 |
After the jubilation of the late 40s and early 50s things were starting to settle down and the reality of funding difficulties and touring became the norm. Not so much time for new work in the UK it seems....
Tours, Tours, Tours
Sadler's Wells Ballet was touring an awful lot - in January they are finishing a tour of America and Canada that started nearly 4 months earlier. In June they visited Holland and in September and October they were in Paris. Milan, Rome and Genoa followed into the November. Meantime the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet visited South Africa.
Alicia Markova was also touring visiting Washington, New York, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Italy, Lisbon, Hollywood (US) plus widespread tours in England, Scotland, Wales and the US.
Event of the Year
Ninette de Valois was determined to have her companies properly funded in their own right and not to obtain their money ‘independently’ from the theatres they played in. At that point, Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden got the Arts Council grants and not the companies themselves.
In 1954 she produced a discussion document defining the nature of the two companies and looking to establish them “as a separate entity under a name which recognises the fundamental unity of the two companies and the school”. One of the names she proposed was The Royal Ballet. After much pushing and shoving 2 years later the companies got their Royal Charter.
Ballet of the Year
The ballet of the year in the UK has to be The Firebird where Tamara Karsavina, who created the role, coached Fonteyn.
Karsavina's first words to Fonteyn were “This is the most tiring ballet you will ever dance”!
The ballet of the Year in the US must be Balanchine's Nutcracker which has been hugely influential in shaping the Christmases of many.
Calendar
| January |
Moira Shearer appeared with Festival Ballet as the narrator for their production of Alice in Wonderland.
Adeline Genee was created a Commander of the order of Dannebrog by King
Frederik of Denmark, only the second time in history this honour had
been given to a woman.
The International Ballet disbanded. The 56 dancers mostly found work
in pantomimes or musicals.
However as old doors close, new doors open and the formation of the ‘Comique Ballet of London’ was announced with ambitious plans for repertory and artists.
Leslie Caron and Roland Petit were the principal dancers in a new
production of Sleeping Beauty with music by Henry Dutilleux...
|
| February |
Balanchine's Nutcracker for NYCB is premiered in New York on 2 February. It's been given every year since, and effectively established the Nutcracker as the Christmas ballet in the US. (In 1998/99 over 220 theatres showed Nutcrackers in the US.)
Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet opened The Lady and The Fool, by Cranko, on 25 February. A story of a society beauty who fell in love with a clown, it's perhaps most notable now for MacMillan playing the clown and also featured Peter Wright who went on to run the company and take it to Birmingham (BRB).
|
| March |
A new production of Coppelia was premiered by Sadler's Wells Ballet on 2 March, revised by Ninette de Valois with designs by Osbert Lancaster
and starring David Blair and Nadia Nerina.
There is a season by Martha Graham at the Saville Theatre in London. Richard Buckle in the Observer said “.. one of the greatest creators of our time.... I prophesy that Martha Graham's first appearance in London will be as historic as Isadora Duncan's in St Petersburg at the beginning of the century”. Hard to say one way or the other on that!
Ballet Comique of London, in addition to the classical repertory of
things like Swan Lake, did a ballet called Junior Clerk which the
artistic director called “a horrifying comedy with London EC4 as its
environment.” One can imagine!
Merle Park joined Saddler's Wells later going on to run the Royal Ballet School and become a Dame. Oliver Symons also joined in March, currently the Royal Ballets Assistant Artistic Co-ordinator and also still dancing, as one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella.
|
| April |
Bruce Marriott born!
(it's true - all power corrupts!)
|
| May |
According to the Dancing Times a principal dancer in the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet was paid £12 a week, the same as a chorus member in a West End show.
|
| June |
On 1 June Svetlana Beriosova did her first Aurora ever at Covent Garden. Ashton said of her “There is something in her arms, in her back, in the way she holds her head and uses her eyes, that cannot be taught, and for which technique is only a frame.”
Ballet Comique of London suspends operations. Although reviews had been good, box office had not.
A new Rank film was released called Dance Little Lady which featured
Maryon Lane and David Poole.
|
| July |
Donald MacLeary joins Sadler's Wells. After a distinguished career as a dancer he is now the Royal Ballets Senior Repetiteur to the Principals.
|
| August |
Margot Fonteyn was appointed President of the Royal Academy of Dancing replacing Adeline Genee, who had resigned. de Valois told Fonteyn that she would “... only have to appear once or twice a year”. It turned out that there were a few things to straighten out and Fonteyn later noted that it took up hours per week.
On the 23rd, Serge Grigoriev, Diaghilev's regisseur and his wife Lubov Tchernicheva staged Fokine's The Firebird for Sadler's Wells Ballet at the Edinburgh Festival. Tamara Karsavina, the original Firebird, coached Fonteyn in the lead with Somes, Ashton and Beriosova also appearing.
|
| September |
Ashton, Fonteyn and a small troupe of dancers visit the Granada festival. Ashton created a solo, The Entrance of Madame Butterfly, (later to grow into Madame Chrysantheme) for which Fonteyn wore a Christian Dior costume.
|
October |
Moira Shearer announced her retirement because she wanted to spend more
time with her family ... and because she was making more money in films than
in dancing.
On 20 October Ballet Rambert started a season of Joan of Arc at the Stake and featuring Ingrid Bergman as Joan. Act I of Giselle was also given. Sounds a bit of a depressing night!
|
Some things never change dept...
Sadler's Wells Ballet brought back $650,000 from the tour of America and Canada, $100,000 more than they had projected. Three years earlier the company achieved a similar result and in a very real sense were keeping Covent Garden afloat. As ever, the Garden was having serious financial problems and was appealing for more money from Government.
The Dancing Times stated “The sum goes into the coffers of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Ltd., the directors of that company having the right to decide how it shall best be used.” The Arts Council grant to the Opera House in 53/54 was £240,000 and it must all have set de Valois thinking even more about her companies and how they were funded.
Next Month
The year we'll be looking at will be 1924. Do write to us if you have any particular memories of that year!!!!
|
