Ninette de Valois

Ninette de Valois (1898–2001) was an Irish-born dancer, choreographer, and ballet director who founded the Royal Ballet and helped establish a national ballet tradition in Britain.

Lilian Baylis: Lilian Baylis was an English theatrical manager who led the Old Vic and founded the Sadler’s Wells Theatre company. Baylis invited de Valois to establish a resident ballet company at Sadler’s Wells.
Cecchetti method: The ballet training system developed by Enrico Cecchetti, based on precise daily exercises and coordinated movement. De Valois’s Cecchetti training supplied a technical foundation for her own company.
Royal Ballet: The Royal Ballet is a British classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London. De Valois founded the company’s predecessor and shaped the institution that became the Royal Ballet.
The Rake's Progress (ballet): The Rake’s Progress is a ballet choreographed by Ninette de Valois and first performed in 1935. This major early work demonstrated her ability to create narrative ballet for the company.
Frederick Ashton: Frederick Ashton was a British choreographer and the Royal Ballet’s first principal choreographer. De Valois appointed Ashton, whose works helped define the company’s repertory.
Ballets Russes: The Ballets Russes was Sergei Diaghilev’s influential ballet company, active mainly in Europe from 1909 to 1929. De Valois danced with Diaghilev’s company, gaining experience in its demanding international repertory.
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Birmingham Royal Ballet is a British classical ballet company based in Birmingham, England. The company grew from the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, an organization de Valois helped establish.
Checkmate (ballet): Checkmate is a 1937 chess-themed ballet choreographed by Ninette de Valois, with music by Arthur Bliss. Its stylized allegory became one of de Valois’s best-known choreographic works.
Margot Fonteyn: Margot Fonteyn was an English ballerina and a leading dancer of the Royal Ballet. De Valois guided Fonteyn’s development into the company’s foremost ballerina.
Old Vic: The Old Vic is a London theatre whose history includes a long association with Shakespeare and popular drama. De Valois’s early work with Baylis’s theatrical organization linked ballet to the Old Vic’s wider enterprise.

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Phyllis SpiraRelated: Spira joined the Royal Ballet, the company de Valois founded.