1970 – The Royal Ballet dances Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering for the first time

Dances at a Gathering, which had been created for New York City Ballet in 1969, represented the first work by Jerome Robbins to enter The Royal Ballet’s repertoire. Danced to music by Frédéric Chopin, the ballet achieved immediate success; it is a work simply about dancing which is shot through with middle-European folk inflections and characterised by a deep sense of community. It was staged for The Royal Ballet by the choreographer in 1970. The first cast, which included Antoinette Sibley, Lynn Seymour, Monica Mason, Ann Jenner, Laura Connor, Rudolf Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, David Wall, Michael Coleman and Jonathan Kelly, has passed into company legend. Joe Eula designed the costumes.