Born in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) Merle Park joined the Royal Ballet in
1954 and shared a particularly talented epoch with Lynn Seymour and
Antoinette Sibley. She became a soloist after two years in the corps and
performed most of the solo variations in the big classics. On 6 May 1956
at the age of 19 she danced the Milkmaid in Façade in the
Royal Opera House Company's Silver Jubilee gala. She became admired for
her brilliance of execution and virtuoso technique, and in November
1963 was one of the three soloists in the première of the
Ashton/Nureyev production of La Bayadère and "brought off
the fiendishly difficult variation with great aplomb".
Her first
full-length roles were Swanhilda (Coppelia) and Lise (La Fille
Mal Gardée).In 1968 she partnered Rudolf Nureyev in a new
production of the Nutcracker which turned out to be
a breakthrough for the "technically scintillating" Park. Her major
classical ballerina roles were first danced as a guest artist in the
Touring Company, and it is claimed that her Aurora (Sleeping
Beauty) was best of her generation. She gave more performances of
Giselle than any other Royal Ballet artiste. In 1975 the recently
defected Mikhail Baryshnikov appeared in two performances of Romeo
and Juliet and three of Swan Lake - in each case partnering
Merle Park.
Many consider that Merle Park reached her greatest potential in the
full-length ballets of Kenneth MacMillan, especially Romeo and
Juliet, Manon and Mayerling. As Manon in
particular, the glittering technique and glamorous personality demanded
by the role suited her perfectly. In Mayerling she was an
outstanding Countess Larisch. One of the few ballets written for Merle
Park was Jack Carter's version of Wedekind's Lulu. She is reputed
to have been a seductive siren with Steven Jefferies doubling as the
Ringmaster and Jack the Ripper. The last great role created for her by
Keneth MacMillan was Isadora, which critics of the time
considered to be a fitting pinnacle to a brilliant dancing career.
On retirement from performing, Dame Merle Park entered the world of
teaching in the Royal Ballet School, of which she became Director in
1983.
One winter's afternoon, just before Christmas, all those years ago,
Merle Park gave me a gift - a gift of passion; a gift for life. Thank
you Merle.
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