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The Royal Ballet Guest Artists
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Manon pas de deux
choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan
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Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, created for The Royal Ballet in 1974, is now firmly established as one of the 20th century’s most popular classics. The genius of MacMillan’s emotionally charged choreography is matched by the magnificent designs of Nicholas Georgiadis which so brilliantly evoke the poverty and avarice at the heart of the tale of Manon and her young lover Des Grieux.
Sir Kenneth MacMillan
Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1929, he grew up in Great Yarmouth. He was a founder-member of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet and made his first experimental workshop ballets for the company. The success of these works lead De Valois to commission Danses concertantes in 1955. MacMillan danced with the Covent Garden company, then returned to the Wells and gradually abandoned dancing for choreography. He was Principal Choreographer of the Royal Ballet from 1977-92, and his many ballets include The Rite of Spring, Romeo and Juliet, Anastasia, Manon, Mayerling, Isadora, Elite Syncopations, Requiem, La Fin du jour, Gloria, Valley of Shadows, Different Drummer, Prince of the Pagodas, Winter Dreams and The Judas Tree. MacMillan created ballets in Stuttgart (Song of the Earth and Requiem), served as director of ballet at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, and was appointed Artistic Associate of Houston Ballet in 1988. He was knighted in 1983 and died in 1992.
The Royal Ballet Guest Artists
Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The Royal Ballet is Great Britain's most prestigious ballet company, led by Director Monica Mason. The Company’s wide-ranging repertory showcases the great classical ballets including The Royal Ballet's own heritage, alongside new works by the foremost international choreographers of today and choreographers from within the Company’s own ranks. This range embraces all the celebrated three-act classical ballets, together with works by Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, ballets by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor and rising British talents.
The Royal Ballet owes its existence to the vision of Dame Ninette de Valois, dancer, choreographer and entrepreneur, who assembled a small company and school, the Vic-Wells Ballet, and, in 1931, persuaded Lilian Baylis to provide it with a home at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in North London. They remained at Sadler's Wells Theatre until 1939 and spent the war years touring widely in Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, in Europe, performing for the Allied troops. Immediately afterwards, in February 1946, they transferred to the Royal Opera House, premiering a new full-length production of The Sleeping Beauty to reopen Covent Garden as a lyric theatre after its war-time closure. In 1956, to mark its 25th anniversary, the name The Royal Ballet was granted by Royal Charter. The 15 May 2006 was the 75th anniversary of The Royal Ballet. The Company marked this occasion with a recreation of The Sleeping Beauty. In December 2006, following the award-winning success of Chroma, Wayne McGregor was appointed The Royal Ballet's Resident Choreographer.
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