International Ballet - Programme, 1944
Title
International Ballet - Programme, 1944
Date
26 June 1944
Description
Programme for a selection of classical dance presented by International Ballet.
What's the story?
International Ballet was a British ballet company that operated between 1941 and 1953. Its director was Mona Inglesby, who was also its principal ballerina.
Inglesby had volunteered to be an ambulance driver at the outbreak of the war, but with a £5,000 loan from her father, she formed the company Choreographic Productions Ltd, to perform under the name of International Ballet, touring wartime Britain.
The company’s first performance was in May 1941 at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, with official government approval, as the company’s male dancers were exempt from military service. They were considered to be doing their part for the war effort by helping to keep up civilian morale.
International Ballet was Britain's largest ballet company during the war years and performed to an audience of between one and two million in wartime Britain.
Operating without any state aid, by 1953 International Ballet had become over-shadowed by subsidised companies, such as Sadler’s Well’s Ballet, Ballet Rambert and Festival Ballet and so was forced to close.
The pieces performed in this 1944 show include Act 2 from Swan Lake, Danses Espagnoles, Dances from Prince Igor and Everyman.
This programme was loaned to the Theatre Royal by Lesley Brown from a collection of theatre memorabilia owned by her late father-in-law William Gordon Brown, a keen performer and member of Nottingham Operatic Society.
Inglesby had volunteered to be an ambulance driver at the outbreak of the war, but with a £5,000 loan from her father, she formed the company Choreographic Productions Ltd, to perform under the name of International Ballet, touring wartime Britain.
The company’s first performance was in May 1941 at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, with official government approval, as the company’s male dancers were exempt from military service. They were considered to be doing their part for the war effort by helping to keep up civilian morale.
International Ballet was Britain's largest ballet company during the war years and performed to an audience of between one and two million in wartime Britain.
Operating without any state aid, by 1953 International Ballet had become over-shadowed by subsidised companies, such as Sadler’s Well’s Ballet, Ballet Rambert and Festival Ballet and so was forced to close.
The pieces performed in this 1944 show include Act 2 from Swan Lake, Danses Espagnoles, Dances from Prince Igor and Everyman.
This programme was loaned to the Theatre Royal by Lesley Brown from a collection of theatre memorabilia owned by her late father-in-law William Gordon Brown, a keen performer and member of Nottingham Operatic Society.
Type
Programme
Location of item
Private Collection - Lesley Brown
Rights
Private Collection - Lesley Brown
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
