291:, with whom he had twin daughters. In 1976, he was due to become artistic director of the Norwegian Ballet in Oslo, but he died of a heart attack before he could take up the post. He was 43 years old. In 1978, the David Blair Memorial Scholarship was established, allowing a boy to attend the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars, a residential ballet summer school held annually in England.
161:, which had rejuvenated and prolonged Fonteyn's career. There is speculation that Blair's departure was due to the focus of the company administration on the Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership. He, along with other members of the company, slipped into relative obscurity in the blaze of publicity in the media and the clamor of the ballet-going public.
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in London and began training there in 1946, when he was 14. As he was very short in comparison with many of his classmates, Blair's acceptance into the school was on the understanding that he had to grow significantly during his first term or he would receive injections of growth-inducing hormones.
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in supporting roles. Set to a new arrangement of
Frederick Hérold's music, with much new material by John Lanchbery, and with stunning décor designed by Osbert Lancaster, it was a spectacular success. Both Nerina and Blair are still remembered for it more than fifty years after its premiere.
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Although he grew enough to satisfy the staff of the school, he was still one of the shortest boys in his class. Consequently, his teachers thought that he would become a character dancer.
252:—and other contemporary ballets in the company repertory. He toured widely abroad with various groups from the Royal Ballet and often appeared on British television programs.
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133:, changing his name to David Blair for theatrical purposes. In 1953, he joined the main company, the Sadler's Wells Ballet (later the
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259:(rehearsal director) and producer. He staged productions of classic ballets for a number of companies worldwide, including
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of the company, who was nearing the end of her career. He left the company, however, in 1962, shortly after the arrival of
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During his career, Blair worked with some of the most notable choreographers of the twentieth century, including
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196:. His partnership with Nerina is perhaps the most notable. They had danced together as Swanilda and Franz in
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and had won critical acclaim, but it was as Lise and Colas in Ashton's new version of the old French ballet
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Blair danced a wide range of roles during his performing days. In his early years, he appeared in Cranko's
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that forever solidified them as a pair of young lovers. Ashton made the work for the couple in 1960, with
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327:, edited by Selma Jeanne Cohen and others (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), vol. 1, p. 459.
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244:(1965), in which he created the dazzling role of Mercutio. He also danced in classic works—
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96:(27 July 1932 – 1 April 1976) was a British ballet dancer and a star of England's
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279:. He retired as a dancer in 1973 and became a freelance teacher and coach.
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During the mid-1960s Blair expanded his activities to include work as a
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Blair was married to fellow Royal Ballet principal dancer
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Debra Craine and Judith
Mackrell, "Blair, David", in
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129:In 1947, at the age of 15, Butterfield joined the
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246:Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker
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137:), as a soloist and began performing at the
314:, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 1982).
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364:The Royal Ballet: The First Fifty Years
312:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet
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411:Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet
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340:(New York: Macmillan, 1955), p. 287.
426:20th-century British ballet dancers
421:People from Halifax, West Yorkshire
325:International Encyclopedia of Dance
323:Barbara Newman, "Blair, David", in
353:(London: Faber & Faber, 2006).
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267:for the Atlanta Civic Ballet and
379:(Oxford University Press, 2000.)
366:(London: Threshold Books, 1981).
416:Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers
377:The Oxford Dictionary of Ballet
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131:Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet
118:Sadler's Wells Ballet School
100:during the 1950s and 1960s.
406:British male ballet dancers
236:(1959). Then came Ashton's
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351:The Royal Ballet: 75 Years
230:The Prince of the Pagodas
283:Personal and later life
277:American Ballet Theatre
240:(1960) and MacMillan's
104:Early life and training
310:, "Blair, David," in
16:British ballet dancer
265:The Sleeping Beauty
238:La Fille Mal Gardée
203:La fille mal gardée
125:Professional career
226:Harlequin in April
194:Svetlana Beriosova
362:Alexander Bland,
182:Kenneth MacMillan
170:George Balanchine
139:Royal Opera House
110:David Butterfield
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63:(1976-04-01)
61:1 April 1976
45:27 July 1932
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401:1976 deaths
396:1932 births
289:Maryon Lane
174:John Cranko
166:Anton Dolin
94:David Blair
86:Maryon Lane
25:David Blair
390:Categories
295:References
257:répétiteur
74:Occupation
41:1932-07-27
269:Swan Lake
261:Swan Lake
114:Yorkshire
52:, England
50:Yorkshire
275:for the
234:Antigone
228:(1951),
224:(1951),
198:Coppélia
48:Halifax
273:Giselle
250:Giselle
248:, and
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82:Spouse
68:London
108:Born
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31:Born
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