Julia Farron RIP

[Sharon]

Very sad to hear of the death of Julia Farron. I am sure the RB/RBS will hold a heartfelt memorial, to this very important figure in the history of the the Royal Ballet. R.I.P 🙏

[Jan McNulty]

Sad news indeed.  RIP.

 

 

[Jane S]

"What would the Company do without Miss Farron?" - asked The Times one day after Julia Farron had danced very different roles in each ballet of a triple bill.*  She had a wonderful career with the Sadler's Wells/Royal Ballet, creating key roles for the company's choreographers and putting her own stamp on many inherited works. In her later years she was most often seen in character roles - the Queen in Sleeping Beauty, Lady Capulet in Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet (which she created), Bathilde in Giselle (still my benchmark for the role) - but earlier she had danced in most of the company's repertory: Lykanion in Daphnis and Chloe, the Betrayed Girl in the Rake's Progress, the Waltz and the Prelude in Les Sylphides - almost everything except for the great leading roles in the classical repertory.

 

Some of her key roles were made for her by Ashton, from the little dog Pepe in A Wedding Bouquet (when she was only 14) through to Berta in Ondine, and - probably the one remembered with most affection - the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake.

 

She moved on to become a very widely respected and admired teacher, as I'm sure many of her former pupils will attest.

 

* quoted by Cyril Swinson in Six Dancers of Sadler's Wells

[Lynette H]

The ROH has put a tribute to Julia Farron up on its news pages

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/news/remembering-julia-farron

 

However I rather winced at 

"During her time with the Company she created several roles including Psyche (Ashton’s Cupid and Psyche), Princess Belle-Épine (Ashton’s The Prince of the Pagodas), Berta (Ondine) and Jocasta (John Cranko’s Antigone)."

 

Ashton's Prince of the Pagodas ? Cranko.  Surely someone could have checked this. 

[Douglas Allen]

Might I reference the fact that, in the absence, so far, of obituaries in the British press, there is a worthwhile obituary in today's New  York Times (referenced in today's Links)? Julia Farron was important both as a dancer and as a teacher and deserves formal recognition in print.

I only saw her Neapolitan Dance with Alexander Grant on tape, but they were far faster than anyone since and her grief over the body of Tybalt went further than anyone else in making clear that she was expressing much more than simply a familial loss!

[alison]

Unfortunately, I don't appear to be able to get at it  

[Jan McNulty]

38 minutes ago, Douglas Allen said:

Might I reference the fact that, in the absence, so far, of obituaries in the British press, there is a worthwhile obituary in today's New  York Times (referenced in today's Links)? 

 

The Times and Telegraph obituaries were included in the Links on 20th July.

[Douglas Allen]

 

26 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

The Times and Telegraph obituaries were included in the Links on 20th July.

 

Apologies, Jan, I missed this link completely. It's good that Julia Farron's remarkable career is not going uncommemorated.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Douglas Allen said:

 

 

Apologies, Jan, I missed this link completely. It's good that Julia Farron's remarkable career is not going uncommemorated.

 

Indeed; I’m surprised there’s been nothing in the Guardian or Independent.

[alison]

Jan posted this obituary from The Stage in today's links:

 

https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2019/obituary-julia-farron-ballet-dancer-and-teacher-with-an-impeccable-sense-of-style/