The Royal Opera House
is one of the world's great theatres. It consists of three divisions: a resident
company, based in London; a touring company, based in Birmingham, England; and
the Royal Ballet School, located in London.
The Royal Ballet was founded in 1931, originating in a school opened by British
dancer and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The company was first known as the
Vic-Wells Ballet and gave its first performances at the Old Vic Theatre and Sadler's
Wells Theatre in London.
In 1935, when British dancer and choreographer Frederick Ashton became the company's
choreographer, the Royal Ballet entered a period of intense creativity inspired
by the impressive technique and musical sensitivity of British dancer Margot Fonteyn.
By 1939, with the assistance of dance notations from Russian dancer Nicholas Sergeyev,
the company had revived all the major classical ballets, including Swan Lake (1934),
Giselle (1934), and The Sleeping Beauty (1939).
During World War II (1939-1945) the company received popular and critical acclaim,
and in 1946 it became the resident company of the Royal Opera House in London.
Its first performance there was The Sleeping Beauty (1946), a ballet created by
19th-century French-born choreographer Marius Petipa. In 1949 the company won
international recognition with its New York City performance of this ballet. The
school developed, and in 1956 all three institutions became the Royal Ballet by
royal charter. In the 1960s Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev performed with the Royal
Ballet. The frequent pairing of Nureyev with Fonteyn earned the company worldwide
fame and popularity.
Ashton became the company's director in 1963 and introduced some significant works,
including Les Noces (1966), by Russian choreographer Bronislava Nijinska. During
this time the second company toured widely, performing a popular repertoire of
classical ballets and major revivals of other ballets. In 1970, under the direction
of Kenneth MacMillan, the three companies of the Royal Ballet were reorganized
into one large company that included an experimental touring group. By 1975 the
three-company structure had been restored, and the second company was ultimately
based in Birmingham. British dancer Anthony Dowell became director of the Royal
Ballet in 1986, and under his direction the company has concentrated on reviving
the classical ballets and developing the British ballet repertoire.
Principals of The Royal Ballet are: Carlos
Acosta, Leanne
Benjamin, Roberto
Bolle, Deborah
Bull,
Darcey Bussell,
Jonathan
Cope, Irek
Mukhamedov, Bruce
Sansom, Ethan
Stiefel, Inaki
Urlezaga, Sarah
Wildor, Miyako
Yoshida,
Igor Zelensky.
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