Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1976-1986, Undated (Creation)
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Extent and medium
Paper folder, title page, contents page, 18 typed articles and excerpts from publications, 10 photocopies of synopsis, articles and reviews, from published sources
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
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Scope and content
American Ballet Theatre first performed the full-length The Sleeping Beauty in 1976 in a production by Mary Skeaping in costumes and scenery by Oliver Messel that were from The Royal Ballet's production of 1946. The folder in this file contains biographies of the creators of the work and the 1976 production, and articles and excerpts from publications covering the source of the story, the music, Marius Petipa and the original version, and historical context. Later additions to the folder include photocopies of notes from the programme for The Royal Ballet's 1977 production, and press reviews of performance by various companies. A full bibliography of the material is available
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Name access points
- MacMillan, Kenneth (Subject)
- American Ballet Theatre (Subject)