Well there were actually two Monotones Ballets. Monotones Ballet I was a ballet done in one act. It was choreographed by Frederick Ashton and the music was Satie Trois Gnossiennes by Lanchbery. It was first performed by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden on the 25th of April 1966. The dancers were Antoinette Sibley, Geogina … Read more
The Two Pigeons Ballet is an Allegory in two acts and it was choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. The music was done by Messager and the decor for the first production was designed by Jacques Dupont. History Of The Two Pigeons Ballet This ballet was first performed by the Royal Ballet Touring Section at Covent … Read more
Let’s look at a ballet called The Dream. It is a ballet done in one act adapted from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare. Ashton did the choreography and the music was by Mendelssohn arranged by Lanchbery. The decor was Henrey Barden and the costumes by David Walker. The Dream was first performed by the … Read more
If you are training in ballet, you most probably know that the two largest training organizations in the world are the Royal Academy of Dance and Cecchetti Ballet Technique. I have done an entire article that you can read here on the Royal Academy, as I teach this method. However, the Cecchetti ballet technique is … Read more
If you are wondering who Dusty Button Ballerina is, there has been quite a bit of bad press coverage of her lately. This bit of ballet history is very recent, unlike a lot of the other history on this website. Dusty Button the ballerina was born on the 6th of June 1989 in Myrtle Beach, … Read more
Scenes de Ballet is a ballet in one act choreographed by Frederick Ashton. The music was written by Stravinsky and the decor done by Andre Beaurepaire who was a young Frenchman who was heavily influenced by Picasso. This ballet was first performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet at Covent Garden on the 11th of February 1948. … Read more
Symphonic Variations Ballet is a one-act ballet and it was choreographed by Frederick Ashton. The music was done by César Franck and set to the eponymous music (Variation Symphonies for piano and orchestra). The decor was done by Sophie Fedorovich (who had decorated Ashton’s first ballet twenty years prior – A Tragedy of Fashion), and … Read more
Let’s take a look at the Les Patineurs Ballet, its history, and why it is still being performed to this day. I have always loved watching this ballet as it is lively, fun and the music has some beautiful strong waltzes that have become very popular over the years. I am sure you will recognise … Read more
Les Rendezvous is a ballet divertissement done in one act. Let’s look at the history of this ballet. Les Rendezvous was a short plotless ballet performed by the Vic-Wells Ballet at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre on the 5th of December 1933 for the first time. It was choreographed by Ashton and the music was done by … Read more
Facade the ballet is one of those that some of us have forgotten about, as Facade the ballet doesn’t come to mind when you talk about going to the ballet. Swan Lake or Gizelle are more likely to come to mind first. Facade is a ballet done in one act. The Choreography of this ballet was … Read more