The Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet
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Name	The Royal Ballet
Caption	The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the company's home.
Founded	1931 (as the Vic-Wells Ballet)
Founder	Ninette de Valois
Artistic director	Kevin O'Hare
Homepage	https://www.roh.org.uk/

The Royal Ballet. It is one of the world's foremost ballet companies, based at the Royal Opera House in London. Founded in 1931 by the pioneering choreographer Ninette de Valois, the company achieved a royal charter in 1956, cementing its status as Britain's national ballet. Its artistic identity has been shaped by legendary figures including Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan, blending a reverence for the classical tradition with a commitment to groundbreaking new work.

History

The company's origins lie in the Vic-Wells Ballet, established by Ninette de Valois at the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells Theatre. Key early collaborators included the choreographer Frederick Ashton and the prima ballerina Alicia Markova. Following the devastation of World War II, the company relocated to the Royal Opera House in 1946, becoming the resident ballet company of the newly formed Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Ltd. Under the directorship of de Valois and later Ashton, it developed a distinctive English style, gaining its royal charter from Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. The tenure of Kenneth MacMillan as director further expanded its dramatic and emotional range, solidifying its international reputation alongside institutions like the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet.

Company and repertoire

The company comprises a principal company, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and the associated Birmingham Royal Ballet. Its repertoire is built upon the foundational classics of Marius Petipa, such as The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, which are performed alongside the seminal works of its founding choreographers. The Ashton canon includes masterpieces like Symphonic Variations and La Fille mal gardée, while MacMillan's contributions include the intense narrative works Romeo and Juliet and Mayerling. The repertoire also features significant works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and contemporary choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, and Crystal Pite.

Artistic leadership

The founding artistic vision was set by Ninette de Valois, who served as director until 1963. Her successor, Frederick Ashton, is celebrated as the architect of the company's stylistic signature. Kenneth MacMillan succeeded Ashton in 1970, pushing the company into more psychologically complex territory. Later directors included Anthony Dowell and Monica Mason. The current director, Kevin O'Hare, appointed in 2012, oversees the company's artistic planning and has championed new commissions while maintaining the legacy repertoire. Notable past music directors have included John Lanchbery and Barry Wordsworth.

The Royal Ballet School

The official associate school is The Royal Ballet School, an independent institution founded in 1926 by Ninette de Valois as the Academy of Choreographic Art. Based in premises at White Lodge, Richmond Park and Covent Garden, it provides world-class training for dancers, with most members of the company being graduates. The school maintains a close relationship with the company through annual performances and the provision of students for productions. Its training methodology, influenced by the Cecchetti method and other traditions, is designed to produce versatile artists capable of performing the diverse repertoire.

Performance venues

The primary home since 1946 has been the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, where the company presents its main season. The venue underwent a major redevelopment in the 1990s. The company also performs regularly on tour, both internationally at venues like the Teatro alla Scala and Lincoln Center, and nationally across the United Kingdom. It frequently utilizes the Royal Albert Hall for large-scale in-the-round productions and has a historic connection to its original home, the Sadler's Wells Theatre.

Notable premieres and productions

The company has been the site of many landmark ballet premieres. These include the full-length The Sleeping Beauty in 1946, which re-established classical ballet in post-war Britain, and the 1948 premiere of Ashton's Cinderella, the first three-act ballet by a British choreographer. MacMillan's 1965 Romeo and Juliet, with music by Sergei Prokofiev, became a global phenomenon. More recent significant premieres include Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 2011 and McGregor's Woolf Works in 2015, the company's first full-length abstract ballet. Category:Ballet companies in England Category:Royal Opera House