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The Irish woman behind the British National Ballet
Updated / Thursday, 11 Mar 2021
11:31
Edris Stannus, AKA Dame Ninette de Valois
On March 8th, 2011, the legendary ballet dancer, director and teacher, Ninette de Valois, passed away at her home in London aged 102.
It is fitting that the anniversary of her death should fall on International Women s Day, which celebrates women’s accomplishments, because de Valois achieved so much during her life.
In Britain, she was made a Dame and a Companion of Honour. She was also awarded an Order of Merit, which is the country’s highest honour.
On top of this, she received an Irish Community Award, a Turkish Honour of Merit, the Dutch Erasmus Prize, the French Legion of Honour and countless honorary doctorates for her contributions to culture.
Celebrating the creativity of Irish women
News 28 February 2021
This month we have been celebrating the creativity of Irish women, including sharing the stories of Irish women who have created history. We have remembered the designer and architect Eileen Gray; computer programming pioneer Kay McNulty; tennis champion Mabel Cahill; the first woman recognised as a veterinary surgeon in the UK and Ireland, Aleen Cust; the Irish born woman who founded the company that became the Royal Ballet, Dame Ninette de Valois and Countess Constance Markiewicz, whom the journal Świat once described as a ‘modern Irish amazon’.
Their stories are all highlighted in an exhibition called “Blazing a Trail: Lives and Legacies of Irish Diaspora Women”. It celebrates the lives and legacies of 21 pioneering Irish diaspora women of the 19th and 20th centuries who blazed a trail in a wide range of fields. The exhibition is available in Polish translation to interested cultural
Arts news for Sarasota-Manatee: Jan. 31-Feb. 6
from Sarasota Ballet
After more than 13 years with The Sarasota Ballet, Coryphee dancer Christine Windsor has announced her retirement from the stage.
Windsor joined the company in 2007 and has since performed in a diverse array of works by such choreographers as Sir Frederick Ashton, Dame Ninette de Valois, Anthony Tudor, Ricardo Graziano and Christopher Wheeldon.
In a statement, Windsor said that artistic director Iain Webb and assistant director Margaret Barbieri have enabled “me to have such a beautiful career, filled with incredible opportunities and unforgettable experiences. It has been a true joy and a thrill to see the Sarasota Ballet, under their direction, evolve into the world class company it is today.”