Tagged Ballet

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #4 – Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn at Number 4 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

Dame Margot Fonteyn is undoubtedly one of the best known names in British dance history and if this list was just about Ballet, she certainly be right at the top.

For many, Fonteyn was just about as close to perfection as you could possibly get in a ballerina, looking every inch a super-star from whatever angle you looked. Watch clips of Margot’s performances and you’ll never see a bad line. She extends every last movement through to its full potential and creates a constant stream of picture-perfect poses that somehow merge into the most beautiful moving portrait. Watching Margot dance is a bit like watching your most perfect dream.

After training with the Vic-Wells Ballet, which later became the Royal Ballet School, Margot rose through the ranks to become Prima Ballerina of The Royal Ballet aged just 20. In her career, she danced the lead role in all the big Ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella and most notably, The Sleeping Beauty. Fonteyn’s portrayal of Princess Aurora in this well-loved ballet raised the bar so high in terms of technical ability and captivating performance value, that it became the standard for which every ballerina since has aimed.

Click here to watch Margot Fonteyn with Michael Somes in The Sleeping Beauty.

Though still at the very top of her game in 1961 at the age of 42, many expected that Margot was perhaps getting ready to retire from the spotlight. But in that year, she first met Rudolf Nureyev who was 18 years her junior. The incredible rapport and deep connection the two shared sparked a period of incredible creativity and remarkably, a revitalized Margot went on to dance the lead with Rudolf for many, many more years. In fact, Margot only finally hung up her pointe shoes in 1979 at the grand old age of 60.

They say that dancing is a short career, but not if your name is Margot Fonteyn. So for amazing longevity and achieving utter balletic perfection, Margot rides high on the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #5 – Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev at Number 5 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

Without question in our eyes, Rudolf Nureyev was (and still is) the most magnificent male Ballet dancer of all time who left a legacy for which every dancer since should be eternally grateful… he brought Ballet to the masses.

Born in the Soviet Union in 1938, Nureyev overcame crippling poverty and the disapproval of his macho father to pursue his passion for Ballet, having become hooked after stealing into a performance of the Ballet “Song of the Cranes”. Undeterred he sneaked off for Ballet lessons, earning money by dancing as an extra at the local Opera House to pay his way.

At 17, he won a place at the Leningrad Ballet School where he worked incredibly hard to perfect his craft. This led to a soloist contract with the Kirov Ballet in St Petersburg where he danced in 15 major productions, including taking the lead in Don Quixote, Giselle, La Bayadère, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

But above all else, Nureyev understood that Ballet was about much more than flawless technique. He put his absolute heart and soul into his performances, giving him a totally magnetic appeal which made him the toast of Russia. In 1961, Nureyev went to Paris on a European tour with the Kirov, where he electrified audiences and critics alike. That year, he also made his London debut where he partnered Margot Fonteyn at her annual gala for the Royal Academy of Dancing.

Soon, audiences in theatres all over Western World were mesmerised by Nureyev’s expressive performances, but his appeal didn’t end there. TV and film producers quickly cottoned on to how well Rudolf’s magnetism translated to the screen and so filmed his performances for transmission all over the world, opening up an appreciation of Ballet to literally millions of people. He even danced a pas de deux with Miss Piggy in “Swine Lake” – How very un-high brow!

Click here to watch Rudolf Nureyev with Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake.

Nobody did more for the reputation and appeal of Ballet than Rudolf Nureyev, so for this reason, he thoroughly deserves his place in the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.

Dancing show success with Star Spangled Showtime

SK Dance Studio Star Spangled Showtime

Susan and the SK Dance Studio team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to watch our performance of “Star Spangled Showtime”.

Commenting on USA-inspired show theme, SK Dance Studio Principal Susan Kielb said “Being Friday 4th and Saturday 5th July, the dates of our show this year coincided with American Independence Day. There’s so many fantastic USA inspired dance numbers to choose from that we just couldn’t resist the temptation to go with it”.

The show, which was held at the Preston Playhouse Theatre, was a glittering bonanza of a performance with amazing costumes, uplifting music and of course, fabulous dancing from all our students.

Like all Susan’s shows, every dancer got their big opportunity to really shine on stage and with such an amazing back-catalogue of US themed dance numbers to choose from, there was really something for everyone in the show.

“Our tap numbers got the audience’s feet tapping along with those of the dancers, whilst our modern and street-dance routines gave us the chance to incorporate a range of well known US musical styles into the programme. And for the classical ballet lovers in the audience, our talented ballet students wowed us with a collection of beautiful dances” said Susan.

As well as a huge thank you to everyone who bought tickets, we’d also like to thank all the parents and helpers who supported behind the scenes, providing much appreciated support with everything from costume making, to chaperoning, to making the tea! We couldn’t put on such a great show without all your hard work – and we appreciate it so much.

But the biggest thank you has to go to all our dancers who were amazing, from the littlest tots in our baby classes, through to our students. “You all performed brilliantly” said Susan. “I am so proud of each and every one of you. Huge congratulations!”.

Great fun at our Swan Lake Workshop and theatre trip

Swan Lake Workshop at SK Dance Studio

There’s nothing like watching a full stage production to inspire young dancers, especially when they can relate to the story and choreography through actual dance experience.

So on Saturday December 7th 2013, we replaced our usual syllabus classes with a series of special ballet workshops in which our dancers got the chance to recreate a scene from the beautiful classical ballet, Swan Lake.

We ran three separate workshops in which content was tailored appropriately to meet the needs of different age groups, which ensured inclusion for ALL dancers including those who don’t usually attend our ballet grade classes.

Afterwards, some of our dancers and their parents travelled to Manchester to attend the 2.30pm matinee performance of Swan Lake at the Dance House Theatre, performed by the Northern Ballet School’s classical performance company. It was an amazing performance – danced really beautifully with gorgeous costumes and staging.

“It was great day all round and a real treat for our budding ballerinas to see the upcoming ballet stars from the Northern Ballet school” said Susan. “Everyone did so well in our Swan Lake workshop – we really hope our dancers enjoyed the sessions as much as we did”.

We really enjoyed this special day, and hope that it inspired and captivated our young dancers.