Ballet in the Blitz

by Mona Inglesby, Kay Hunter

The memoirs of Mona Inglesby, a neglected figure in the history of British Ballet, recording the history and achievements of the wartime touring company she founded, Ballet International.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read in fairly typical 'ballerina of a certain era' memoir style, and reinstating this resourceful and talented lady back into her rightful place in the history of British ballet. Although the book speculates on some of the reasons why Ballet International hasn't made it into the history books (and Ismene Brown suggests more in her Telegraph article and Radio programme: Blackout Ballet, which is available on the internet) I'm not sure it is the whole story. Clement Crisp has said that performances were 'arid' (however you interpret that in relation to dance) and it is likely that standards weren't as high as at the Wells or Rambert (most of the men were away on national service so anyone they could get was a bonus), there was more than probably an element of rivalry and those that got the funding and have survived the test of time have inevitably dominated the history books. But one can't get away from the fact that this company was reaching thousands of new ballet-goers in the provinces and, towards the end, performing in massive arenas on the continent. And - after an initial start up investment from Mona Inglesby's father - funding itself! They were the company chosen to perform at the Festival of Britain - they can't have been that 'arid'.

I've read quite a few books on British Ballet and after a while there is nothing new to read. Not so this book, much of this was news to me, particularly regarding the fate of Sergueeff's notations of the original Maryinsky productions of 'the classics'. It's well documented that he smuggled them out of Russia during the Revolution and that he reconstructed many of them for the Wells, but I had no idea what happened to the actual documents after his death. I was astonished to read of the lack of interest from the establishment (including in his home country) in such a precious historical document! Jaw-droppingly fascinating reading! It's so nice to find some fresh reading material on a subject I thought I may have exhausted. For years I've hoped someone would write a book about the Anglo-Polish Ballet and one or two of the dancers (I note from this book) cross over with Ballet International. This book, being about the same era, is probably the nearest I'll get. Really enjoyed it.

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull, dull, dull. A catalogue of names, places, theatres. Utterly disappointing.