1960 – Premiere of Kenneth MacMillan’s The Invitation by The Royal Ballet Touring Company

In a bold move, in The Invitation Kenneth MacMillan chose to create a sexual drama of shifting emotions and desires that culminates with the rape of a young girl by an older married man. Created for The Royal Ballet Touring Company in 1960, the four main roles in The Invitation are intensely dramatic, while that of The Girl effectively launched the career of Lynn Seymour as a superb dance-actress. It is ironic that despite being considered shocking in 1960, over 60 years later the ballet may now be seen as too distressing for audiences. The music by Mátyás Seiber and designs by Nicholas Georgiadis, as well as Seymour, the original cast included Christopher Gable, Anne Heaton and Desmond Doyle.