Maureen Bruce | |
---|---|
Born | Edinburgh | 1 May 1930
Occupation | Principal dancer |
Years active | 1947–1990 |
Career | |
Former groups | Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, Sadler's Wells Ballet |
Dances | Facade, Les Rendezvous , Pastorale, Cafe des Sports, Saudades |
Maureen Bruce was a principal dancer with the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet and the Sadler's Wells Ballet. Born in Edinburgh on 1 May 1930, she trained with Marjorie Middleton in Edinburgh, joined the Wells School in September 1947 and graduated to the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in December of the same year.
Maureen Bruce's first solo part was in the ballet Tritsch-Tratsch in which reviewers described her 'bubbling personality' [1] that was again revealed in Frederick Ashton's ballets Facade and Les Rendezvous . Recognised as a "classical dancer of style" her versatility was confirmed in two of her creations: Amour in Pastorale and Hedonist in Cafe des Sports. Bruce's first major creation was the role of the Princess in Alfred Rodrigues' ballet Saudades (Nostalgia) which was premiered at the Royal Court in Liverpool on 13 October 1955. [2] Bruce was transferred to the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1956. [3]
Maureen Bruce achieved a wider audience as one of the dancers in Margaret Dale's groundbreaking BBC television series for children Steps into Ballet in 1954.
Bruce married another principal dancer of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, Donald Britton, in 1952.
After leaving the Sadler's Wells company in 1958 Maureen Bruce taught ballet in Edinburgh, Fife and the Scottish Borders before moving to Devon in 1963 where she continued to teach until 1990.
Dame Ninette de Valois was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, later establishing the Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world. She also established the Royal Ballet School and the touring company which became the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and as the "godmother" of English and Irish ballet.
Sir Robert Murray Helpmann was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet under its creator, Ninette de Valois. He became one of the company's leading men, partnering Alicia Markova and later Margot Fonteyn. When Frederick Ashton, the company's chief choreographer, was called up for military service in the Second World War, Helpmann took over from him while continuing as a principal dancer.
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The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in 1931 by Dame Ninette de Valois. It became the resident ballet company of the Royal Opera House in 1946, and has purpose-built facilities within these premises. It was granted a royal charter in 1956, becoming recognised as Britain's flagship ballet company.
The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially for the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
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Nadia Nerina was a South African dancer who was "one of the most gifted, versatile, and inspiring ballerinas of The Royal Ballet" during the 1950s and 1960s. She was known "for her technical virtuosity, lightness afoot, effortless-seeming jumps, and joyful charm onstage, especially in comedic roles."
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