Beryl Grey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beryl Grey
|
|
|---|---|
Grey in 2006
|
|
| Born |
Beryl Elizabeth Groom
11 June 1927 Highgate, London, England
|
| Died | 10 December 2022 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer, ballerina |
| Spouse(s) |
Dr. Sven Gustav Svenson
(1950–2008) |
| Children | 1 |
Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey was a very famous British ballet dancer. She was born Beryl Elizabeth Groom on June 11, 1927, and lived a long life, passing away on December 10, 2022. She became known around the world for her amazing ballet performances.
Contents
A Young Dancer's Start
Beryl Grey was born in Highgate, a part of London. She started taking dance classes when she was only four years old. By the time she was eight, she was learning from a well-known teacher named Phyllis Bedells.
When Beryl was nine, she was already the best student at her school. She even received a silver medal from the famous dancer Tamara Karsavina. She passed all the dance exams she could take from the Royal Academy of Dancing. Her talent was so clear that two important people, Ursula Moreton and Ninette de Valois, offered her a special scholarship. This meant she could study dance for four years for free. After that, she could join their dance company for another four years. She began attending the Sadler's Wells School in 1937, where her main teachers were Ninette de Valois and Vera Volkova.
Becoming a Star Ballerina
In August 1941, when Beryl was just fourteen, she joined the Sadler's Wells dance company. Her first performance was in the group dances of Le Lac des Cygnes. She quickly moved up in the company. Her first solo role was as one of the Blue Skaters in Frederick Ashton's ballet Les Patineurs.
Her first main role was as the Serving Maid in The Gods Go A-Begging. People were amazed by her charm and style, especially since she was only fourteen and a half! On her fifteenth birthday, Dame Ninette de Valois gave her a special gift: the chance to dance the main role of Odette-Odile in the full-length Le Lac des Cygnes. This was a huge honor for such a young dancer.
In 1942, a choreographer named Robert Helpmann created a new role just for her. It was The Nightingale in his ballet The Birds. In April 1943, she took on her first dramatic role as Duessa in Ashton's ballet The Quest. On March 1, 1944, she first danced the main role of Giselle in Derby. She then performed this role in London for the first time on her seventeenth birthday. Beryl Grey was also known for her amazing performance as Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, which she first danced in 1946. She first performed the role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty on June 20, 1946, at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Dancing Around the World
From 1957 until the mid-1960s, Beryl Grey traveled the world as a guest ballerina. She danced in many countries across Europe, South America, Australia, Asia, the United States, and Canada.
In 1957, she made history by becoming the first English dancer to perform as a guest with the famous Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet companies in Russia. She was also the first Western guest artist to dance with the Bolshoi Ballet between 1957 and 1958. In 1964, she became the first Western dancer to perform with the Peking Ballet and Shanghai Company in China, dancing with a Chinese partner. Her international performances helped connect different cultures through ballet.
Awards and Honors
Beryl Grey received many important awards and honors throughout her life. She held several honorary doctorates, which are special degrees given to recognize great achievements. She was also the Vice President of the Royal Academy of Dancing since 1980.
In September 1997, she was given the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award by Dame Antoinette Sibley. This award is given by the Royal Academy of Dancing to people who have made a huge difference in the world of ballet. In 2017, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for her amazing contributions to dance. This is a very special award given to a limited number of people.
Some of her other important honors include:
- Honorary Life President, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (1973)
- Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (1988)
- Carl Alan Award (2010)
