905–1967), Russian actor born Mikhail Semyonovich Unskovsky * Mikhail Mischa Bakaleinikoff (1890–1960), Russian-born musical director, Hollywood film composer and conduct ...

aged 18, and then

Leon Kellaway Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

. Hamilton's first role was in 1937, in the

First Australian Ballet First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

's production of ''Le Carnaval'' as Moya Beaver's partner. He later moved to London. Hamilton created roles in Robert Helpmann's ''Hamlet'' (1942), ''

Miracle in the Gorbals ''Miracle in the Gorbals'' (1944) is a one-act ballet choreographed by Robert Helpmann to a story by Michael Benthall, with music by Arthur Bliss. The setting is the 1940s slums in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. It became a staple of the Royal Ball ...

'' (1944) and '' Adam Zero'' (1966); and in

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Rose ...

's ''Les Demoiselles de la nuit'' (1948) and ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' (1949). Hamilton gave Ninette de Valois her famous nickname, ''Madam'', when he created the role of an aging butterfly hunter in ''Promenade'' in 1943. In 1954, Hamilton was appointed ballet master with the Vienna State Opera. Hamilton died on 14 February 1959 in Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Gordon Australian male ballet dancers 1918 births 1959 deaths Dancers of The Royal Ballet People from Sydney Australian expatriates in Austria Australian expatriates in France