1954 – Sadler’s Wells Ballet dances Mikhail Fokine’s The Firebird for the first time

The acquisition in 1954 of The Firebird, one of the greatest works created for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, was a major step in connecting the Sadler’s Wells Ballet with its Ballets Russes roots. Danced to music by Igor Stravinsky, Mikhail Fokine’s choreography, created in 1910, was lovingly recreated by leading members of the Ballets Russes, including Lubov Tchernicheva. Margot Fonteyn was herself coached in the title role by its creator Tamara Karsavina. It was one of Fonteyn’s greatest interpretations and has proved to be so for successive generations of dancers. Natalia Goncharova supervised the recreation of her 1926 redesign of the sets and costumes. The ballet remains the only Fokine work in The Royal Ballet’s active repertoire. As well as Fonteyn, the first Sadler’s Wells Ballet cast included Michael Somes, Frederick Ashton and Svetlana Beriosova. The company performed the ballet first at the Edinburgh International Festival, running alongside Richard Buckle’s famous Diaghilev Exhibition.