Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, later establishing the Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world. She also established the Royal Ballet School and the touring company which became the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and as  the "godmother" of English and Irish ballet. Life. Early life and family. Ninette de Valois was born as Edris Stannus on 6 June 1898 at Baltyboys House, an 18th-century manor house near the town of Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland, then still part of the United Kingdom. A member of a gentry family, she was the second daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Stannus DSO, and "Checkmate" (1937). Section::::"Job" (1931). The oldest ballet in the Royal Ballet repertoire, "Job" is regarded as a crucial work in the development of British ballet and was the first ballet to be produced by an  entirely British creative team. The ballet was produced and choreographed by de Valois, with a commissioned score entitled "Job, a Masque for Dancing", written by Ralph Vaughan Williams, with orchestrations by Constant Lambert and designs by Gwendolen Raverat. The libretto for the ballet was written by Geoffrey Keynes and is based on William Blake's engraved edition of the Book of Job from the Hebrew Bible. Consisting of eight scenes, the ballet is inspired by Blake's engravings and so de Valois choreographed the ballet using predominantly mimed actions to create a simple decorative effect. Despite the choreography of the  ballet being described as 'uneven', "Job" features a number of well known dances, which continue to be performed regularly. The most recognised extracts are "Satan's Dance", an acrobatic solo for a male dancer, the dance of Job's comforters, and the satirical expressionist dances representing "War", "Pestilence" and "Famine". "Job" had its world premiere on 5 July 1931, and was performed for members of the Camargo Society at the Cambridge Theatre, London. The first public performance of the ballet took place on 22 September 1931 at the Old Vic Theatre. Other works. Ninette de Valois' other works include: Honours  and awards. Honours. Ninette de Valois was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on 1 January 1947 and was promoted Dame Commander (DBE) on 1 January 1951. She became a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) on 31 December 1981 and was honoured by HM The Queen with the Order of Merit (OM) on 2 January 1992. She was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur on 1 May 1950 and received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Turkey on 2 January 1998. Awards. Ninette de Valois received the Bronze award  presented for services to Ballet from the Irish Catholic Stage Guild in 1949. She was the first recipient of the Royal Academy of Dance Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award in 1953–1954. She was made Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Dance on 19 July 1963 and of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing on 8 March 1964 In 1964 she received the Royal Society of Arts Albert Medal and in 1974, the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation Erasmus Prize. The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was awarded on 7 June 1977 and the Royal Opera House Long Service medal  in 1979. She received the Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts in 1989 and the Society of London Theatre Laurence Olivier Award Special Award in 1992. In the United States, she received the Dance Theatre of Harlem Emergence Award on 27 July 1981. Section::::"Honoris causa" degrees. Ninette de Valois received Doctor of Music (DMus) degrees from the University of London in 1947, the University of Sheffield on 29 June 1955, Trinity College, Dublin in 1957 and Durham University in 1982. She received DLitt from the University of Reading in 1951, the University of Oxford in 1955 and  the University of Ulster in 1979. In 1958 she received an LLD from the University of Aberdeen and on 5 July 1975 Doctor of Letters from the University of Sussex. References. From the Royal Opera House