As I chatted about in my History of Ballet series, different schools of ballet have different styles and techniques. They also have different choreographers that they celebrate. (As dancers, we can appreciate all choreographers, but there tends to be a few in each school above the rest.) As a dancer trained in the English style, it stands to reason that my favourite would be a British choreographer! So, today I’m going to share Sir Frederick Ashton with you, one of the twentieth century’s most prolific ballet choreographers!
A Late Start to Ballet
Relative to most dancers and choreographers, Ashton had a relatively late start to ballet. Born in 1904, his father was a diplomat and he spent most of his childhood in South America. It wasn’t until he moved to England for schooling and saw Anna Pavlova perform in 1917 that he considered ballet at all. His family didn’t approve of men dancing, and he wasn’t able to start training until 1922 when he had saved up his own money. Luckily, he was able to study under one of the Ballet Russes leading male dancers, Léonide Massine. Ashton was studying dance at a time when classical ballet was developing in several different schools, the Ballet Russes was spreading a folk-inspired ballet, and Isadora Duncan’s modern dance was taking off. All of this lead to some prolific works…
Frederick Ashton’s Ballets
Ashton choreographed some of the Royal Ballet’s most well-known works. He was resident choreographer under Ninette de Valois, and then became artistic director of the Royal Ballet from 1963 to 1970. He choreographed both story and abstract ballets, with countless successes. His 1937 Les Patineurs (the ice skaters) is still beloved today, and is a 25 minute ballet of skating on a pond. (You might see it referenced around Christmas time!)
La Fille mal gardée is another of Ashton’s popular works. Originally staged in 1789 in France, Ashton reimagined the ballet and it premiered at the Royal Opera House in 1960. His version is as loved as the earlier versions now, and the Royal Ballet frequently performs it! And of course Symphonic Variations. Ashton served in the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1946, and while serving would listen to César Franck’s “Symphonic Variations”. He created the ballet upon his return, and it was lauded by critics and audiences alike. His ballets range from elaborate sets and costumes, in Les Patineurs and La Fille mal gardee, to stark and open, in Symphonic Variations, but nearly all had great success.
Are you a fan of Sir Frederick Ashton and his ballets?
Cheers,
The Historian
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