Royal Ballet, London
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The Royal Ballet, is based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England, and is the leading ballet company in the United Kingdom.
Under its original name, the Vic-Wells Ballet, it was founded by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1931 and performed at the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells Theatres until 1946. By then it had been renamed The Sadler's Wells Ballet. At that time, de Valois was invited to bring the company to the ROH as the permanent ballet company of the newly-founded opera and ballet company under the direction of David Webster.
By 1957 the company had been granted the title of "The Royal Ballet".
Its founder choreographer was Sir Frederick Ashton. Celebrated dancers of The Royal Ballet have included Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Ninette de Valois, Anthony Dowell, Rowena Jackson, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell , Miyako Yoshida, Jose Manuel Carreño and Sylvie Guillem (guest principal). In 2002 former Royal Ballet dancer Monica Mason replaced Ross Stretton to become Director of the Company.
Choreographers for the ballet company have included John Cranko, Sir Robert Helpmann and Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
The Royal Ballet conducts regular international tours.
A very diverse company with dancers from all over the world, today the principal dancers include: Spanish Tamara Rojo, Japanese Miyako Yoshida (guest), Russian Viacheslav Samodurov, Italian Federico Bonelli, Cuban Carlos Acosta (guest), Australian Leanne Benjamin, French Zenaida Yanowsky, Romanian Alina Cojocaru and Argentinian Marianela Nunez.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Royal Ballet - (formerly the Sadler's Wells Ballet)
