1966 – London Festival Ballet dances Serge Lifar’s Noir et blanc for the first time

Serge Lifar’s spectacular and enchanting Noir et blanc (later called Suite en blanc), offering multiple technical and stylistic challenges and opportunities to shine, established itself as a firm audience favourite and has remained in London Festival Ballet’s performing repertoire until this day. Danced to music by Édouard Lalo, the ballet was first performed by the Paris Opéra Ballet in 1943. Festival Ballet’s first cast at the Royal Festival Hall in 1966 included Lucette Aldous, Galina Samsova, Margot Miklosy and John Gilpin.