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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Ninette de Valois
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(stage name of Edris Stannus, b. 1898, DBE 1951) A founding figure of modern British ballet, known to all in the ballet world as 'Madam'. Born in Ireland, she danced first in pantomimes at the Lyceum Theatre in London (1914–18) before appearing as a prima ballerina at Covent Garden in 1919. She later joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1923–6). In 1926 she opened a ballet school in London and began her profoundly influential partnership with Lilian *Baylis. She began by teaching movement to the actors at the Old Vic, and then enlarged her activities to encompass a ballet school and, from 1931, the Vic-Wells Ballet – which performed at Sadler's Wells.
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From these initiatives there have developed the Royal Ballet School, the *Royal Ballet and the *Birmingham Royal Ballet. During the 1930s de Valois was a prolific choreographer, her many ballets including The *Rake's Progress (1935) and Checkmate (1937, with music by Arthur Bliss). She remained the director of the Royal Ballet until 1963.
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