The ballet writer Gerald Dowler is joined in a special episode of Voices of British Ballet by Monica Mason (former Royal Ballet student, principal dancer and director), Jane Pritchard (curator of...
ballets » Checkmate
Pamela May dancing the role of The Black Queen in de Valois’ ballet Checkmate. It was premiered at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées Theatre in Paris in 1937, with June Brae in the title role of the Black Queen and Pamela May as the Red Queen.
Credit: Frank Sharman/Royal Opera House/ArenaPAL
Timeline Event » 1926 – Ninette de Valois opens the Academy of Choreographic Art
Ninette de Valois (1898-2001) was an Irish dancer, choreographer and founding director of The Royal Ballet.In 1918 and 1919 she became principal dancer for the Beecham Opera at Covent Garden and...
Checkmate is one of the only two ballets by Ninette de Valois to survive in the repertoire. It makes allegorical use of a chess game to represent a battle between love and death. Arthur Bliss, the...