Tag: Big Picture

I never went near a ballet school. As an apprentice with Ballet Joos, I spent all day in the theatre. I learned about all facets of theatre, but it was a hopeless way of training, because there was never enough time. 

I didn’t plan to stage the classics – John Cranko pushed me into it. He gave me marvellous opportunities at Stuttgart Ballet, and told me to stage Giselle. I said, ‘I don’t like Giselle, I never have.’ But he gave me six weeks to research and I came back to Stuttgart dead keen. I was lucky to have Marcia Haydée as Giselle, and it caused a big stir. 

I love the classics, but was able to look at them from the outside. If there was anything I found boring I found ways to change it. You’ve got to be fairly brutal. Theatre should never ever be boring.

Running a company isn’t easy, but I found a good way of communicating with the staff, which is essential. You have to know the dancers well and not be afraid of honesty. It’s no good leading people on.

It took a long time, but finally getting the Sadler’s Wells Ballet up to Birmingham (as Birmingham Royal Ballet) in 1990 was absolutely wonderful. I was on quite a high. I reluctantly had to leave BRB due to serious illness, but it was well on the way to becoming a great company.

I was President of the Benesh Institute, and am a great champion of Benesh Movement Notation. What it’s done for ballet is marvellous, and I always encourage dancers to learn it. Ultimately, I hope the day will come when dancers learn their parts before rehearsals start.

My wife, the dancer Sonya Hanna, was a great help. She put everything in proportion: ‘For God’s sake, Pete, it’s only a ballet!’

The RAD has received British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s archive. MacMillan (1929–92) was the leading choreographer of his generation, creating world-renowned ballets including Romeo and Juliet, Gloria, Manon, Mayerling and Requiem. The archive comprises a diverse and rich range of material covering the personal, artistic and business archive of one of the most significant ballet figures of the 20th century.

The records span MacMillan’s life and career from his school days and early years as a dancer, through his career with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet/Royal Ballet as dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer from 1977 until his death in 1992. He was also Director of Deutsche Oper Ballet Berlin (1966–69) and Artistic Associate of American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet (1984–89).

Speaking of the news, Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the RAD said: ‘There is no doubt that Kenneth’s creative genius contributed to the evolution of the art form of classical ballet. He put British ballet on the international map, drawing stars from around the world to work with him and perform his works. The RAD could not be more grateful to have the honour of holding Kenneth’s archive. With our state-of-the-art facilities, I know the RAD will preserve the archive superbly and offer access in an inclusive way in the years to come.’

Dame Monica Mason, Vice President of the RAD and répétiteur to MacMillan, reflected: ‘Sir Kenneth MacMillan was a visionary choreographer whose work had a profound impact on the evolution of ballet. This archive is a wonderful legacy for the RAD to receive and will not only shed light on Sir Kenneth’s creative process but enrich our understanding of his life and the cultural context in which he worked.’

The archive – which includes photographs, diaries, and letters – paints a rich picture of MacMillan’s life. Its early material covers his school years and includes his Grade 1 ballet exam certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1944. Personal material includes diaries and handwritten notes that are incomplete but revelatory. His interest in fantasy jewellery is also covered: the Jewels of Fantasy exhibition at the V&A included key items from his own collection.

There is correspondence from major figures in ballet, music and theatre, as well as from friends and members of the public. Blending business with personal matters, they include letters from Dame Ninette de Valois, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Lucia Chase, Alexander Grant, Nora Kaye, Jiří Kylián and more.

The archive has been gifted to the RAD by Deborah, Lady MacMillan and the RAD is extremely grateful for her generosity. The RAD is planning a cataloguing project for 2025 after which the collection will be made available to the public for educational research. Containing over 75,000 items spanning 100 years, the RAD Archive, based at RAD’s Wolfson Library at its headquarters in London, is an important record of the evolution of British ballet and dance in the 20th century. Last year, the RAD received the archive of Dancing Times, Britain’s oldest dance magazine.

RAD members can visit the library for free. For more information visit here.

When we began the RAD podcast in 2021, with the UK still in lockdown, we had no idea if it would work. Could we make a podcast? Would anyone appear on it? Would anyone listen? 

We lucked out with our producer, Sarah Myles: creative, patient and very encouraging (and very fond of pets, an invaluable icebreaker for several guests). Sarah made the unknown seem less scary. When we sought a title, she asked, ‘what’s the podcast about?’ I guess it’s about why dance matters, I replied. ‘Well that’s your title,’ she said. 

Our first season launched with Xander Parish, and his astonishing journey from neglect in the corps de ballet to renowned principal dancer. Subsequent landmark dancers have included Darcey Bussell, Carlos Acosta, Tiler Peck and David Hallberg. We’ve also met star choreographers, RAD teachers and students, and people from other fields whose lives have been indelibly shaped by dance. All people to whom dance matters on a fundamental level.

Working on Why Dance Matters has been so fulfilling; the generous-spirited guests and immensely collaborative team help.

But more than that, it’s been the opportunity to tap into people’s passions, hear their stories, share their joys and fears. We have been welcomed into intimate conversations which use dance as a prism for the things that matter to us all – expression, confidence, community.

Since the launch, we’ve had over 28,000 downloads from listeners in over 100 countries, been ranked the UK’s top dance podcast, and received heart-warming appreciation from very kind listeners (plus the person who pointed out that my laugh was unbearable. Sorry!).

Marking our 50th episode is a conversation with Olga Smirnova. One of the world’s great ballerinas – her recent Giselle was broadcast to international cinemas in January – she made headlines in 2022 with a courageous, life-changing decision to leave Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, where she had spent her career, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Two years on, Smirnova has found a new home at Dutch National Ballet. Here are highlights of a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation:

Dancing in the smartphone age Now that smartphone cameras are everywhere, each one of your performances is recorded and posted on social networks. You are conscious that you will be seen by millions of internet users, and this recording will live forever. This is a new era of being a ballerina.

Starting ballet I do not come from a ballet family, and my family was not wealthy enough to take their kids to a ballet performance. I didn’t dream of becoming a ballerina – gradually, I learned the endless beauty and harmony of ballet.

Stage fright I’ve never felt fear of the stage. Never. Later, when you are a ballerina and people expect to see some quality from you, of course there is some pressure. But once I do the first step, I become very calm. I’m just enjoying being on stage and being my character, and I’m not nervous anymore.

Leaving Russia The decision was obvious for me, so this made it easier. But of course it meant huge changes. I never lived in a foreign country before. A new language, new country, new traditions, new company – all of that was a big challenge. But I was lucky to find great support – I can confidently say that Dutch National has become my home. 

Contact with former Bolshoi colleagues Not many, just with a few people. I think they feel weird not to be able to tour or share their experience with the world, or have choreographers coming to work with them. But people don’t want to talk about it, or might be afraid to share their honest opinion.

Why does dance matter? I like to think about my body as a tool, which helps to reveal and express different emotions and share these emotions with the audience. I believe that the more people share their emotions with one another, the better they understand one another, which helps create a better and more harmonious world. Art helps us find the inspiration to exist – I just want to share this inspiration with the world.