22:
141:
In 1954, Somes married the ballet dancer
Deirdre Annette Dixon (1934–1959), a junior soloist for the Royal Ballet. Dixon died in a London hospital on May 28, 1959, aged 25, from a cerebral abscess and meningitis, although her obituary in The Stage states that her death was from the effects of a car
81:, after which he was described as "potentially the finest British male dancer of the half century". He originated rôles in 24 ballets choreographed for the company by Ashton, and was the lead male dancer for the company from 1951 until the arrival of
59:, England, the son of Edwin Joseph Somes (1882–1973), a professional musician, and Ethel M. M. Pridham (1889–1972), a schoolmistress. He had an elder brother, Laurence Joseph Somes (1913–1987).
315:
67:
In 1934, he was awarded the first scholarship given to a male by the Royal Ballet (then known as the Vic-Wells Ballet). In 1938, he and
Fonteyn created the principal rôles in the
330:
247:
21:
320:
32:
335:
325:
281:
261:
181:
195:
108:
87:
130:
35:(28 September 1917 – 18 November 1994), was an English ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer of
233:
213:
52:
162:
310:
305:
96:
276:
158:
77:
290:
147:
143:
72:
68:
36:
85:
in 1962. From then on, Somes appeared in character rôles, most notably as Lord
Capulet in
199:
56:
123:
114:
82:
40:
299:
154:
91:. Somes was assistant director of the company under Ashton from 1963 to 1970.
192:
157:, (1787–1845), British shipowner, Conservative politician and Governor of the
142:
accident two years previously. Somes then married fellow ballet dancer Dame
102:
248:"British Dancer Michael Somes Dies" – Washington Post, November 27th 1994
165:(1819–1871), Conservative M.P. for Kingston upon Hull from 1859 to 1865.
286:
25:
Michael Somes and Margot
Fonteyn, Theatre Arts Magazine September 1957
20:
146:
in 1964; they divorced in 1973. He later married ballet dancer
153:
Somes was a distant relative (1st cousin 3 times removed) of
234:
Obituary – Deirdre Dixon, The Stage, Thursday June 4th 1959
118:(1958), as well as a film version of Prokofiev's
161:. He was also related to the latter's namesake
150:. He died of a brain tumour in London in 1994.
316:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
8:
282:Biography at Ballet.co.uk, 30 September 1997
129:In 1959, Somes was named a Commander of the
182:Robin Somes, private genealogical research.
262:Robin Somes, private genealogical research
224:Death certificate, issued May 29th 1959.
100:in 1954, and in television versions of
174:
277:Dance magazine obituary, February 1995
122:(1966). All three productions starred
39:, London, and the frequent partner of
331:Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet
7:
257:
255:
243:
241:
214:The Stage, December 15th 1994, p. 11
209:
207:
321:Deaths from brain cancer in England
14:
1:
336:People from Gloucestershire
326:English male ballet dancers
131:Order of the British Empire
352:
198:17 September 2008 at the
26:
193:Ballet magazine, 1938
24:
16:English ballet dancer
97:The Ed Sullivan Show
30:Michael George Somes
159:New Zealand Company
109:The Sleeping Beauty
94:Somes appeared on
51:Somes was born in
27:
144:Antoinette Sibley
343:
264:
259:
250:
245:
236:
231:
225:
222:
216:
211:
202:
190:
184:
179:
120:Romeo and Juliet
88:Romeo and Juliet
73:Constant Lambert
69:Frederick Ashton
37:The Royal Ballet
351:
350:
346:
345:
344:
342:
341:
340:
296:
295:
273:
268:
267:
260:
253:
246:
239:
232:
228:
223:
219:
212:
205:
200:Wayback Machine
191:
187:
180:
176:
171:
139:
65:
57:Gloucestershire
49:
17:
12:
11:
5:
349:
347:
339:
338:
333:
328:
323:
318:
313:
308:
298:
297:
294:
293:
284:
279:
272:
271:External links
269:
266:
265:
251:
237:
226:
217:
203:
185:
173:
172:
170:
167:
138:
135:
124:Margot Fonteyn
115:The Nutcracker
83:Rudolf Nureyev
64:
61:
48:
45:
41:Margot Fonteyn
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
348:
337:
334:
332:
329:
327:
324:
322:
319:
317:
314:
312:
309:
307:
304:
303:
301:
292:
288:
287:Michael Somes
285:
283:
280:
278:
275:
274:
270:
263:
258:
256:
252:
249:
244:
242:
238:
235:
230:
227:
221:
218:
215:
210:
208:
204:
201:
197:
194:
189:
186:
183:
178:
175:
168:
166:
164:
160:
156:
151:
149:
145:
137:Personal life
136:
134:
132:
127:
125:
121:
117:
116:
111:
110:
105:
104:
99:
98:
92:
90:
89:
84:
80:
79:
74:
70:
62:
60:
58:
54:
46:
44:
42:
38:
34:
31:
23:
19:
229:
220:
188:
177:
163:Joseph Somes
155:Joseph Somes
152:
140:
128:
119:
113:
107:
101:
95:
93:
86:
76:
66:
50:
29:
28:
18:
311:1994 deaths
306:1917 births
148:Wendy Ellis
112:(1955) and
47:Early years
300:Categories
169:References
103:Swan Lake
78:Horoscope
196:Archived
106:(1954),
133:(CBE).
75:ballet
53:Horsley
63:Career
291:IMDb
289:at
33:CBE
302::
254:^
240:^
206:^
126:.
55:,
43:.
71:/
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
