Frederick Ashton choreographed Les Patineurs for the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1937. A group of 15 dancers ‘skate’ their way through this exuberant one-act ballet. An icy pond on the edge of a snowy...
people » Pamela May
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
Pamela May (1917–2005). British ballerina and teacher
Pamela (Doris) May was born in San Fernando, Trinidad on 30 May, 1917, where her father was an oil engineer. The family returned to England in 1921. She first studied ballet with Freda Grant (and later in Paris with Olga Preobrajenska, Lubov Egorova and Mathilde Kschessinska.) She joined the Sadler’s Wells School in 1933 and made her debut with the Vic-Wells Ballet in the Pas de trois in Swan Lake in 1934. Known for her pure classical style, May became a principal with company and danced the whole gamut of their repertoire, including creating many roles, until she retired in 1952. However, although unable to continue her classical work with the company she became a leading mime and character artist and stayed with the company in this capacity, now known as The Royal Ballet for several years. All this happened alongside her teaching at The Royal Ballet School from 1954 until 1977.
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...
Timeline Event » 1940 – Premiere of Ninette de Valois’ The Prospect Before Us by the Vic-Wells Ballet
In July 1940, Ninette de Valois created a comedy character ballet called The Prospect Before Us. Full of wit and finely drawn characterisations, it required a full range of acting, as well as dancing...
In 1946 the Sadler’s Wells Ballet opened their first season at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with a new production of The Sleeping Beauty. The scenery and costumes were designed by Oliver...
Timeline Event » 1946 – Premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations for Sadler’s Wells Ballet
Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations was something of a blueprint for British ballet after the narrative-heavy works of the war years. It remains a touchstone for the lyrical and musical...
Danced by Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1948 to music by Serge Prokofiev in designs by Jean-Denis Malclès, Cinderella was the first full-evening ballet made by a British choreographer. It shows...