RIP Dame Beryl Grey

[Sim]

The death has been announced of Dame Beryl Grey.   She was 95 and an incredible lady and artist.  RIP Dame Beryl, and thank you for your immense contributions to our beloved art form.  

[bridiem]

So sad to hear this. Dame Beryl had an amazing career over so many decades and has given so much to the world of ballet. She will be greatly missed. I never saw her perform but she was inspiring to listen to. RIP Dame Beryl and thank you.

[bridiem]

I would really recommend Dame Beryl's autobiography, For the Love of Dance, for anyone who hasn't yet read it. She had incredible energy and a real determination to succeed.

 

A minor personal memory which I have always treasured: I applied for an administrative job at the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in the mid 1980s, and I was shortlisted and since Dame Beryl was chairman of the ISTD at the time she conducted the final interviews. She was very charming and I was so excited to meet her, but the only thing l remember is that she said how much she liked my glasses!! (Unfortunately, I didn't get the job...).

[LinMM]

Dame Beryl Grey looked amazing right to the end of her life. Sad to hear she has died. I mainly remember her from the 70’s and 80’s when she was Director of London Festival Ballet and I helped out back stage at the Coli for a while.
Once at a schools performance of Giselle during a pre performance talk on stage explaining and demonstrating a few ballet terms to the young audience she inspired an eruption of wolf whistles as she did a very high Grand Battement! 
I saw her dance once in Swan Lake and liked her very much particularly as she was quite tall! 
Another little end of an era. 
 

[alison]

Such a loss to the ballet world

[Odyssey]

Like the late Queen, she is someone who has been there for as long as all of us can remember. Such a remarkable lady who made a tremendous contribution to ballet in this country. I hope there will be some way found to mark her memory.

[Sim]

Graham Watts just posted that only this week the dance section of the Critics Circle had nominated Dame Beryl for the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts award.  

[Ian Macmillan]

The Royal Ballet's announcement on Twitter:

 

 

 

 

[Jeannette]

I still have and treasure Dame Beryl Grey’s 1958 tome, Red Curtain Up, about her tour to the USSR…before other Westerners.  

 

May she rest in peace. 

[Jan McNulty]

Alastair Macaulay's obituary:  https://www.alastairmacaulay.com/all-essays/uokjxbg5bpaah87a89eb3jllxf5ptc

[bridiem]

32 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Alastair Macaulay's obituary:  https://www.alastairmacaulay.com/all-essays/uokjxbg5bpaah87a89eb3jllxf5ptc

 

A lot here that's good and interesting, but very annoying of him to have described her as sometimes being 'ludicrous and maddening' with 'absurd qualities' right near the beginning. If he wants to refer to any personality quirks he considers necessary to mention, he should do so more appropriately and not as if they were in any way defining. Rude if you ask me. (And, as usual, he emphasizes his own role in what he's writing about, and calls Dame Beryl a friend even though he hadn't seen her since 2014. Even I have seen her more recently than that.)

[Lizbie1]

"Her manner seemed inconsiderate, tactless, annoying." Now who does that remind me of?

[Jane S]

Beryl Grey wrote a long piece about her early years in the Girl's Book of Ballet (which I'm sure some of you will have) - it is extraordinay to read, now, of what she was given to do - her Swan Lake debut was on her 15th birthday, but she'd already done Act 2, learning the role at 2 days' notice when Fonteyn was ill, and - as she said - hardly knowing which step followed another. But by the time it came to her debut in the full length role she says "I loved every minute of the performance. I experienced no nerves and I was so happy to have such a chnace so early".  By the end of the war she was "accepted as a baby ballerina, But to develop from there into a grown-up dancer and become acepted as a mature ballerina was very hard indeed."

 

I never saw her dance - I once had a ticket for a Swan Lake with the RB touring company but she cancelled - and my outstanding memory of her in real life was at Sadler's Wells, when the Queen came to see the Paul Taylor company the first time they did Comapny B in London. We had seats on the end of the back row of whatever the dress circle was called in those days, which turned out to be exactly by the door through which the Queen entered - to be met by Beryl Grey, her hostess for the evening.  She (Grey) was wearing a canary-yellow dress with a huge skirt and when the Queen came in she sank right to the ground in the deepest possible curtsey and 

her dress billowed out for yards on the carpet around her - absolutely stunning. and far more regal than HM!

Edited December 11, 2022 by Jane S

[Sharon]

I have just seen this news of her death. And it's so very. She made an amazing contribution to the development of ballet in this country. And her own life experiences were so interesting - as so many of the ballerinas from her generation were. I mean dancing Odette at 15yrs!! Not forgetting her performances in the Soviet Union...

I have vivid memories of her from her London Festival Ballet days and following one such meeting she sent me a signed photo of her as Odile. A wonderful inspirational woman.

🙏🏽RIP🙏🏽

[Lynette H]

There's a collection of pictures of her at the Guardian web site

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-a-life-in-pictures

 

Plus a brief article

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-a-bright-star-of-british-ballet-with-spark-poise-and-passion

 

And a longer obituary

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-british-ballerina-dies

Edited December 11, 2022 by Lynette H

[capybara]

6 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

A lot here that's good and interesting, but very annoying of him to have described her as sometimes being 'ludicrous and maddening' with 'absurd qualities' right near the beginning. If he wants to refer to any personality quirks he considers necessary to mention, he should do so more appropriately and not as if they were in any way defining. Rude if you ask me. (And, as usual, he emphasizes his own role in what he's writing about, and calls Dame Beryl a friend even though he hadn't seen her since 2014. Even I have seen her more recently than that.)

 

I envy Alastair Macaulay's writing ability but his piece about the wonderful Dame Beryl needed a firm edit.

 

 

14 hours ago, Ian Macmillan said:

The Royal Ballet's announcement on Twitter:

 

 

 

 

 

This feels inadequate to me - but I guess that that's Twitter for you.

[Guest oncnp]

Dame Beryl Grey, British ballerina with ‘all the gifts’, dies aged 95 | Beryl Grey | The Guardian

[Fonty]

A wonderful lady.  I met her several times when I was a child at various ballet occasions, and she was always very kind and gracious to us.  

[Ian Macmillan]

English National Ballet has released this.  Dame Beryl was AD of London Festival Ballet, a company that later became ENB.

 

 

 

 

[Jamesrhblack]

I imagine it’s not allowed to post the actual links, but do check the YouTube of Dame Beryl at The Bolshoi. Newsworthy then and still dazzling today. 

[Geoff]

34 minutes ago, Jamesrhblack said:

I imagine it’s not allowed to post the actual links, but do check the YouTube of Dame Beryl at The Bolshoi. Newsworthy then and still dazzling today. 

Yes and we are also so lucky that several recordings of her incredible Lilac Fairy are available, at least sometimes (for example in the dvd of the 1950s Sleeping Beauty)

 

As an addendum re her Lilac Fairy, I never saw her dance this live but I was privileged to see her discuss it in the Clore during an anniversary event, referred to here:

 

https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/21011-has-ballet-got-slower/?do=findComment&comment=295639

 

An unforgettable evening. RIP Dame Beryl.

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

ENB's tribute has been released:

 

Dame Beryl Grey DBE (1927-2022)

 

English National Ballet is deeply saddened by the news that our President and former Artistic Director, Dame Beryl Grey, has passed away at the age of 95. 

 

Dame Beryl was a dedicated ambassador and supporter of the Company and leaves a significant legacy.

 

At the age of just 15, Dame Beryl made her stage debut as Odette / Odile in Swan Lake having joined Sadler’s Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet) in 1941. She went on to dance many leading roles throughout her extraordinary career, including on eminent stages around the world. She was the first British dancer to guest with the Bolshoi Ballet, Kirov Ballet (1957 – 1958), and Peking Ballet (1964).

 

In 1957, Dame Beryl made her first appearance as Guest Artist with London Festival Ballet, as English National Ballet was then known. Among the works she performed with the Company was Reverie, in a solo especially created for her. 

 

From 1968 – 1979, she took up the role of London Festival Ballet’s Artistic Director, setting a new standard and ambition for the Company. During her tenure, the Company performed both nationally and internationally as she as she introduced new works to the repertoire. This included inviting Rudolf Nureyev to create Romeo & Juliet in 1977 – a production still in the Company’s repertoire and last performed in 2017 on its 40th anniversary.  

 

In 1988, she was awarded a DBE becoming Dame Beryl Grey, having already been honoured with a CBE in 1973. 

 

Dame Beryl became President of English National Ballet in 2005, further building on her already considerable contribution to the Company.

 

Tamara Rojo, English National Ballet’s Artistic Director from 2012-2022, commented: “Dame Beryl was a great source of support for me, particularly in my early years as Artistic Director. Her knowledge of the company and first-hand understanding, as both dancer and artistic leader, was invaluable. She was a beautiful artist and I will be ever grateful for the generosity she showed me.”

 

Alongside her role as ENB’s President, she was also Life President of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), President of the British Ballet Organisation, Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dance, Music Therapy Charity and British and International Federation of Festivals. She was Chairman of the Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund, Patron of the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards, and held five honorary degrees.

 

Sir Roger Carr, Chair of English National Ballet commented: "On behalf of the Company and Board of Trustees, I would like to share our great sadness at this news and record our thanks to Dame Beryl for her unique contribution to English National Ballet. Her kindness, expertise and commitment have left a lasting legacy for both this Company and the wider artform.”

 

When English National Ballet moved into its new purpose-built home, the Mulryan Centre for Dance, a studio was named in Dame Beryl’s honour. 

 

Swan Lake was a ballet especially close to her heart. We will be dedicating our upcoming performances of Derek Deane’s Swan Lake at the London Coliseum to Dame Beryl, in recognition of all she did to enrich the Company.

 

Our thoughts and condolences are with Dame Beryl’s family at this time.

[jmhopton]

The only time I ever saw her on stage was in the ROH  in 1996. It was the 50th anniversary of the Sleeping Beauty, with the Queen in attendance, and before the start of the 3rd act Anthony Dowell came onstage and introduced all the surviving members of the original performance.  Dame Beryl was the Lilac Fairy and got the biggest cheer of the night. The original cast sat at the back of the stage and at the end the current cast all turned and paid homage to them instead of the current Lilac Fairy. Dame Ninette de Valois also came onstage and even the Queen gave her a standing ovation. On the way out we all received a piece of iced fruit cake in a box like wedding cake. A really magical evening. 

[alison]

I was disappointed to see that this didn't make the television news yesterday, along with the death of Ruth Madoc.  Dame Beryl was certainly a significant enough figure to have merited it

[Henry]

19 hours ago, Lynette H said:

There's a collection of pictures of her at the Guardian web site

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-a-life-in-pictures

 

Plus a brief article

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-a-bright-star-of-british-ballet-with-spark-poise-and-passion

 

And a longer obituary

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/11/beryl-grey-british-ballerina-dies

On the Guardian link for the Beryl Grey photos, there is a photo with Robert Helpman labelled "With Robert Helpmann performing in John Milton’s masque Comus at Sadler’s Wells theatre, London, September 1942", but isn't that Margot Fonteyn and not Beryl Grey??  I am sure others will know better than me. 

 

 

[bridiem]

16 minutes ago, Henry said:

On the Guardian link for the Beryl Grey photos, there is a photo with Robert Helpman labelled "With Robert Helpmann performing in John Milton’s masque Comus at Sadler’s Wells theatre, London, September 1942", but isn't that Margot Fonteyn and not Beryl Grey??  I am sure others will know better than me. 

 

I thought it was Fonteyn too, but since I couldn't be absolutely sure I didn't comment.

 

The Times have included a photo purporting to be Beryl Grey with Darcey Bussell when it's clearly not Beryl Grey. I have commented on this below the article. I wasn't sure who the lady in the photo was, but having googled it seems that it's Doris Barry, Alicia Markova's sister.

 

Very poor that obituaries of such a distinguished person include incorrect photos.

[alison]

The Guardian also had a photo of her purporting to be from Giselle, with her in a black classical tutu and doing a penchee which looks more like something out of the Black Swan pas de deux  

[AnneL]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

I thought it was Fonteyn too, but since I couldn't be absolutely sure I didn't comment.

 

The Times have included a photo purporting to be Beryl Grey with Darcey Bussell when it's clearly not Beryl Grey. I have commented on this below the article. I wasn't sure who the lady in the photo was, but having googled it seems that it's Doris Barry, Alicia Markova's sister.

 

Very poor that obituaries of such a distinguished person include incorrect photos.

I am glad you have pointed this out. I saw the photo in the Times this morning and was somewhat bemused by its caption! 
For my own tribute, I would like to say that although Beryl Grey retired from dancing before I began to watch ballet, my early years of ballet watching and education coincided with her period in charge of the London Festival Ballet. She really established the company as one of the country’s leading ones at the time and was responsible for the first Swan Lake I ever saw and my introduction to the choreography of Balanchine. She made a profound impact on British ballet, and like de Valois, held positions of artistic power when this was still unusual for women.
I found her autobiography interesting, although it wasn’t a great read as it seemed to draw on contemporary diaries which, although great source material, tended to make the text repetitive. 

[AnneL]

P.S. I notice the Times has now removed the offending photo. 

[Suffolkgal]

As a journalist by trade and training now working on the “other side” and daily observing inaccuracies of this sort... so disappointing but also utterly expected. In the past the press has properly run and staffed libraries so that mistakes like this did not happen. It was a matter of professional pride. Now it seems it’s a matter of find me an old photo of a ballerina!

[Fonty]

I am also slightly dubious about the one with RB young students in "1968".  That doesn't look like the ballet tunics worn then, so I believe that either the year is wrong, or it isn't the Royal Ballet.  (In 1968, younger students wore white, and the older ones wore black.)

[Sophoife]

1 hour ago, alison said:

The Guardian also had a photo of her purporting to be from Giselle, with her in a black classical tutu and doing a penchee which looks more like something out of the Black Swan pas de deux  

 

😂 I commented BTL about this caption on the Lyndsey Winship piece about Dame Beryl. I note this particular photo caption has now been corrected.

 

And the one with Helpmann that had been identified here as Dame Margot not Dame Beryl has been removed completely 🤣

[LinMM]

I can’t find the photo being discussed as to whether Fonteyn or Grey perhaps this has been removed too. 
Do newspapers have copyright issues if needing to find photos fairly quickly? 
Still you’d think they would be a little prepared as famous people get into their 90’s!! 
I only saw her dance the once in Swan Lake and I must have been pretty young then….younger than 15 as I was still training seriously then albeit not at a well known vocational school. 
I was attracted to her tallness as back in those days it was highly unusual to get into a major school ( or Company) if you were predicted to be growing more than 5ft 6 ins. 
These days 5ft 8 or even 9 is much more common so Beryl Grey was a bit of a pioneer in that respect too.