1964 – Ballet for All established

Born in 1920, writer and lecturer Peter Brinson studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford. After serving during World War Two, Brinson worked at the London Film Centre, and in the 1960s approached Barbara Fewster, a teacher at The Royal Ballet School, to ask if pupils could take part in traveling lectures on ballet.

Brinson established a formal link with The Royal Ballet in 1964, giving his venture the name Ballet For All. This marked the beginning of an ambitious and creative project that gave promising young dancers from The Royal Ballet Touring Company opportunities to perform leading roles. Brinson developed a unique style of spoken lecture that accompanied abridged versions of ballets, highlighting aspects of the ballet’s development since the establishment of the dance style. Ballet for All toured to venues that were too small for the Touring Company to occupy, expanding the reach of The Royal Ballet companies. In 1978, the Arts Council withdrew funding to support this third company, with the Royal Academy of Dance taking over control, before Ballet for All’s ultimate closure in 1979.