Introduction Origins of Ballet Dance in the 18th Century  18th Century Satire Romantic Ballet  The Cult of the Ballerina The Pas de Quatre Marie Taglioni Classical Ballet 20th Century Revolution  Diaghilev Ballet Diaghilev Ballet after 1918 Nijinsky Anna Pavlova The Establishment of British Ballet  Ballet Rambert The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet post 1945

Helpmann and Fonteyn in Giselle

Ballet in Britain was established by two former Diaghilev dancers, Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois. They ensured that ballet was a viable career for British dancers and challenged the myth that the British could not dance. Marie Rambert formed the Ballet Club later to be known as Ballet Rambert. Ninette de Valois started the Vic-Wells Ballet which later became The Royal Ballet Company. These two companies made a major contribution to the development of British Ballet.

Ninette de Valois in Douanes

Ninette de Valois

Opportunities for ballet dancers in the early 1930s were limited. Neither Ballet Rambert nor the Vic-Wells Ballet performed every night. To make ends meet many dancers appeared with both companies and also performed in revue and pantomime. By 1935 de Valois could offer a year-long contract at the Vic–Wells Ballet. Marie Rambert couldn’t compete and there are stories about Rambert waiting outside Sadler’s Wells to try to woo her dancers back. By the end of the decade, Rambert too offered full time contracts and ballet became a realistic career for British dancers.

The Rake's Progress

The Rake's Progress