As a dancer, I am always spotting different nods to ballet and dance. I’ll admit, I was rather a bunhead- ballet was it for me. I enjoy working in other styles but always come back to ballet. So, it should come as no surprise that the history of ballet is one of my favourite research areas. London is rather a mecca for me, in that area. The Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera House have been at the centre of modern ballet history. So, without fail, on every trip I take to London, I have to visit the Young Dancer statue.
The Young Dancer statue is quite well known. I’ve seen photographs of it in many a dance studio, as I’m sure many other dancers have. However, when I would ask where it was, most people had no idea. It is slightly hidden, tucked kitty-corner to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. It is on Broad Street, just off of Bow Street- if you are walking out the main doors of the Opera House, go straight across, walk to your left for about a minute. The statue will be on your right!
The History Behind the Statue
Enzo Plazotta is the artist behind this sculpture. Born in 1921, he was an Italian sculpture but spent his career working in Britain. He has several well-known works throughout London, but this is one of the better-known works. The statue was erected in 1988, and has stood here ever since. Although Degas’s young dancer statue is better known, I prefer this statue. It is a familiar posture for the modern dancer, and there is a sense of peace in that.
If you find yourself in London, the Young Dancer statue is not only beautiful, but a quiet oasis in an eternally busy London. And since you will be in vicinity, I can’t help but recommend doing a Royal Opera House tour! It is at the heart of Covent Garden history, and even London history, and is quite simply gorgeous.
Have you visited the Young Dancer statue outside the Royal Opera House?
Cheers,
The Historian
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