1964 – The Royal Ballet dances Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Biches for the first time

Acquired in 1964 for The Royal Ballet by Frederick Ashton as director and born out of his reverence for the choreographer, Bronislava Nijinska’s charming Les Biches, a seemingly light-as-a-soufflé ballet set at a fashionable house party, carries deeper hidden meanings, the appreciation of which depends on the sophistication and experience of the viewer. Francis Poulenc’s music and Marie Laurençin’s designs charm, while Nijinska’s choreography dazzles with its brilliance and inventiveness. The ballet was originally created for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1924. The first-night cast for this major revival included Svetlana Beriosova, Georgina Parkinson, David Blair, Keith Rosson and Robert Mead.