Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1912-1992, undated (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
One handmade card, five handwritten postcards, three handwritten notes, three typed letters, three typed notes, carbon copies of 22 typed pages, one press cutting, one page from a press cutting album and one photocopy
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Kenneth MacMillan was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and began ballet classes in Retford, England, in 1940. He joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in 1944 and later the Sadler's Wells Ballet but gave up dancing for choreography partly due to crippling stage fright. His first choreographic work was Somnambulism, created for the Sadler's Wells Ballet Choreographic Group in 1953 and he created works for both Royal Ballet companies throughout his career. He created significant works for The Stuttgart Ballet and his works are danced by ballet companies world-wide. He has also created work for television and cinema.
Kenneth MacMillan was Director of the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin from 1966 to 1969, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet from 1970 to 1977 and its Principal Chroreographer from 1977 until his death. He was also Associate Director of American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and Artistic Associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992.
Kenneth MacMillan was knighted in 1983, and he received honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh (1976) and the Royal College of Art (1992). His awards include the Evening Standard Ballet Award (1979); Society of West End Theatre Ballet Award, 1980 and 1983; and, posthumously, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 1993 for The Judas Tree; the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 1993; and the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1994 for Carousel
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Clement Crisp was a dance historian, author and critic, as well as Librarian and Archivist at the Royal Academy of Dance for many years. He was a good friend and supporter of the work of Kenneth MacMillan. The material in this file includes some writings on Kenneth MacMillan by Clement Crisp, but mostly comprises postcards, notes and letters that are humorous, often at the expense of people they both know, and could be considered offensive. The material comprises
- Handmade card signed by Peter (Hollamby) and Clement (Crisp), undated. Peter Hollamby was Clement Crisp's life partner.
- Carbon copy of two typed pages of a mock biography of Kenneth MacMillan, undated
- Five postcards, one typed and two handwritten notes, including invitations and humorous comments about dancers and ballets seen, 1969-1992 and undated
- Photocopy of an article from The Stage, surrounded by humorous comments by Clement Crisp in red ink, undated
- Typed letter on The Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles headed notepaper, gossipy letter, August 18, no year
- Typed letter praising the work of Kenneth MacMillan, having seen Requiem, Song of the Earth and My Brother, My Sisters in quick succession, 7.5.1978
- Carbon copy of four typed pages of biography of Kenneth MacMillan by Clement Crisp, describing his work from Danses Concertantes in 1955 to Images of Love in 1964, with corrections in blue biro, undated
- 10 typed pages, Kenneth MacMillan and His Ballets by Clement Crisp, the first seven giving a brief biography and a review of his ballets up to Romeo and Juliet, three final pages on Romeo and Juliet, with corrections in black biro, copyright Clement Crisp, undated
- Carbon copy of three typed pages, Orpheus: Programme Note for Covent Garden by Clement Crisp, with handwritten corrections in blue biro, with typed note to Kenneth MacMillan 'For your comments', undated but Orpheus had its first performance in 1982
- Carbon copy of three typed pages, MacMillan's Orpheus by Clement Crisp, taken from an interview with Kenneth MacMillan, with corrections in blue ink, with typed note to Kenneth MacMillan 'for your approval', 15.4.1982
- One page typed letter enclosing a ballet scenario (not included) by Walter Gruber for I Promessi Sposi, undated but 1979 from the contents of the letter
- Page from The Illustrated London News, 18.5.1912, with an illustration of forcible feeding of women suffragist prisoner, with additions by Clement Crisp in blue biro
- Page from a press cutting album with photos of dancers, with additional captions by Clement Crisp in blue biro, undated
- One photocopy of a mock x-ray, dated 1.7.1974
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
The language in some of the correspondence could be considered offensive. Access is at the discretion of the Archives and Records Manager
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Some of these would be interesting to digitise although the language in some items could be considered offensive.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- MacMillan, Kenneth (Subject)
- Crisp, Clement (Subject)