Antoinette Sibley
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Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British
prima 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 ...
. She joined the
Royal 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 in ...
from 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 ...
in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with
Anthony Dowell Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century. Early life and trai ...
. After her retirement from dancing in 1989 she became President of 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 1991, and guest coach at the Royal Ballet (1991) and Governor, Royal Ballet Board (2000).


Early years

Sibley was born in the London suburb of
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
, the daughter of Edward G Sibley and his wife Winfred, ''née'' Smith."Sibley, Dame Antoinette, (Dame Antoinette Corbett)"
''Who's Who 2013'', A & C Black, online edition Oxford University Press, November 2012, accessed 5 July 2013
She was educated at the Arts Educational Schools and 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 ...
. Her first appearance on the stage was as a swan 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 ...
'' in January 1956, when still a student. In July of the same year she joined the Royal Ballet company. Initially Sibley had small roles such as a friend of 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 ...
'' and
Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothe ...
in ''
Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
''.Clarke, p. 6 Joan Lawson in ''The Dancing Times'' wrote of Sibley's dancing, "lyrical qualities and beautifully flowing line". On 21 March 1959
Dame 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 Russes, ...
, artistic director of the Royal Ballet, allowed Sibley to undertake her first major role, at a matinée at the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
. Sibley was cast as Swanhilda in '' Coppelia''. During 1959 Sibley had the chance to be tutored by one of the greatest ballerinas of the twentieth century,
Tamara Karsavina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (russian: Тамара Платоновна Карсавина; 10 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 lat ...
.Clarke, p. 7 Karsavina said to Sibley, "To get the full benefit from battements frappés we must train our muscles to give a quick reaction. This means that the dégagé must be sharp and in the nature of a 'hit out'." On 24 October 1959, Sibley was unexpectedly allowed to dance the leading role 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 ...
'' partnered by the principal dancer,
Michael Somes Michael George Somes CBE (28 September 191718 November 1994), was an English ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, London, and the frequent partner of Margot Fonteyn. Early years Somes was born in Horsley, Gloucestersh ...
. This was her big break. Tours to the United States and the Soviet Union quickly followed. Natalia Roslavleva, writing in ''The Ballet Annual'', observed of Sibley and the Royal Ballet when dancing in Moscow, "Youthful charm, good technique and engaging personalities do part of the work for these dancers. To become great they will have to invest a lot of sweat and tears in the development of mature stagecraft."Clarke, p. 8


Major career

One of Sibley's first important roles was in ''Jabez and the Devil'' (1961), choreographed by
Alfred Rodrigues Alfred Rodrigues (18 August 1922 – 12 January 2002) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer. His works have been produced by ballet and opera companies in many countries of the world. Early life and training Born in Cape Town, a cos ...
, who was among the earliest to recognize her talents. She danced her first Aurora in ''The Sleeping Beauty'' on 27 December 1961, partnered by John Gilpin. The performance was praised: "Her Aurora, already enchanting, promises to be for her generation what Fonteyn's had been to mine."
Sir 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 oppositi ...
's '' The Dream'' (1964), a balletic version of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'' was created for Sibley and the up-and-coming
Anthony Dowell Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century. Early life and trai ...
. Ashton cast Sibley as Titania and Dowell as
Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fair ...
. David Vaughan wrote that the production was "sure of a place in contemporary ballet history if only because it initiated a new partnership, Sibley and Dowell, that was to become second only to Fonteyn and Nureyev in popular esteem ..." Writing of Sibley's performance Vaughan commented, "no-one has managed to emulate Sibley's swiftness and her impersonation of a half-wild creature, nor the silken fluidity of Dowell's phrasing." Sibley was renowned during her time at the Royal Ballet for her performances in
MacMillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...
's ''Romeo and Juliet''. She also danced the major roles of ''Odette'' and ''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 ...
'', 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, ...
'' and ''Aurora'' in '' The Sleeping Beauty''. Further roles were in Ashton's ballets, '' Symphonic Variations'' and ''
Daphnis and Chloe ''Daphnis and Chloe'' ( el, Δάφνις καὶ Χλόη, ''Daphnis kai Chloē'') is an ancient Greek novel written in the Roman Empire, the only known work of the second-century AD Greek novelist and romance writer Longus. Setting and style ...
'',
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
's ''
Dances at a Gathering ''Dances at a Gathering'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Frédéric Chopin, with costumes designed by Joe Eula. The ballet premiered on May 22, 1969, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet. ...
'' and '' Afternoon of a Faun''. Sibley also was the ballerina MacMillan used to create the lead in ''
Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...
''. Among the other ballets in which Sibley created roles are ''Monotones'', ''Jazz Calendar'', ''Anastasia'', ''Triad'', ''L’invitation au voyage'', ''Varii Capricci'', ''Fleeting Figures'' and ''
Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...
''. In ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Mary Clarke said when Sibley first announced her retirement, "Other dancers will inherit the ballerina roles but one small Ashton creation is Sibley's for ever. No-one has, no-one ever will get to the heart of Dorabella in Enigma Variations the way Sibley did. There have been other Swan Queens, Auroras and Giselles but for anyone who saw Sibley dance there is only one Dorabella."Clarke, Mary. "The dancer who called it a day", ''The Guardian'', 12 May 1979, p. 11


Retirement

Sibley announced her retirement in 1979, but was persuaded to return. She finally retired in 1989, after months of struggling with injury. She took the advice of Karsavina who had said, "leave the stage before the stage leaves you." In retirement she became President of 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 1991, and guest coach at the Royal Ballet (1991) and Governor, Royal Ballet Board (2000). Now there is a ballet studio named after her at Francis Holland School Sloane Square where there was a night dedicated to her and several portraits of her dancing in The Sleeping Beauty, Afternoon of a Faun and Scenes de Ballet hang in the ballet studio.


Personal life

From 1964-73 Sibley was married to the dancer
Michael Somes Michael George Somes CBE (28 September 191718 November 1994), was an English ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, London, and the frequent partner of Margot Fonteyn. Early years Somes was born in Horsley, Gloucestersh ...
. After their divorce, in 1974 she married London-based banker, (Richard) Panton Corbett, of a landed gentry family of
Longnor, Shropshire Longnor is a village and civil parish off the A49 road, south of Dorrington and north of Leebotwood in Shropshire, England, with a population of 289. The nearest railway station is Church Stretton, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) away. The Cound Brook ...
, who changed their name from Plymley in 1804 to inherit the estate from their relatives, the
Corbet baronets There have been six baronetcies created for members of the Corbet family, four in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. All creations are extinct. The recipients were ...
. They have a son and a daughter. He died 17 May 2021 aged 83.


Notes


References

*


External links


The Ballerina Gallery – Dame Antoinette Sibley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibley, Antoinette 1939 births Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Dancers of The Royal Ballet English ballerinas Living people People from Bromley Prima ballerinas