The Royal Academy of Dance is delighted to announce a new display of stunning portraits of Dame Margot Fonteyn at its headquarters in Wandsworth, London.
The photos, taken by American photographer and photojournalist Lee Miller, encapsulate the elegance and beauty of Dame Margot Fonteyn, regarded as the greatest ballet dancer of her generation.
Born Peggy Hookham in 1919, Dame Margot Fonteyn spent her career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, eventually being appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II. With Ninette de Valois and Frederick Ashton she was instrumental in shaping the company and was particularly renowned for her performances in the classics and as a muse for Frederick Ashton. Her dance partnership with fellow dancer Rudolf Nureyev towards the end of her career won them both worldwide fame.
Image of Dame Margot Fonteyn by Lee Miller. Photographed in 1944 in Vogue Studio, London. Copyright Lee Miller Archives.
Lee Miller’s portraits of Dame Margot Fonteyn were taken in 1944 at Vogue Studio in London. At the time Miller was Vogue’s war correspondent, beginning her tenure in the studio where she created images that comforted and reassured a nation at war. When women were conscripted from 1941, she shortly moved into the field, being one of the first female war correspondents to do so. Lee’s work is chronicled in a new film Lee starring Kate Winslet in the title role, due for theatrical release on 20 September 2024.
Miller’s portraits of Dame Margot Fonteyn are currently on display for visitors and the public to view at the RAD’s London HQ. They are part of wider celebrations around the RAD’s flagship event, The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition. The photographs also commemorate the 75th anniversary of Farleys House & Gallery, Lee Miller’s former Sussex residence that is now an art gallery and home to Lee Miller Archives.
“Our prestigious flagship event, The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, celebrates the legacy of Dame Margot Fonteyn: the RAD’s longest-serving president and one of the most esteemed British ballet dancers in history. We are delighted that Lee Miller Archives invited us to display these stunning photos of Dame Margot Fonteyn, to celebrate Lee Miller and the beginning of The Fonteyn 2024 competition.” – Alexander Campbell, Royal Academy of Dance’s Artistic Director.
The Fonteyn is one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet competitions in the world, representing the pinnacle of achievement for young dancers trained in the RAD syllabus. Beginning in 1931, The Fonteyn is dedicated to promoting dance, providing educational experiences and recognising excellence in young ballet dancers internationally.
Formerly known as the Genée, after the RAD’s first president Adeline Genée, the competition was renamed in May 2019 – a week after Dame Margot Fonteyn would have turned 100. As president of the RAD, she was instrumental in shaping the RAD’s international expansion.
Over 60 dancers from countries around the globe will participate in The Fonteyn 2024. Coaching sessions delivered by renowned professionals begin the week, with the semi-finals held on 4-6 September at RAD’s stunning Aud Jebson Studio Theatre in its London HQ.
To find out more about The Fonteyn and to secure your place at the final and semi-final events visit: https://www.thefonteyn.org/tickets
