1967 – Ballet Rambert performs Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire for the first time

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Christopher Bruce as Pierrot in Glen Tetley's Pierrot Lunaire, Ballet Rambert, 1967 © Anthony Crickmay / Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

One of Glen Tetley’s earliest works, Pierrot Lunaire, danced to music by Arnold Schoenberg, brought him immediate recognition. An attempt at fusing classical and contemporary dance forms, he departed from the score’s melodrama and imagery to create his own interpretation based on traditional pantomime figures. First performed at the New York School of Fashion Design in 1962, Pierrot Lunaire was added to the repertory of Ballet Rambert in 1967. The designs were by Rouben Ter-Arutunian. As Pierrot, Christopher Bruce established himself as one of the most notable dancers of his generation.

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