Kenneth MacMillan

This article is about the British choreographer. For those of a similar name, see Kenneth McMillan (disambiguation).

See also Category: Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan

Kenneth MacMillan
Born	11 December 1929(1929-12-11) Dunfermline, Scotland
Died	29 October 1992(1992-10-29) (aged 62) London, England
Occupation	Choreographer, dancer
Spouse	Deborah Williams (1972-1992)

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.

Biography

Early years

MacMillan was born at Dunfermline, Scotland. He grew up in Great Yarmouth, where he studied with Phyllis Adams. Later he won a scholarship to the Sadler's Wells Ballet School, where he studied for a year before, in 1946, joining Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, now known as Birmingham Royal Ballet. Whilst studying, he met and gained the support of Ninette de Valois, something he was to enjoy wholeheartedly for the rest of his life. In 1948 he moved to the Sadler's Wells Ballet, but returned to the Theatre Ballet four years later.

Career

MacMillan began choreographing for the company's choreographic group and two promising early works, Somnambulism (1953) and Laiderette (1954) led de Valois to commission a work from the 25-year-old MacMillan. Danses concertantes was first produced in January 1955. He continued to dance, but gradually gave it up in favour of his true vocation. A string of successful works followed including Solitaire (1956), The Burrow (1958), Le baiser de la fée and The Invitation (1960), The Rite of Spring (1962), La Création du monde (1964) The Song of the Earth and his first full-length work, Romeo and Juliet (1965). The year he choreographed Romeo and Juliet, which has become one of his best-loved pieces, he was appointed resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet.

MacMillan was the director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ballet from 1966 to 1969, and was made director of The Royal Ballet in 1970. He continued to choreograph and produced a string of masterpieces: Valses nobles et sentimentales (1966), Anastasia (one-act version 1967, three-act version 1971), The Seven Deadly Sins (1973), Manon and Elite Syncopations (1974), Requiem (1976), Mayerling (1978), Isadora (1981), The Prince of the Pagodas (1989) and The Judas Tree (1992). In 1977, aged only 48, he retired as director and took up the position of principal choreographer for The Royal Ballet. He was knighted in 1983.

Personal life

MacMillan died of a heart attack on 29 October 1992 while backstage at Covent Garden during a revival of his Mayerling. Jeremy Isaacs, the general director of the Royal Opera House, announced the death from the stage after the performance and asked the audience to "please rise and bow your heads and leave the theatre in silence". That same evening, Birmingham Royal Ballet was dancing his Romeo and Juliet in Birmingham. He is remembered as one of the great choreographers of the twentieth century who was unafraid of confronting controversial issues in his ballets (for example The Invitation and The Judas Tree). He often dwelled on the darker side of human nature and sexuality and some of his works centred on characters who would be considered outsiders in modern society. At the same time, ballets such as Elite Syncopations showed that he was capable of creating works of great wit and charm.

He was married to the painter and sculptor Deborah Williams, with whom he had a daughter Charlotte, a photographer, and both continue to oversee continuing productions of his work.

Choreography

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.

His full-length works include:

• Romeo and Juliet [1965] — made for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, but the premiere was danced by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
• Anastasia — made for Lynn Seymour
• Manon — made for Antoinette Sibley and Jennifer Penney
• Mayerling
• Isadora
• The Prince of the Pagodas [1989] — made for Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope.

MacMillan's one-act ballets include:

• Danses Concertantes — commissioned by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1955
• Different Drummer
• The Invitation — made for Lynn Seymour and Christoper Gable, 1960
• The Rite of Spring — made for Monica Mason
• Elite Syncopations [1974]
• My Brother, My Sisters
• La Fin du Jour
• Valley of Shadows — made for Alessandra Ferri
• Gloria
• Noctambules
• Song of the Earth
• Solitaire
• Requiem
• Winter Dreams — based on Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters"
• The Judas Tree [1992] — his last ballet, made for Viviana Durante and Irek Mukhamedov.
• Concerto [1966]

References

• "Official Kenneth MacMillan website". The MacMillan Estate. 2009. http://kennethmacmillan.com/. Retrieved 2009-12-18. 
• "History of The Royal Ballet: Kenneth MacMillan". Royal Opera House. 2008. http://info.royaloperahouse.org/ballet/index.cfm?ccs=473&cs=1004. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
• Bruce Marriott (2002). "Kenneth MacMillan International Celebration". Ballet.co. http://www.ballet.co.uk/macmillan/. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
• Susan Crow (2002). "Family Heirlooms". Ballet.co. http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_02/jul02/sc_family_heirlooms.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
• Jann Parry (2009). Different Drummer: The Life of Kenneth MacMillan. London, Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24302-0

External links

• Kenneth MacMillan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Kenneth MacMillan at the Internet Movie Database
• Biographer Jann Parry talking about Kenneth MacMillan's legacy in a video interview