The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

company, based at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, London, England. The largest of the five major

ballet companies A ballet company is a type of dance troupe that performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round b ...

in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in 1931 by

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, ...

. It became the resident ballet company of the Royal Opera House in 1946, and has purpose-built facilities within these premises. It was granted a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1956, becoming recognised as Britain's flagship ballet company. The Royal Ballet was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and continues to be one of the world's most famous ballet companies to this day, generally noted for its artistic and creative values. The company employs approximately 100 dancers. The official associate school of the company is 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 ...

, and it also has a sister company, the

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the co ...

, which operates independently. The

Prima ballerina assoluta ''Prima ballerina assoluta'' is a title awarded to the most notable of female ballet dancers. To be recognised as a ''prima ballerina assoluta'' is a rare honour, traditionally reserved for the most exceptional dancers of their generation. Orig ...

of the Royal Ballet is the late

Dame Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE ( Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn (), was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells Theatr ...

History

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 Russ ...

, an Irish-born dancer founded the Academy of Choreographic Art, in 1926, a dance school for girls. Her intention was to form a repertory ballet company and school, leading her to collaborate with the English theatrical producer and theatre owner

Lilian Baylis Lilian Mary Baylis (9 May 187425 November 1937) was an English theatrical producer and manager. She managed the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres in London and ran an opera company, which became the English National Opera (ENO); a theatre co ...

. Baylis owned the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

theatres and in 1925 she engaged de Valois to stage dance performances at both venues. Sadler's Wells reopened in 1931 and the Vic-Wells Ballet and Vic-Wells Ballet School were established in premises at the theatre. These would become the predecessors of today's Royal Ballet,

and

. Prior to her return to Britain, Ninette de Valois had been a member of the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

, one of the most renowned and influential ballet companies of the 20th century. The company disbanded in 1929 following the death of its founder

Serge Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

. When de Valois formed the Vic-Wells Ballet, she employed some of the company's former stars, including

Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a Choreography (dance), choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her ...

and

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) (1904–1983), English ballet dancer and choreographer * Anton Dolin (film critic) Anton Vladimirovich Dolin (; ) is a Russian film critic, journalist, radio host, blogger and podcaster. ...

, who joined as Principal dancers, and

Tamara Karsavina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (; 9 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 later of the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. After settling ...

, who worked with the company as an advisor. The Founder Musical Director was the conductor and composer

Constant Lambert Leonard Constant Lambert (23 August 190521 August 1951) was a British composer, conductor, and author. He was the founding music director of the Royal Ballet, and (alongside Dame Ninette de Valois and Sir Frederick Ashton) he was a major figu ...

who had considerable artistic as well as musical influence over the early years of the company.Vaughan D. Frederick Ashton and his Ballets. A & C Black Ltd, London, 1977. The long-term pianist and accompanist (from the 1930s until her death in 1974) was

Hilda Gaunt Hilda Gaunt (1906 – 10 October 1975) was rehearsal pianist with The Royal Ballet for over 40 years. Gaunt first attracted attention as a pianist and accompanist in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1931 Gaunt became the accompanist at the Vic ...

. After losing the link with the Old Vic theatre, in 1939 the company was renamed Sadler's Wells Ballet and the school became Sadler's Wells Ballet School. Both continued at Sadler's Wells Theatre until 1946, when the company was invited to become the resident ballet company of the newly re-opened Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, under the direction of David Webster. The company relocated to the opera house the same year in 1946, with their first production at the venue being '' The Sleeping Beauty''. Following the relocation of the company, the school moved to its own premises in 1947. A sister company was established to continue performances at Sadler's Wells, called the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, under the direction of

John Field John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

. In 1955, the sister company temporarily lost its link with Sadler's Wells and returned to the Royal Opera House as a touring unit of the main company. In 1956, a Royal Charter was granted for both companies and the school; they were subsequently renamed the Royal Ballet, Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1970, while continuing to tour the country. In 1987, however, the company was invited to become the resident ballet company at the

Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including v ...

. It relocated to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

in 1990, being renamed

and it ceased to be part of the Royal Ballet in 1997 when it was made independent of the Royal Opera House, with

Sir Peter Wright Sir Peter Wright CBE (born 25 November 1926) is a British ballet teacher, choreographer, director and former professional dancer. He worked as a choreographer and as the artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a classical ballet company ba ...

as artistic director. Birmingham Royal Ballet retains close relationships with both the Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School, which is the official school of the company. In 1964 the Royal Ballet established "Ballet for All" under the direction of Peter Brinson. Between 1964 and 1979 "Ballet for All" toured throughout the country, presenting around 150 performances per annum and reaching around 70,000 people each year. In 1976 the Royal Opera House established its schools' matinee programme. Today the Royal Ballet remains the resident ballet company at the Royal Opera House, conducting its own tours internationally, and it continues to be the parent company of the Royal Ballet School, which is now based at

White Lodge, Richmond Park White Lodge is a Grade I listed Georgian house situated in Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Formerly a royal residence, it now houses the Royal Ballet Lower School, instructing students aged 11–16. Early histor ...

and premises in

Floral Street Floral Street is a narrow street in the Covent Garden area of London, England. It runs east from Garrick Street to Bow Street and contains a number of fashion stores, including Paul Smith (fashion designer), Paul Smith. The Upper School of the R ...

, which are adjacent to and have direct access to the Royal Opera House.

Sergeyev

During its formative years, the Sadler's Wells Ballet would become one of the first ballet companies outside the Soviet Union to stage full productions of ballets by

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

and

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet. As a performer with the Mariinsky Ballet, ...

, which were central to the repertory of the

Imperial Russian Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () 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 Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

. To stage these ballets with her newly formed company, de Valois employed Nicholas Sergeyev, a former régisseur of the Imperial. He staged productions of Petipa's ''The Sleeping Beauty''; Petipa and Ivanov's ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'' and ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

''; Petipa and Cecchetti's production of ''

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 Petipa's ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

''. Created with the aid of choreographic notation written in St Petersburg at the turn of the 20th century, these works have been included in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet ever since. The company now uses Peter Wright's 1984 production of ''The Nutcracker'', which uses some of Sergeyev's notation. Sergeyev's revivals of these ballets in London are regarded as the foundation point of the traditional classical ballet repertoire, and led to their being restaged throughout the world. Sergeyev is considered to have made one of the most significant contributions to the popularity of ballet worldwide. His choreographic notation and other materials relating to it have been preserved in the

Sergeyev Collection The Sergeyev Collection (officially Nikolai Sergeev Dance Notations and Music Scores for Ballets) is an assemblage of materials that document the repertory of the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg as it existed at the turn-of-the 20th century. The ...

, part of the theatre collection of the

Harvard University Library Harvard Library is the network of libraries and services at Harvard University, a private Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Library is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic librar ...

Prima ballerina assoluta

The Royal Ballet is one of the few ballet companies in the world to have employed four dancers considered to be

prima ballerina assoluta ''Prima ballerina assoluta'' is a title awarded to the most notable of female ballet dancers. To be recognised as a ''prima ballerina assoluta'' is a rare honour, traditionally reserved for the most exceptional dancers of their generation. Orig ...

, including three who studied at the Royal Ballet School. The first was

who, having been mentored by Ninette de Valois as a member of

, was invited to become one of the founder dancers of the Royal Ballet. She was designated the company's first Prima ballerina, and was later recognised as a Prima ballerina assoluta.

Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE ( Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn (), was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with th ...

trained at the Royal Ballet School and spent her entire career with the company. As a gift for her 60th birthday, she was appointed Prima ballerina assoluta by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Phyllis Spira joined the Royal Ballet School in 1959, graduating into the Royal Ballet touring company. She later returned to her native South Africa, where she was appointed Prima ballerina assoluta by the President in 1984. The most recent is

Alessandra Ferri Alessandra Ferri OMRI (born 6 May 1963) is an Italian prima ballerina. She danced with the Royal Ballet (1980–1984), American Ballet Theatre (1985–2007) and La Scala Theatre Ballet (1992–2007) and as an international guest artist, before ...

, who completed her training at the Royal Ballet Upper School and began her career with the Royal Ballet. After dancing with the company for four years, she was later appointed prima ballerina assoluta of

La Scala Theatre Ballet The La Scala Theatre Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company at La Scala in Milan, Italy. One of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world, the company pre-dates the theatre, but was officially founded at the inaugura ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Other prima ballerina assoluta have also appeared with the Royal Ballet as guest dancers, including: the French ballerina

Yvette Chauviré Yvette Chauviré (; 22 April 1917 – 19 October 2016) was a French prima ballerina assoluta and actress. She is often described as France's greatest ballerina, and was the mentor of another pair of well-known prima ballerinas named, Sylvie Guill ...

, and the Georgian ballerina

Nina Ananiashvili Nina Ananiashvili (born Nino Ananiashvili; ka, ნინო ანანიაშვილი; born March 19, 1963) is a Georgian ballerina and artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia. She has been described by the ''Daily Telegraph' ...

Structure

The Royal Ballet has six ranks of dancers: * Artist: the lowest rank in the company. Together with the First Artists, dancers at this level form the ''

Corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French language, French for "body of the little dance") is the group of ballet dancer, dancers who are not principal dancers or Soloist (ballet), soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and ...

''. Ballet school graduates entering the company usually do so at this level. * First Artist: Dancers at this level have the opportunity to perform some of the ''Corps de Ballet's'' more featured rôles, such as the ''Dance of the Cygnets'' in ''

''. ''First Artists'' will occasionally be cast in minor ''Soloist'' rôles if they are being considered for promotion. * Soloist: a rank normally occupied by 15–20 dancers in the company, who perform most of the solo and minor rôles, such as ''

Mercutio Mercutio ( , ) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is a close friend to Romeo and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, Mercutio is one of the named characters in the ...

'' in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' or one of the Fairies in '' The Sleeping Beauty''. * First soloist: the rank at which dancers are being considered for promotion to ''Principal''. A dancer at this rank will dance a varied repertoire of the most featured soloist rôles, whilst understudying principals and so performing leading rôles when a ''Principal'' dancer is injured or unavailable. * Principal character artist: the rank given to members of the company who perform important character rôles in a ballet. These rôles are normally very theatrical and often include

character dance Character dance is a specific subdivision of classical dance. It is the stylized representation of a traditional folk or national dance, mostly from European countries, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theater. Char ...

and ballet mime. Examples include ''

Carabosse The Wicked fairy is the antagonist of ''Sleeping Beauty''. In some adaptations, she is known as Carabosse. The most notable adaptation of the character is Maleficent, a Disney villain who has appeared in various Disney media, beginning with the ...

'' in '' The Sleeping Beauty'' or Drosselmeyer in ''

''. Most Principal Character Artists in the Royal Ballet are older, long-serving members of the company who are no longer able to dance the more physically challenging roles. * Principal: the highest rank in the Royal Ballet. Dancers at this level are the leading dancers in the company, and generally perform the most demanding and prominent rôles in a ballet. Many of the world's most celebrated dancers have been principals with the company. The Royal Ballet also has the special ranks of "guest artist" and "principal guest artist". The title of guest artist is given to a visiting dancer who has been cast in a role for a specific ballet or limited season. The title of principal guest artist is sometimes given to guest artists who perform with the company on a longer-term basis.

The company

The Royal Ballet employs approximately 100 dancers and a complete list as of 2013 is shown below. The company also has an Executive, Artistic and Music staff, including the following: * Director –

Kevin O'Hare Kevin Patrick O'Hare, CBE, (born 14 September 1965) is a British retired ballet dancer and current Director of The Royal Ballet. He succeeded Monica Mason in the role in 2012. Early life O’Hare was born in Kingston upon Hull to Northern Iris ...

, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School and former dancer with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet * Music Director –

Koen Kessels Koen Kessels (born 1961) is a Belgian conductor and pianist. He is music director of The Royal Ballet and of Het Balletorkest, affiliated with the Dutch National Ballet. Biography Trained as a pianist, Kessels studied at the Royal Conservat ...

, a Belgian conductor * Resident Choreographer – Wayne McGregor CBE, an award-winning choreographer, most noted in the field of contemporary dance and as artistic director of ''Random Dance'' company * Artistic Associate – Christopher Wheeldon OBE

Principal dancers

*Principal Guest Artist

Principal character artists

*Christina Arestis *

Gary Avis Gary Avis MBE is an English ballet dancer who is a principal character artist and senior ballet master with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Avis was born in Ipswich. He was first trained in musical theatre, and had performed in the Royal ...

(Ballet Master) *Bennet Gartside *

Alastair Marriott Alistair Marriott is an English ballet choreographer and principal character artist of The Royal Ballet. Biography Marriott was born in St Margaret's at Cliffe, Kent, England. He began studying dance at the Deal Dance Centre, before entering pro ...

* Elizabeth McGorian *Kristen McNally *Christopher Saunders (Senior Ballet Master) *Thomas Whitehead

First soloists

*Luca Acri *Lukas B. Brændsrød *Annette Buvoli *

Claire Calvert Claire Louise Calvert (born 1988) is an English ballet dancer and is a first soloist at the Royal Ballet. Early life and training Calvert started ballet training at the age of three. She started attending The Royal Ballet School when she was 1 ...

Yuhui Choe Yuhui Choe () is a Korean ballet dancer. She is a first soloist at The Royal Ballet. Early life Choe was born in Fukuoka, Japan. Choe started ballet training at the age of five. At the age of 14, Choe left her family and moved to Paris to tra ...

*Leo Dixon *Leticia Dias *Nicol Edmonds *Isabella Gasparini *James Hay *Meaghan Grace Hinkis *Joonhyuk Jun *Sae Maeda * Itziar Mendizabal *Mariko Sasaki *Valentino Zucchetti

Soloists

*Sophie Allnatt *Liam Boswell *Mica Bradbury *Olivia Cowley *Ashley Dean *David Donnelly *Téo Dubreuil *Tristan Dyer *Benjamin Ella *Hannah Grennell *Daichi Ikarashi *Joshua Junker *Chisato Katsura *Taisuke Nakao *Romany Pajdak *Giacomo Rovero *Francisco Serrano

First artists

*Madison Bailey *Harris Bell *Harry Churches *Kevin Emerton *Brayden Gallucci *Bomin Kim *Harrison Lee *Isabel Lubach *Marco Masciari *Erico Montes *Nadia Mullova-Barley *Katharina Nikelski *Aiden O’Brien *Viola Pantuso *Julia Roscoe *Sumina Sasaki *Leticia Stock *Charlotte Tonkinson *Marianna Tsembenhoi *Amelia Townsend *Lara Turk *Yu Hang

Artists

*Denilson Almeida *Bethany Bartlett *Martin Diaz *Olivia Findlay *Luc Foskett *Sierra Glasheen *Scarlett Harvey *James Large *Caspar Lench *Ella Newton Severgnini *Hanna Park *Maddison Pritchard *Isabella Shaker *Blake Smith *Ginevra Zambon

Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme

*Ravi Connier-Watson *Emile Gooding *Francesca Lloyd *Alejandro Muñoz *Katie Robertson *Rebecca Myles Stewart

Prix de Lausanne dancer

*Airi Kobayashi

Repertoire

* ''

'' * ''

'' *''

La fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'' *'' Onegin'' *'' Sylvia'' *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' *''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' *''

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 f ...

'' *''

'' – (''

Romeo and Juliet (MacMillan) Choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Royal Ballet production of Sergei Prokofiev's ''Romeo and Juliet'' premiered at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 9 February 1965. Background Kenneth MacMillan had previously choreographed the b ...

'') *''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden (district of Austria), Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Vienna Woods, Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), so ...

'' *''

The Prince of the Pagodas ''The Prince of the Pagodas'' is a ballet created for The Royal Ballet by choreographer John Cranko with music commissioned from Benjamin Britten. Its premiere took place on 1 January 1957 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, conducted ...

'' *'' A Month in the Country'' *''

Winter Dreams "Winter Dreams" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald first published in '' Metropolitan'' magazine in December 1922 and collected in '' All the Sad Young Men'' in 1926. The plot concerns the attempts by a young Midwestern man to win the aff ...

'' *''

The Tales of Beatrix Potter ''The Tales of Beatrix Potter'' (US title: ''Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter'') is a 1971 ballet film based on the children's stories of English author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. The film was directed by Reginald Mills, choreograph ...

'' *''

Peter and the Wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и волк, Pétya i volk, p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk) Op. 67, a "symphonic tale for children", is a Program music , programmatic musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a ...

'' *''

'' *'' Les Patineurs'' *''

La Valse ''La valse'', ''poème chorégraphique pour orchestre'' (a choreographic poem for orchestra), is a work written by Maurice Ravel between February 1919 and 1920; it was first performed on 12 December 1920 in Paris. It was conceived as a ballet bu ...

'' *''

Theme and Variations In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve melody, rhythm, harmony, counterpoint, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these. Variation is often contrasted with mu ...

'' *'' Invitus Invitam'' *'' Rhapsody'' *''

Sensorium A sensorium (/sɛnˈsɔːrɪəm/) (: sensoria) is the apparatus of an organism's perception considered as a whole. It is the "seat of sensation" where it experiences, perceives and interprets the environments within which it lives. The term ori ...

'' *''

The Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring'' () is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky ...

'' *''

Ballo della Regina ''Ballo della Regina'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine. Set to the ballet divertissement from Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Don Carlos'', the Balanchine ballet is plotless but alludes to the grotto setting of the divertissement. The ball ...

'' *'' DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse'' *''

Scènes de ballet (Ashton) ''Scènes de ballet'' is a one-act ballet choreographed by Frederick Ashton, who created it during 1947–1948 to Igor Stravinsky's Scènes de ballet (Stravinsky), eponymous music from 1944. The first performance was given by the The Royal Ba ...

'' *'' Voluntaries'' *''

Still Life at the Penguin Cafe ''Still Life at the Penguin Cafe'' is a ballet choreographed by David Bintley and featuring music composed by Simon Jeffes, founder of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It is also the title of the accompanying album. Geoffrey Richardson (musician), G ...

'' *''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' *''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is an 1877 ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by the French choreographer Marius Petipa to music by Ludwig Minkus and libretto by . The ba ...

'' *''

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (; ) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine, who c ...

'' *''

Agon () is the Greek personification for a conflict, struggle or contest, describing a concept of the same name. This could be a contest in athletics, in chariot or horse racing, or in music or literature at a public festival in ancient Greece. i ...

'' *'' Symphony in C'' *''

Ondine Ondine is a variation of undine, the category of elemental beings associated with water Ondine may also refer to: Literature * ''Ondine'' (novel), a novel by Shannon Drake (1988) * ''Ondine'' (play), a play by Jean Giraudoux (1938) * ''Ondine ...

'' *''Concerto'' *''

Elite Syncopations "Elite Syncopations" is a 1902 ragtime piano composition by American composer Scott Joplin, originally published in 1903 by John Stark & Son.The Judas Tree'' *''

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 novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' *''

Limen In physiology, psychology, or psychophysics, a limen or a liminal point is a sensory threshold of a physiological or psychological response. Such points delineate boundaries of perception; that is, a limen defines a sensory threshold beyond which ...

'' *'' Chroma'' *''

Asphodel Meadows In Greek mythology, the Asphodel Meadows or Asphodel Fields () was a section of the ancient Greek underworld where the majority of ordinary souls were sent to live after death. It was one of the three main divisions of the underworld along with ...

'' *''

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

'' *''As One'' *''

Electric Counterpoint ''Electric Counterpoint'' is a minimalist composition by the American composer Steve Reich. The piece consists of three movements, "Fast," "Slow", and "Fast". Reich has offered two versions of the piece: one for electric guitar and tape (the ...

'' *'' Tryst'' *'' Song of the Earth'' *''

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

'' *'' The Dream'' *''

Sweet Violets "Sweet Violets" is an American song (Roud 10232) that contains classic example of a "censored rhyme", where the expected rhyme of each couplet or verse is replaced with a surprising word which segues into the next couplet or chorus. For example, ...

'' *'' Carbon Life'' * ''The Winter's Tale'' *''Frankenstein'' *''Like Water for Chocolate''

Sir Frederick Ashton

Sir Frederick Ashton was the founder choreographer of the Royal Ballet. Previously a dancer with the

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

, Ashton started his career as a choreographer under the direction of Dame

Marie Rambert Dame Marie Rambert DBE (born Cyvia Rambam; 20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and pedagogue who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher. Early years and background Born to a liberal ...

, before joining the Royal Ballet as its associate choreographer when the company was founded in 1931. He created the majority of the company's early works and staged their first performance at the Royal Opera House, a production of The Sleeping Beauty in 1946. Ashton was appointed artistic director of the Royal Ballet from 1963 to 1970, when he retired from the post. He continued to work as a choreographer internationally, with his final work being the ''Nursery Suite'', for a gala performance by the

at the Royal Opera House in 1986. His numerous ballets have since been staged by leading dance companies worldwide and feature strongly in the programming of the Royal Ballet today.

Works choreographed

Ashton created over 100 original ballet works and numerous other productions, some of the most notable including: * '' A Month in the Country'' * ''

Birthday Offering ''Birthday Offering'' is a pièce d'occasion in one scene choreographed by Frederick Ashton to music by Alexander Glazunov, arranged by Robert Irving (conductor), Robert Irving. The ballet was created in 1956, to celebrate the Royal Ballet's 25t ...

'' * ''

'' * ''Dante Sonata'' * ''Daphnis and Chloë'' * ''

Façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

'' * ''

'' * '' Les Patineurs'' * '' Les Rendezvous'' * ''

Marguerite and Armand ''Marguerite and Armand'' is a ballet danced to an orchestral arrangement of Franz Liszt's B minor piano sonata. It was created in 1963 by the British choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton specifically for Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. The ba ...

'' * ''Nocturne'' * ''

'' * ''Regatta'' * ''Rhapsody'' * ''Romeo and Juliet'' * '' Symphonic Variations'' * ''The Dream'' * ''Varii capricci''

Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 1929 – 29 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977. Although a talented dancer, MacMillan is best known for his choreography, and particularly for his work with the Royal Ballet. He also worked with the American Ballet Theatre (1956–7) and the Deutsche Oper, Berlin (1966–69). He succeeded Frederick Ashton as Director of the Royal Ballet in 1970 and resigned after seven years, frustrated at balancing the conflicting demands of creating ballets with administration. He continued as Principal Choreographer to the Royal Ballet until his death in 1992.

Works choreographed

His full-length works include: *''

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tarsus and Mopsuestia. The Muslim resid ...

nbsp;— made on

Lynn Seymour Lynn Seymour (born Berta Lynn Springbett; 8 March 1939 – 7 March 2023) was a Canadian-born ballerina, mostly associated with the Royal Ballet in London. She was a muse of choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, creating lead roles in ''Romeo and Jul ...

and

Christopher Gable Christopher Michael Gable, CBE (13 March 194023 October 1998) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor. Life and career Dance career Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ball ...

, but the premiere was danced by

and

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

*''

'' — made on

*''

'' — made on

Antoinette Sibley Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her re ...

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 tr ...

and Jennifer Penney *''

'' *''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name surviv ...

'' *''

989 Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...

nbsp;— made on

Darcey Bussell Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle; 27 April 1969) is a retired English ballet dancer, ballerina and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Trained at the Arts Educ ...

and Jonathan Cope. MacMillan's one-act ballets include: *''Danses Concertantes'' — commissioned by

in 1955 *Different Drummer *'' The Invitation'' — made on

and

, 1960 *''

'' — made on

Monica Mason Dame Monica Margaret Mason (born 6 September 1941) is a former ballet dancer, teacher, and director of The Royal Ballet. In more than a half-century with the company, she established a reputation as a versatile performer, a skilled rehearsal d ...

*''Elite Syncopations'' *''My Brother, My Sisters'' *''La Fin du Jour'' *''Valley of Shadows'' — made on

*''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

'' *''Noctambules'' *'' Song of the Earth'' *''Solitaire'' *''Requiem'' *''Winter Dreams'' — based on Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" *''The Judas Tree'' 1992 — his last ballet, made on

Viviana Durante Viviana Durante (born 8 May 1967) is an Italian ballet dancer, considered one of the great dramatic ballerinas of recent times. She was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Teatro alla Scala and K-Ballet. She is the ...

and

Irek Mukhamedov Irek Dzhavdatovich Mukhamedov OBE (: ; born 8 March 1960), is a Soviet-born British ballet dancer of Tatar origin who has danced with the Bolshoi Ballet and the Royal Ballet. Born in Kazan, he trained at the Moscow Choreographic Institute und ...

Wayne McGregor

Prior to his appointment as Resident Choreographer of the Royal Ballet, Wayne McGregor has already established himself as an award-winning dancer, choreographer and director. His first choreography for the Royal Ballet, was ''Fleur de Peux'', a solo work created in 2000 on Viviana Durante. This led to further commissions by the Royal Ballet, including ''Symbiont(s)'' in 2001, ''Qualia'' in 2003 and ''Engram'' in 2005. He also created the ballet ''brainstate'' in 2001, as a collaboration between the Royal Ballet and his own company, Random Dance. McGregor was appointed Resident Choreographer of the Royal Ballet in 2006, the first person to hold the post in sixteen years, and the first to be selected from the world of

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

Works choreographed

McGregor's works for the Royal Ballet include: *''Fleur de Peux'' *''Symbiont(s)'' *''Qualia'' *''Engram'' *'' Chroma'' *''Limen'' *''Nimbus'' *''Infra'' *''Live Fire Exercise'' *''Carbon Life'' *''

Woolf Works ''Woolf Works'' is a full-length contemporary ballet choreographed by Wayne McGregor, composed by Max Richter, and inspired by Virginia Woolf's novels, letters, essays and diaries. The premiere took place on 11 May 2015 at the Royal Opera Hou ...

'' *''The Dante Project''

Fonteyn–Nureyev

First performing together with the Royal Ballet in Giselle on 21 February 1962,

and

would form what has been called the greatest ballet partnership of all time. The partnership would lead to both dancers being noted amongst the most famous ballet dancers of all time and came at the peak of what is now widely regarded as the most successful period in the Royal Ballet's history. On 12 March 1963, the couple premiered 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 oppositio ...

's ''Marguerite and Armand'', the first ballet created for them and one that become their signature piece. Performed to a piece of piano music by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, the ballet starts with Marguerite on her deathbed, and the story is told in flashback until the moment Armand arrives to hold her for the last time before she dies. Ashton had planned the piece specifically for Fonteyn, and it was critically acclaimed as Fonteyn's dramatic peak, with fifty photographers attending the dress rehearsal and twenty-one curtain calls at the premiere performance. The final performance of the ballet starring Fonteyn and Nureyev was staged at a gala at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...

in 1977 and it was not performed again until 2003. Against the wishes of Frederick Ashton that it not be performed by any other dancers than Fonteyn and Nureyev, it was revived as part of a Royal Ballet triple-bill, starring Nureyev's protegee Sylvie Guillem and the Royal Ballet star Jonathan Cope. The Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership lasted for many years until Fonteyn's retirement from the Royal Ballet in 1979, aged 60. In 1970 after Frederick Ashton retired as artistic director of the Royal Ballet, there were many calls for Nureyev to be announced as his successor. However, Kenneth MacMillan was given the position, and Nureyev left the Royal Ballet as a Principal soon after to be a guest dancer internationally, later becoming artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1983. Fonteyn and Nureyev had a lifelong relationship both on and offstage and were close friends until Fonteyn's death in 1991. Nureyev is quoted as saying of the partnership that they danced with "one body, one soul".

Notable people

Dancers

Carlos Acosta Carlos Yunior Acosta Quesada (born 2 June 1973) is a Cuban-British ballet director and retired dancer who is director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He danced with many companies, including the English National Ballet, National Ballet o ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Leanne Benjamin Leanne Faye Benjamin (born 13 July 1964) is a retired Australian ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. She was appointed artistic director at the Queensland Ballet in 2024. She stepped down from the positio ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Svetlana Beriosova Svetlana Nikolayevna Beriosova (; 24 September 1932 – 10 November 1998), also spelled Beriozova or Beryozova, was a Lithuanian-British prima ballerina who danced with The Royal Ballet for more than 20 years. Early life Beriosova was born in Ka ...

* David Blair * Federico Bonelli * Dame Darcey Bussell, DBE * Alexander Campbell * José Manuel Carreño *

Alina Cojocaru Alina Cojocaru (born 27 May 1981) is a Romanian ballet dancer. She was previously a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and a lead principal with the English National Ballet. Early years Alina Cojocaru was born and raised in Bucharest, Ro ...

Lesley Collier Lesley Faye Collier (born 13 March 1947) is an English people, English ballerina and teacher of dance. In 1972 she became a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. In 1995 she left the company and began to teach at the Royal Ballet School. She is ...

* Michael Coleman * Jonathan Cope,

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 to Herbert and Grace Cranko in Rustenburg in ...

Lauren Cuthbertson Lauren Louise Cuthbertson (born 11 June 1984) is an English ballet dancer, ballerina and a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life and education Lauren Cuthbertson was born in Devon in 1984. She began studying dance at a ...

Henry Danton Henry Danton (born Henry David Boileau Down; 30 March 1919 – 9 February 2022) was a British dancer, teacher, and stager of classical ballet.

*Sir

, DBE *

Mara Galeazzi Mara Galeazzi (born 1973) is an Italian ballet dancer actress and choreographer.She was a Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet. Early life Galeazzi was born in Brescia, Italy. At age 10, she started ballet training at La Scala Theatre Ballet S ...

John Gilpin John Gilpin was featured as the subject in a well-known comic ballad of 1782 by William Cowper, entitled '' The Diverting History of John Gilpin''. Cowper had heard the story from his friend Lady Austen. Gilpin was said to be a wealthy drap ...

* Alexander Grant *Dame

Beryl Grey Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey (née Groom; 11 June 1927 – 10 December 2022) was a British ballet dancer. Early life Beryl Elizabeth Groom was born in Highgate, London on 11 June 1927 to Annie and Arthur "Bob" Groom. She was an only child. She beg ...

, DBE * Sylvie Guillem,

Francesca Hayward Francesca Hayward (born 4 July 1992) is a Kenyan-born British ballet dancer and actress. She is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London. In 2019, she starred as Victoria the White Cat in the musical film ''Cats'', an ad ...

*Sir

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (né Helpman) (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet (no ...

* Rowena Jackson, MBE * Colin Jones * Johan Kobborg *

Tetsuya Kumakawa is a Japanese ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. Early life Tetsuya Kumakawa was born on 5 March 1972 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. He began studying ballet at 10 years old. At age 15, he moved to the UK and tra ...

Sarah Lamb Sarah Lamb (born 17 October 1980) is an American principal ballet dancer with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Lamb is the second of three daughters born to Kathleen and John Lamb. Her father is English an ...

Gillian Lynne Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-runni ...

Natalia Makarova Natalia Romanovna Makarova (, born 21 November 1940) is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. ''The History of Dance'', published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her a ...

* David Makhateli *Dame

, DBE *

Roberta Marquez Roberta Marquez is a Brazilian ballet dancer who was a Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet. Early life Roberta Marquez was born in Rio de Janeiro to a Peruvian mother and a to a Portuguese father who was raised in Brazil. She started ballet ...

*Dame

, DBE *

Steven McRae Steven McRae (born 19 December 1985) is an Australian ballet dancer and tap dancer. He is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, London.

Laura Morera Laura Morera is a Spanish ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet until her retirement in 2023. Early life and training Morera was born in Madrid. She started attending the Royal Academy of Dance's summer programme in Lon ...

Vadim Muntagirov Vadim Muntagirov is a Russian ballet dancer. He is currently a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet in London and previously a lead principal dancer at the English National Ballet. Early life Muntagirov, was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia. His pa ...

Nadia Nerina Nadia Nerina (21 October 1927 – 6 October 2008) was a South African dancer who was "one of the most gifted, versatile, and inspiring ballerinas of The Royal Ballet" during the 1950s and 1960s. She was known "for her technical virtuosity, ...

Marianela Núñez Marianela Núñez ( OBE) (born 23 March 1982) is an Argentine-British ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Marianela Núñez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has three older brothers. Her m ...

Natalia Osipova Natalia Petrovna Osipova (; born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London. Early life and training Born in Moscow, Osipova began formal ballet training at the age of nine at the Mikha ...

*Dame Merle Park, DBE *

Georgina Parkinson Georgina Parkinson (20 August 1938 – 18 December 2009) was an English ballet dancer and ballet mistress. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1957 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1962. Best known for dancing 20th-century works, she was ...

* Rupert Pennefather *

Sergei Polunin Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin (; ; born 20 November 1989) is a Ukrainian ballet dancer, actor and model. He has Ukrainian, Russian, and Serbian citizenships, but has "always regarded himself as Russian". Born in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Polun ...

Ivan Putrov Ivan Oleksandrovych Putrov (; born 8 March 1980) is a Ukrainian-born ballet dancer and producer. He trained at The Kyiv State Choreographic Institute and at The Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation Sir Anthony Dowell invited him to join the Royal ...

* Samantha Raine *

Tamara Rojo Tamara Rojo Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 17 May 1974) is a Spanish ballet dancer. She was the English National Ballet's artistic director and a lead principal dancer with the company between 2012 and 2022. She was previously a principa ...

*Dame

, DBE *

Moira Shearer Moira Shearer King, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006) was a Scottish ballet dancer and actress. She was famous for her performances in Powell and Pressburger's ''The Red Shoes (1948 film), The Red Shoes'' (1948) and ''The Tales ...

, Lady Kennedy *

Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''. Early life Wayne Sleep was born in Plymou ...

Thiago Soares Thiago Soares (born 18 May 1981) is a Brazilian ballet dancer and choreographer. He is a former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London, and guest principal in other theatres around the world. Early life Born in 1981 in Rio de Janeir ...

* Zoltan Solymosi *

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 ...

* David Wall,

* Edward Watson, MBE *

Miyako Yoshida Miyako Yoshida (吉田都, born 28 October 1965) is a Japanese ballet dancer. She was a Principal Guest Artist of The Royal Ballet as well as a principal dancer with K-ballet, Japan. Life and career Born and trained in Tokyo, Yoshida won the ...

Zenaida Yanowsky Zenaida Yanowsky, Lady Keenlyside (born 23 December 1975), is a French-born Spanish ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life Yanowsky was born in Lyon, France, where her parents, Russian ballet da ...

Alexandra Ansanelli Alexandra Noel Ansanelli is a retired American ballet dancer who was a Principal dancer at New York City Ballet and the Royal Ballet prior to her retirement at a relatively young age. Early life Ansanelli was born in Manhassett, Long Island ...

Guest dancers

Roberto Bolle Roberto Bolle (born 26 March 1975) is an Italian danseur. He is a principal dancer ''étoile'' at La Scala Theatre Ballet. Bolle also dances regularly as a guest artist with the world’s leading companies, including The Royal Ballet, the Ma ...

Ethan Stiefel Ethan Stiefel (born February 13, 1973) is an American dancer, choreographer, and director. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997 until July 2012. He was the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from ...

Igor Zelensky Igor Anatolyevich Zelensky (; born 13 July 1969) is a Russian ballet dancer. Early life Zelensky was born on 13 July 1969, in Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. He was a principal at the Ma ...

* Yvette Chauvire *

Choreographers

*Sir

, founder choreographer *

David Bintley Sir David Julian Bintley (born 17 September 1957) is an English former ballet dancer, the artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and co-artistic director of the New National Theatre Tokyo ballet company. Early life Bintley was born ...

*Sir

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. Ea ...

Wayne McGregor Sir Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a British choreographer and director who has won multiple awards. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Comma ...

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Early life Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dancer at th ...

Liam Scarlett Liam Scarlett (8 April 198616 April 2021) was a British choreographer who was an artist in residence with The Royal Ballet and artistic associate with Queensland Ballet. He also choreographed new works for Ballet Black, Miami City Ballet, No ...

Artistic directors

*1931–1963, Dame

*1963–1970, Sir

*1970–1977, Sir

*1970–1971,

(co-director) *1977–1986,

Norman Morrice Norman Alexander Morrice (10 September 1931 – 11 January 2008) was a British dancer, choreographer and artistic director of both Ballet Rambert from 1966 to 1974 and the Royal Ballet from 1977 to 1986, two of the UK's major ballet companies. E ...

*1986–2001, Sir

*2001–2002, Ross Stretton *2002–2012, Dame

*2012–present,

Ross Stretton

Born in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia, in 1952, Ross Stretton trained at the

Australian Ballet School The Australian Ballet School is the premier ballet training facility in Australia, located in Melbourne. History The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scot ...

, later becoming a principal dancer with

the Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur a ...

company. He then moved to America, where he danced with the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

and as a principal dancer with

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

before retiring as a dancer in 1990. He was appointed regisseur of American Ballet Theatre, becoming assistant director of the company in 1993. After returning to Australia, he was artistic director of the Australian Ballet from 1997 to 2001. Following Sir Anthony Dowell's retirement as artistic director of the Royal Ballet in 2001, the board of the Royal Opera House announced Stretton as his successor, with a three-year contract; however, he resigned the post after 13 months, in September 2002. Stretton's appointment and subsequent departure from the Royal Ballet generated an unprecedented level of media attention for the Royal Ballet in recent years, due to controversy caused by his management of the company. Following his resignation, Stretton returned to Australia where he worked as a teacher and consultant until his death from cancer in 2005. A number of controversial issues and allegations as well as resistance to organisational change lead to Stretton's departure from the Royal Ballet: * Principal dancer Sarah Wildor quit the company after a dispute over casting. Stretton had both historically and during his tenure with The Royal Ballet favoured athletic, speedy dancers as opposed to those with a more lyrical style, such as Wildor. * Lady MacMillan threatened to withdraw performing rights to works by her late husband Sir Kenneth MacMillan. * Stretton's programming was badly received by critics. * Dancers let it be known they were considering strike action; however, talks between Equity, the dancers' union, and the Royal Opera House's executive director Tony Hall, averted industrial action. * Rumours and allegations were made that Stretton engaged in sexual liaisons and affairs with various dancers. Royal Opera House spokesman Christopher Millard said "there have been no informal or formal complaints to management of Royal Opera House about this."

Kevin O'Hare

Former Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal dancer and Royal Ballet Administrative Director Kevin O'Hare succeeded Monica Mason as Director of The Royal Ballet in August 2012. Administrative Director of the company since 2009, O'Hare retired from dancing in 2000 and subsequently worked with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

and as Company Manager of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

This is a great honour for me. Under Monica Mason's inspired leadership The Royal Ballet has had a great ten years. I am equally ambitious for the Company and dance in general. I plan to bring together the most talented artists of the 21st century to collaborate on the same stage – world class dancers, choreographers, designers, and musicians. I will aim to use all the traditional and new platforms now available to engage our audiences in our classic repertoire, and The Royal Ballet's unique heritage. I want to continue to invigorate audiences with new work and emerging talents and I am thrilled that Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon – two of the world’s leading choreographers – have agreed to join me and Jeanetta Laurence, Associate Director to become part of the senior artistic team. Both Wayne and Christopher share my exciting ambitions for the Company."

Royal Opera House, Manchester

In 2008 the Royal Opera House and

Manchester City Council Manchester City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been re ...

began the planning stages of a new development known as Royal Opera House, Manchester. The proposal would have seen the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

in Manchester receiving an £80 million refurbishment, to allow it to receive productions by both the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera. The proposals would have established the Palace Theatre as a designated base for the Royal Opera House companies in the North of England. The proposals were approved by the then

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport The secretary of state for culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Cultu ...

, Andy Burnham MP, and was accepted by a number of public bodies. An independent report suggested that the cost of the project would be £100 million with another £16 million needed annually for running costs of the new site. In 2010 it was announced that the project was being shelved as part of larger arts-funding cuts.

Laurence Olivier Awards

The Royal Ballet company is a multiple

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

winning company. The following is a complete list of awards won by the company and its staff since the awards were established in 1978. These include awards presented to the company for a production of a particular ballet, to individual dancers for their performance in a specific rôle, to designers for their work on a specific production and to other members of the Royal Ballet staff for achievements in dance. *1978 – Production of the Year in Ballet, for a production of

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 oppositio ...

's ''A Month in the Country'' *1980 – Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet, for a production of ''Gloria'' *1981 – Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet, awarded to

Bryony Brind Bryony Jane Susan St John Brind (27 May 1960 – 2 December 2015) was a British ballerina and principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. Brind was born in Plymouth, the elder child of Major Roger Brind RM, and his wife, Jennifer Grey. She started at ...

for her performance in The Royal Ballet's ''Dances of Albion'' *1983 – Outstanding Individual Performance of the Year in a New Dance Production, awarded to

for her performance in the Royal Ballet's ''Valley of Shadows'' *1983 – Outstanding New Dance Production of the Year, for a production of

Sir 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. Ea ...

's ''Requiem'' *1992 – Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Dance, for a production of William Forsythe's ''In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated'' *1992 – ''Society of London Theatre Special Award'', awarded to the Royal Ballet's founder and director

in recognition of her achievements in dance *1993 – Best New Dance Production, for a production of

's ''The Judas Tree'' *1995 – Best New Dance Production, for their production of ''Fearful Symmetries'' *1995 – Outstanding Achievement in Dance, awarded to lighting designer Peter Mumford for the Royal Ballet's ''Fearful Symmetries'' *2007 – Best New Dance Production, for their new production ''Chroma'', choreographed by Wayne McGregor *2008 – Best New Dance Production, for the company premiere of

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

's ballet ''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...

'' *2008 – Outstanding Achievement in Dance, for the company premiere of

's ballet ''

'' *2010 – Best New Dance Production, awarded to the Brandstrup-Rojo Project, Goldberg (a collaboration between choreographer

Kim Brandstrup Kim Brandstrup (born 9 January 1957, Aarhus, Denmark) is a Danish-born, British-based choreographer. He received a degree from the University of Copenhagen in Film and Media Studies and the London Contemporary Dance School where he studied chor ...

and dancer Tamara Rojo) *2013 - Outstanding Achievement in Dance, awarded to principal dancer

*2016 - Best New Dance Production, for their new production ''Woolf Works'', choreographed by Wayne McGregor *2016 - Outstanding Achievement in Dance, for her performances in ''Chéri'' and ''Woolf Works'', guest dancer

*2018 – Best New Dance Production, for their new production ''Flight Pattern'', choreographed by

Crystal Pite Crystal Pite (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian Choreography (dance), choreographer and dancer. She began her professional dance career in 1988 at Ballet British Columbia, Ballet BC, and in 1996 she joined Ballett Frankfurt under the tutelag ...

References

External links

The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House websiteRoyal Ballet School websiteRoyal Ballet Cuba Pics
photos by Caridad, ''Havana Times'', 17 July 2009
Birmingham Royal Ballet websiteHistory of the Royal Ballet School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Ballet, The Laurence Olivier Award winners National Dance Award winners 1931 establishments in England History of ballet Ballet companies in the United Kingdom Ballet in London

History

Sergeyev

Prima ballerina assoluta

Structure

The company

Principal dancers

Principal character artists

First soloists

Soloists

First artists

Artists

Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme

Prix de Lausanne dancer

Repertoire

Sir Frederick Ashton

Works choreographed

Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Works choreographed

Wayne McGregor

Works choreographed

Fonteyn–Nureyev

Notable people

Dancers

Guest dancers

Choreographers

Artistic directors

Ross Stretton

Kevin O'Hare

Royal Opera House, Manchester

Laurence Olivier Awards

See also

References

External links