Ninette de Valois
Founder of The Royal Ballet and godmother of English and Irish ballet.
Detaille, Georges (1875-1955). Photographe présumé · Public domain
Dame Ninette de Valois was born Edris Stannus on 6 June 1898 in County Wicklow, Ireland, into a gentry family. Her father was a British Army officer, and her mother was a glassmaker. She moved to England in 1905 and began ballet lessons at age ten. At thirteen, she started professional training, changed her name to Ninette de Valois, and made her professional debut as a principal dancer in a West End pantomime. By 1919, she was principal dancer of the Beecham Opera at the Royal Opera House, and she continued studying with notable teachers.
In 1923, she joined Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, staying for three years. She performed across Europe, was promoted to Soloist, and created roles in famous ballets such as *Les biches* and *Le Train Bleu*. During this time, she mentored the young Alicia Markova, who later became a celebrated prima ballerina. De Valois later said she learned how to run a ballet company from Diaghilev. She reduced her dancing in 1924 after doctors found damage from undiagnosed childhood polio.
After leaving the Ballets Russes, she founded the Academy of Choreographic Art in London in 1927, aiming to create a repertory company with a distinct British style. That same year, poet W. B. Yeats suggested she start a ballet school in Dublin, and she established the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet, which ran until 1933. Her London students gained experience performing at The Old Vic, where she choreographed short ballets. When Sadler’s Wells Theatre reopened in 1931, she moved her school there, renaming it the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School, and formed the Vic-Wells Ballet company. These became the foundations of the Royal Ballet, the Royal Ballet School, and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
During these years, de Valois choreographed many ballets, sometimes commissioning music from Irish composers. The Vic-Wells Ballet began with six female dancers, with de Valois as lead dancer and choreographer. Its first full ballet performance was on 5 May 1931 at the Old Vic, followed by a debut at Sadler’s Wells ten days later. As the company grew, she hired new dancers and choreographers. She retired from the stage in 1933 after Alicia Markova joined as Prima Ballerina. Under de Valois’s direction, the company became one of the first Western troupes to perform the Imperial Russian Ballet repertoire. She built a British repertory by engaging Frederick Ashton as Principal Choreographer and Constant Lambert as musical director in 1935, and she choreographed notable works herself, including *Job*. She is widely regarded as a hugely influential figure in ballet and the “godmother” of English and Irish ballet.
- field
- Ballet
- nationality
- Irish-born British
- known_for
- Founding The Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet School, and Birmingham Royal Ballet
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
At age thirteen she began professional training at the Lila Field Academy for Children, changed her name to Ninette de Valois, and made her professional debut as a principal dancer in pantomime at the Lyceum Theatre in the West End. In 1919 she was appointed principal dancer of the Beecham Opera at the Royal Opera House, studying with Edouard Espinosa, Enrico Cecchetti, and Nicholas Legat. She joined the Ballets Russes in 1923, remaining for three years, performing around Europe and being promoted to Soloist, creating roles in Les biches and Le Train Bleu. She mentored Alicia Markova, who was a child at the time, and later said everything she knew about running a ballet company she learned from Diaghilev. She stepped back from regular intense dancing in 1924 after doctors detected damage from a previously undiagnosed case of childhood polio. In 1927 she established the Academy of Choreographic Art in London and the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet in Dublin. The London school moved to Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1931, becoming the Sadler's Wells Ballet School, and the Vic-Wells Ballet company was formed with six female dancers. She retired fully from the stage in 1933 after Alicia Markova joined as Prima Ballerina.
Reader's Guide
De Valois's significance lies in her creation of a national British ballet tradition. From a small school and company, she built The Royal Ballet, which received a Royal Charter in 1956. She ensured a constant supply of talent through the Royal Ballet School and expanded ballet internationally, notably founding the first ballet school in Turkey in 1947, which led to the Turkish State Ballet. Her choreography, including Job (1931), The Rake's Progress (1935), and Checkmate (1937), established a British repertory. By engaging Frederick Ashton as Principal Choreographer and Constant Lambert as musical director in 1935, she fostered a distinctive style. The company included famous dancers such as Margot Fonteyn, Robert Helpmann, Moira Shearer, Beryl Grey, and Michael Somes. In 1949 the Sadler Wells Ballet toured the United States and was a sensation. Her influence extended to Ireland through the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet (1927–1933) and support for the Cork Ballet Company and Irish National Ballet. She formally retired from the Royal Ballet directorship in 1963 and from the School in 1970.
Did You Know?
- She was born Edris Stannus on 6 June 1898 at Baltyboys House near Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland.
- She changed her name to Ninette de Valois at age thirteen when she began professional training at the Lila Field Academy for Children.
- She stepped back from regular intense dancing in 1924 after doctors detected damage from a previously undiagnosed case of childhood polio.
- In 1947 she established the first ballet school in Turkey, which later became part of the Ankara State Conservatory.
- She married Dr Arthur Blackall Connell in 1935; the union was childless, but she had two step-sons.
Gallery
More in Circus & Performance Art 1-21
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record