Henry Danton
Henry Danton | |
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Sadler's Wells Ballet | |
Known for | Ballet |
Henry Danton (born Henry David Boileau Down; 30 March 1919 – 9 February 2022) was a British dancer, teacher, and stager of classical ballet.[1]
Life and career
Born Henry David Boileau Down to a family with French and Scottish ancestry, Henry Danton attended Crowthorne Towers preparatory school as a child, and later Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, as a King's Cadet.[citation needed]
Aged 19, he was commissioned from the academy in January 1939 as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and was promoted to Captain at the outbreak of World War II before being retired from active service in 1940. However, Danton did not receive his final discharge until late in 1945.[2]
Danton was a prolific dancer in London during and immediately after World War II. In the UK, Danton performed as a soloist in the
Privately educated with Judith Espinosa, he passed the
In 1946, he began his international dancing career travelling first to Paris to work with some of the leading Russian teachers of the day, including
As a dancer, Danton appeared with touring ensembles across the UK, Europe, Australasia, and South America partnering ballerinas Svetlana Beriosova, Elsa Marianne von Rosen, Colette Marchand, Celia Franca, Irene Skorik, Lycette Darsonval, Sonia Arova, Mia Slavenska, Lynne Golding, and others. As a teacher and balletmaster, Danton worked extensively across the U.S. and South America for more than 65 years, teaching, coaching, and staging classical repertoire.[citation needed]
An important influence on the nascent national ballet companies in Caracas, Venezuela,[6] and Bogotá, Colombia, he was also the first classical ballet teacher to be employed at the Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, and the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, and taught at the Fokine School of Ballet, Ballet Arts, Carnegie Hall, and the Juilliard School in New York City.[7]
In 2013, aged 95, Danton continued to teach in
Danton died on 9 February 2022, at the age of 102.[9]
Personal life
Danton was diagnosed with
Recognition
In the summer of 2001, Danton was part of an Artscape documentary film produced by
In the winter of 2007, Danton was celebrated at the
In April 2011, Danton was part of the
Danton was an important voice in Ismene Brown's 2012 BBC Radio 4 documentary Blackout Ballet about Mona Inglesby and the International Ballet Company,[16] and was part of the 2014 BBC TV documentary Dancing in the Blitz: How World War Two Made British Ballet.[17]
References
- ^ a b "Henry Danton obituary". thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ISBN 978 1852731113.
- ISBN 1852730625
- ^ "Ballet dancer, 100, finally gets his medal". BBC News. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978 1852731113.
- ^ "dance.net – Inspiration #03: Interview with Martine van Hamel (8190538) – Read article: Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Irish, Disco, Twirling, Cheer: Photos, Chat, Games, Jobs, Events!". Dance.net.
- ISBN 0671225863.
- ^ "The ballet is in his court: 100-year-old still dancing after all these years" by Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American, 29 March 2019
- ^ "Remembering Henry Danton (1919–2022)". roh.org.uk. Royal Opera House. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "100-year-old ballet teacher shares secrets to long life: Diet, exercise, optimism". today.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Celebrating 100 Years With Henry Danton". royalacademyofdance.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-1862548022
- ISBN 978-0879103255
- ^ Ltd, Pace Commerce. "Ninette de Valois: Adventurous Traditionalist [Book & DVD] – £20.00 : Dance Books, Books, DVDs, & Sheet Music on all forms of Dance". Dancebooks.co.uk.
- ^ "White Lodge Museum : Newsletter" (PDF). Royalballetschool.org.uk. 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Online Exclusive: Dancing In The Blitz – Henry Danton Watches 1946 Symphonic Variations Rehearsal Footage". BBC News.
- ^ "Ballet in the Blitz: How World War Two Made British Ballet, BBC Four, review". The Daily Telegraph.
Sources
- Anderson, Zoë. The Royal Ballet: 75 Years. Faber and Faber, 2007; ISBN 978-0571227969
- Brissenden, Alan. Australia Dances: Creating Australian Dance, 1945–1965. ISBN 978-1862548022
- Greskovic, Robert. Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet. New York City, ISBN 978-0879103255
- Meinertz, Alexander. Vera Volkova, a Biography. Alton, Hampshire: Dance Books, 2007; ISBN 978-1-85273-111-3.
External links
- Link to BBC 4 documentary Ballet in the Blitz How World War Two Made British Ballet.
- OBT Principal Dancer Jon Drake discusses Henry Danton as ballet teacher and scholar.
- Artscape documentary of the history of Australian Ballet.
- Published notes from the Ninette de Valois: Adventurous Traditionalist Conference.
- Link to BBC Radio 4 documentary Blackout Ballet on Mona Inglesby and the International Ballet.
- Archival footage of dress rehearsal of Symphonic Variations, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 1946 on YouTube