Ninette de Valois
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| Ninette de Valois | |
 Ninette de Valois at age 16 |
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| Born | Edris Stannus 6 June 1898 Baltiboys, County Wicklow, Ireland |
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| Died | 8 March 2001 (aged 102) Barnes, London, England |
| Occupation | Choreographer, dancer and company director |
| Years active | 1900s-1990s |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur Connell |
Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE (6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet. She danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, later settling in England. She is most noted for establishing The Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world today. She also established the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School. As one of the creators of modern British ballet, she is widely regarded as one of the most influential personalities in ballet history.
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[edit] Biography
Born Edris Stannus in Baltyboys House, Blessington County Wicklow, Ireland, she was the second daughter of Lillith Graydon-Smith, a British army office and renowned glassmaker. Stannus began ballet lessons in 1908 at age ten while living with her grandmother in Kent, and became noticed throughout England because of her graceful movements. She legally changed her name to Ninette de Valois in 1921. She danced with Serge Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. She retired in 1926 at age 28 in order to promote ballet throughout Europe.
In 1926, de Valois established the Academy of Choreographic Art, a dance school for girls. Her intention was to form a repertory ballet company and school and in 1928, she was engaged by Lilian Baylis to stage dance performances at both the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres in London. She established the Vic-Wells Ballet and Vic-Wells Ballet School in studios at Sadler's Wells theatre and these would become the predecessors of today's Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School. The Royal Ballet continues to be recognised as Britain's leading classical ballet company and one of the foremost companies of the 20th century and is based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
Along with Marie Rambert, de Valois is recognised as one of the key visionaries of British ballet. She modelled her company after the Imperial Ballet of Russia, and emphasized dancing a mix of classical ballets and contemporary works. She cultivated talents slowly, and invited Sir Frederick Ashton to be the chief choreographer at her company. Eventually, her company became one of the starriest in the world, with dancers like Margot Fonteyn, Robert Helpmann, Moira Shearer, Beryl Grey, and Michael Somes. In 1949 the Sadler Wells Ballet was a sensation when they toured the United States. Margot Fonteyn instantly became an international celebrity. During early 1950s, with the help of de Valois, the first ballet school of Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Istanbul was established.
De Valois was not one to rest on laurels, though. She made sure that her company had a constant supply of talent, and in later years the company had such stars as Svetlana Beriosova, Antoinette Sibley, Nadia Nerina, Lynn Seymour, and, most sensationally, Rudolf Nureyev. de Valois also invited choreographers like Sir Kenneth MacMillan and George Balanchine to work with her company. She formally retired from the Royal Ballet in 1963, but her presence continued to loom large in the company.
She was known as very stern and formidable, and perhaps for that reason someone gave her the nickname 'Madam.' The nickname stuck, and from then on even in formal articles and interviews she was called 'Madam.' She would good-naturedly sign 'Madam' in correspondence.
In 1935, she married Arthur Connell, an Irish surgeon who died in 1986 but they had no children.[1] Ninette de Valois was the cousin of author Wei Wu Wei.
She continued to make public appearances until her death at age 102 in London.
[edit] Choreography
- Job (1931)
- Bar aux Folies-Bergère (1934)
- The Rake's Progress (1935)
- As You Like It (1936)
- Checkmate (1937)
- Every Goose Can
- The Gods Go A-Begging
- Barabau
- The Prospect Before Us (1940)
- Keloğlan (1950)
- At the Fountain Head (1963)
- Çeşmebaşı (1965)
- Sinfonietta (1966)
[edit] Honours and awards
De Valois was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur of France in 1950, and was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1951, a Companion of Honour in 1982. In 1992 she was made a member of the Order of Merit.
- Awards
- Albert Medal (1964)
- Erasmus Prize (1974)
- Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts (1989)
- Society of London Theatre Special Award (1992)
- Honoris causa degrees
- Doctor of Music, University of London (1947)
- DLitt., University of Reading (1951)
- DLitt., Oxford University (1955)
- Doctor of Music, Sheffield University (1955)
- Doctor of Music, Trinity College, Dublin (1957)
- LLD, Aberdeen University (1958)
- LLD, Sussex University (1975)
- DLitt., University of Ulster (1979)
- Doctor of Music, Durham University (1982)
[edit] Bibliography
- De Valois, Ninette (1937). Invitation to the Ballet. London: Bodley Head. OCLC 59460167.
- De Valois, Ninette (1957). Come Dance with Me; A Memoir, 1898-1956. London: H. Hamilton. OCLC 4063947.
- De Valois, Ninette (1977). Step by Step: The Formation of an Establishment. London: W. H. Allen. ISBN 0491015984.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Staff writers (8 March 2001). "Royal Ballet founder dies". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1209339.stm. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
[edit] External links
- Ninette de Valois at the Internet Movie Database
- The Ballerina Gallery - Ninette de Valois
- Ninette de Valois at Encarta
- Ninette de Valois Object History
- Dame Ninette de Valois Obituary at The Independent
- Ninette de Valois, Royal Ballet Founder, Dies at 102
- How Irish was Ninette de Valois?
- Biography: Ninette de Valois
- Kathrine Sorley Walker, "The Festival and the Abbey: Ninette de Valois' Early Choreography, 1925-1934, Part One", Dance Chronicle, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1984 - 1985), pp. 379-412
- Ninette de Valois at Princess Grace Irish Library, Monaco
- Call Her 'Madame'
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