Anton Dolin (1904-1983). British dancer of Irish descent, director, teacher and choreographer

Anton Dolin was of Irish descent but was born Patrick Healey-Kay in Sussex, England in 1904. He initially had wanted to be an actor, but was trained as a dancer by Serafina Astafieva and joined Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1921 for the London production of The Sleeping Princess. Dolin re-joined the Ballets Russes in 1924 until 1925, and then again from 1928 to 1929. He created roles for the company, most notably in ballets by Bronislava Nijinska, as well as dancing as a principal in the company’s extensive repertoire. Also during the 1920s, Dolin appeared in a number of ventures at the London Coliseum, and performed alongside Phyllis Bedells.

A leading light in The Camargo Society (1930 to 1933), he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1931, remaining until 1935. He and Alicia Markova, who both lent gravitas to the emerging British ballet scene, then formed a company of their own, the Markova-Dolin Ballet from 1935 until 1938 before, like Markova, Dolin went to work in the United States of America. Whilst there, he performed and choreographed for Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre), remaining until 1946.

Dolin returned as a guest artist to perform alongside Markova with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (as the Vic-Wells Ballet was now known) in 1948. In 1949 the couple started a new venture, which by 1950 had become London’s Festival Ballet, where Dolin was principal dancer and director until 1961. Thereafter, Dolin directed the Rome Opera Ballet from 1962 to 1964, organised tours and advised, restaged and choreographed for many other companies, including his productions of Pas de Quatre and Variations for Four.

Dolin’s partnership with Markova was legendary. He was a wonderful partner, teacher, raconteur and writer, most especially his book The Sleeping Ballerina: The Story of Olga Spessivtzeva (1966). He had seen Spessivtzeva dance the role of Princess Aurora during his first stint with the Ballets Russes in 1921, and had danced Giselle with her for The Camargo Society in 1932. He had a long and extensive career that spanned one of the greatest periods of development in ballet history, both in Britain and America. Anton Dolin was knighted in 1981 and died in Paris in 1983.