Irish Ballerinas, Published in You Magazine, Melissa Hamilton 30/07/22
Making Moves! How Irish ballerinas shaped ballet as we know it and took on the global stage. If you search the internet for Irish ballerinas, google yields a rather short list, despite the fact that it was an Irish born dancer who founded the London ballet school, ultimately becoming the Royal Ballet. Ninette De Valois (born Edris Stannus) was born in 1898 in Blessington, Wicklow and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and known as the "godmother" of English and Irish ballet. When De Valois returned from training with the Ballets Russes in 1927, she established the Academy of Choreographic Art, a dance school for girls in London and the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet in Dublin. In London, her ultimate goal was to form a repertory ballet company, with dancers drawn from the school and trained in a uniquely British style of ballet. Students of the school were given professional stage experience performing in opera and play
