Ninette De Valois, Harold Turner and members of The English Ballet rehearsing Les Sylphides

Sittersback to top

• Dame Ninette de Valois (Edris Stannus) (1898-2001), Founder and Director of the Royal Ballet; wife of Arthur Blackall Connell. Sitter in 23 portraits.
• Harold Turner (1909-1962), Ballet dancer. Sitter in 2 portraits.

Artistback to top

• James Jarché (1891-1965). Artist associated with 47 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

This portraitback to top

At the suggestion of Adeline Geneé, de Valois was invited to take a group of dancers to Copenhagen in 1932 for the first foreign tour ever undertaken by a British troupe. This drew on the work of the Camargo Society, of which Genée was a founder, and the young Vic-Wells Ballet. Led by Markova and Dolin, the company performed under the name of the 'British Ballet Company' and included Harold Turner, Phyllis Bedells and Ruth French. In this photograph de Valois is seen, with Harold Turner to her left, rehearsing her dancers in the mazurka from Michel Fokine's Les Sylphides at Sadler's Wells Theatre in preparation for their performance in Copehnhagen, 27 September 1932.

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

• The Royal Ballet at 75 (14 January 2006 - 23 July 2006)

Subjects & Themesback to top

• Art in art
• Dancing
• Group portraits