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MARGOT FONTEYN CENTENARY

capybara
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ninamargaret

ninamargaret

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I was lucky enough to see her several times, starting with Cinderella in 1958. But one abiding memory is of her entry as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, where her perfect arabesque was framed by the arch in the original old design. I don't think anyone else has done it. My late husband always maintained that her beautiful dancing was helped by her perfectly proportioned body. And her curtain calls were a ballet in themselves!

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Lynette H

Lynette H

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There was a notice up by the bar in the amphi (on Tues this week) that an exhibition on Fonteyn was beginning to be installed and would be completed in about a week's time.  There were just a few empty cases at the time - it wasn't clear how extensive this exhibition was going to be, but if anyone spots further developments, please let us know. 

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capybara

capybara

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There are still places available for The London Ballet Circle's celebratory event:

AN EVENING FOR MARGOT FONTEYN

Monday, 20th  May, 7.00 - 9.30pm

The Swiss Church, Endell Street, London WC2H 9DY

Dame Margot Fonteyn was born on 18 May 1919 and this event  is a golden opportunity to celebrate her life and performances. The host, Alastair Macaulay (the former chief theatre critic of the Financial Times and dance critic of The New York Times), will be joined by several luminaries from the ballet world who knew and worked with Dame Margot. There will also be a display of photos, some film footage to enable the audience to recall what was so very special about Fonteyn’s artistry, and dance demonstrations (including a short piece choreographed by Fonteyn herself).

Payment in advance of £20 each for both members and guests, which includes a glass of wine and a slice of a celebratory cake.

Applications should be made to Audrey Allen, 8 Goldsmith Road, London, N11 3JP, (020 8361 2872 audrey8allen@gmail.com) together with a cheque for £20 made payable to The London Ballet Circle.  

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alison

alison

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If anyone's feeling rich, there are now a number of tickets available online for the previously sold-out Fonteyn celebration performance - nothing less than three figures, though.

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Sebastian

Sebastian

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On 06/03/2019 at 09:28, Sebastian said:

Might this be a good place to remind people of the short pieces of footage of Fonteyn dancing Aurora in 1939 (so far as I know the earliest recording of her)? They went up on YouTube in 2008:

 

https://youtu.be/YxOoSds2tBc

 

 

Further to this I have found some other Fonteyn / Aurora snippets online, also dated 1939 but apparently from an entirely different kind of recording (and maybe not from the Alexandra Palace BBC performances):

 

https://youtu.be/SXnRxAO15gI

 

Does anyone know any more about this?

 

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Douglas Allen

Douglas Allen

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14 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

 

Further to this I have found some other Fonteyn / Aurora snippets online, also dated 1939 but apparently from an entirely different kind of recording (and maybe not from the Alexandra Palace BBC performances):

 

https://youtu.be/SXnRxAO15gI

 

Does anyone know any more about this?

Sebastian,

Interesting. From the costumes, it is from the 1939 production prepared for the 1939 state gala at Covent Garden. It is far too big a set to have been taken from a television studio, and from the viewpoint it looks as if it could have been taken from the wings of a theatre, which leads me to suppose that it probably was taken at the ROH as the sets were prepared for that stage and the slightly patchwork look of the stage floor supports that conjecture (there doesn't appear to be a floorcloth). Also, while the Fonteyn footage is from the end of the Rose Adagio, there is a brief cutaway to a snippet from the Bluebird pas de deux (and though I'm not certain, it looks as if it could be June Brae and Harold Turner - though I'm open to correction here).

Thanks for posting - it demonstrates once again some of the treasures hidden away on You Tube.

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Bruce Wall

Bruce Wall

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More details on the London Ballet Circle Fonteyn Century Evening on 20th May.  Sounds interesting:-

 

An Evening for Margot Fonteyn Monday 20th May at 7.00pm (carriages at 9.30pm) Swiss Church, Endell Street, London WC2H 9DY Payment in advance of £20 each for both members and guests, which includes a glass of wine and a slice of a celebratory cake.

 

Dame Margot Fonteyn was born on 18th May 1919 and this event is a golden opportunity to celebrate her life and performances. The host, Alastair Macaulay (the former chief theatre critic of the Financial Times and dance critic of The New York Times), will be joined by several luminaries from the ballet world who knew and worked with Dame Margot. There will also be a display of photos and some film footage to enable us to recall what was so very special about Fonteyn’s artistry. The evening has been arranged in response to suggestions from Members that this centenary represents an important moment in ballet history. Our President, Dame Monica Mason, has generously taken an active part in planning the programme for the evening which, in addition to the visual images, will include the following:

• Introductory talk which will focus on Fonteyn’s place in the history of ballet and, in particular, the development of the Royal Ballet and its style.
• Panel Discussion featuring Dame Monica Mason, Dame Merle Park, Alfreda Thorogood Wall, and Donald Macleary. The Panel will share their memories of working with Fonteyn, what she was like as a person, and their view of her significance on the ‘world stage’. Members of the audience will then be invited to ask questions.
• Cake Cutting by our Patron, Sir Peter Wright, and a Toast with an opportunity to mingle and view exhibits
• Demonstration of a piece of Choreography developed by Fonteyn together with some background information on this
• Coaching/Practical Session featuring Romany Padjak, First Artist, The Royal Ballet.

• Proceedings will be brought to an end by Kevin O’Hare, Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet, who will talk about the legacy of Dame Margot Fonteyn to the current day Royal Ballet.

Applications for this unique event should be made to Audrey Allen, 8 Goldsmith Road, London, N11 3JP,  email - audrey8allen@gmail.com) together with your cheque for £20 made payable to The London Ballet Circle. Confirmation of your place will be by e-mail or by post if you enclose an s.a.e

Edited by Bruce Wall
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capybara

capybara

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3 hours ago, Darlex said:

Thank goodness I still have a cheque book. Not everyone does!

 

I understand that, following the introduction of its new website, the London Ballet Circle will be seeking, in due course, to offer the option to book online/pay online. But these things take time, especially when organisations are run by volunteers.

 

The spelling of Pajdak is correct online, by the way: https://www.tlbc.org.uk/lists/1-upcoming-events

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Guest

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4 hours ago, Josephine said:

 

I still have a cheque book, but sadly no carriage for 9.30pm! 😊

I think they are included in the price of the ticket!!!! 

 

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alison

alison

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There are currently a large number of tickets for one of the "Fonteyn and Me" insights available online.  I don't know whether I was imagining it, but I thought the original running time was 1 hr 30 or some such, so didn't bother booking because I had the evening performances booked.  It's now showing as 45 minutes.  Am I going mad?

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bangorballetboy

bangorballetboy

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6 minutes ago, alison said:

There are currently a large number of tickets for one of the "Fonteyn and Me" insights available online.  I don't know whether I was imagining it, but I thought the original running time was 1 hr 30 or some such, so didn't bother booking because I had the evening performances booked.  It's now showing as 45 minutes.  Am I going mad?

 

No you're not.  They sent an email to ticket-holders advising that there had been a mistake originally (the 1.5 hour timing) and that it's actually 45 minutes.

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onemouseplace

onemouseplace

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Talking of costumes and outfits, I was also very interested to see a number of items of Fonteyn's included in the Dior exhibition at the V&A.  From memory there were several hats, a couple of dresses and I think a two-piece suit.  It was fascinating to get an idea of her size and shape from these (I have to say as an aside that the outfits I enjoyed the most at the exhibition weren't necessarily the show pieces, or the ones made for celebrities, but the ones made for real clients, some of whom were clearly not model shapes or sizes!).

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Pulcinella

Pulcinella

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2 hours ago, alison said:

Thanks for the reminder, onemouseplace - I'd totally forgotten that I was intending to go and see it!

 

If you haven’t ready booked for it, or are a V & A member, it’s now completely sold out so you won’t be able to. It’s already been extended from July to September and that has sold out as well.

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MrsBBB

MrsBBB

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Also in the News section of the ROH website: the Genée will be renamed the Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition from next year in honour of Dame Margot’s centenary. The competition will be hosted at the ROH in September 2020.

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-to-host-royal-academy-of-dances-prestigious-ballet-competition-in-september-2020

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bridiem

bridiem

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12 minutes ago, MrsBBB said:

Also in the News section of the ROH website: the Genée will be renamed the Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition from next year in honour of Dame Margot’s centenary. The competition will be hosted at the ROH in September 2020.

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-to-host-royal-academy-of-dances-prestigious-ballet-competition-in-september-2020

 

Hmm. Not sure about this, though I can see the thinking. The Genée awards have a long history, and were named thus for good reason.

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alison

alison

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6 hours ago, Pulcinella said:

 

If you haven’t ready booked for it, or are a V & A member, it’s now completely sold out so you won’t be able to. It’s already been extended from July to September and that has sold out as well.

 

Oh dear :(  

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