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Merle Park
Merle Park
Merle Park
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Dame Merle Park, DBE (born 8 October 1937) is a British ballet dancer and teacher, now retired.[1] As a prima ballerina with the Royal Ballet during the 1960s and 1970s, she was known for "brilliance of execution and virtuoso technique"[2] as well as for her ebullience and charm. Also admired for her dramatic abilities, she was praised as an actress who "textured her vivacity with emotional details."[3]

Key Information

Early life and training

[edit]

Born in Salisbury, the capital and most populous city of the self-governing British Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), Merle Park was educated in local schools.[4] As a child she began her dance training with Betty Lamb, a local ballet teacher, and soon showed unusual facility.

In 1951, when she was 14, her parents moved the family to England and enrolled her in the Elmhurst Ballet School. Located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, Elmhurst is an independent vocational school for youngsters intent on pursuing a professional career in classical ballet. During her three years there, Park proved to be an outstanding student. She transferred to the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in London in 1954, and, after only six months of study, was taken into the corps de ballet of the Sadler's Wells Ballet company, soon to be granted a royal charter and renamed The Royal Ballet.[5]

Professional career

[edit]

Park made her stage debut as a rat in the retinue of the wicked fairy Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty, the ballet staged by Ninette de Valois for the reopening of the Royal Opera House in 1946, a year after the end of World War II in Europe. From 1955 onward, while still a member of the corps, she was assigned numerous solo roles.[6]

At the age of 19, she danced the role of the carefree Milkmaid in Frederick Ashton's popular Façade in the opera house's Silver Jubilee gala on 6 May 1956. Soon thereafter, she was noticed by critics in a sparkling performance of Princess Florine, opposite the Bluebird in act 3 of The Sleeping Beauty.[7] Promoted to soloist in 1958, she danced her first Swanhilde, the saucy village lass in Coppélia, and the title character in John Cranko's Pineapple Poll,[8] set to the merry tunes of Arthur Sullivan. She had notable success in both parts, as "her small, light frame and fleet, sunny style made her a natural soubrette."[5]

Named a principal dancer in 1962, she subsequently danced all the ballerina roles in the classical repertory.[9] In 1968, she was cast as Clara in Rudolf Nureyev's production of The Nutcracker, dancing with him in the lyrical duet in act 1 and in the spectacular pas de deux that is the climax of act 2. It proved to be the role that made her a star. She was greatly admired as Giselle, as Cinderella, and, particularly, as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.[10] She gave more performances of Giselle than any other artiste in the history of the company. In 1973, she danced the dual role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake for the first of many acclaimed performances.[11]

In the ballets of Frederick Ashton, she shone as Lise in La Fille mal gardée and as Titania in The Dream. Ashton's Symphonic Variations, a plotless work set to the score by César Franck, provided her opportunity to display her musicality and classical precision, as did the role of the Indian temple dancer Nikiya in La Bayadère. In contrast, her impersonation of Kate in Cranko's wildly funny The Taming of the Shrew, set to music by Domenico Scarlatti, sparkled with roguish humor.[12] She also gave highly dramatic performances in the title roles of Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet and Manon, set to scores by Serge Prokofiev and Jules Massenet, respectively. Photographs of her in these roles reveal a talented dance actress at work.[13]

Park toured widely on the international ballet circuit with the Royal Ballet, often dancing with such dynamic partners as Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. In 1970, she toured the major cities of Rhodesia, her home country, with Royal Ballet principal dancer Petrus Bosman, a native South African, as her partner. Capping her multifaceted career was the role of the Countess Marie Larisch in MacMillan's Mayerling (1978), which depicts the final years of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary. As a lady in waiting to Empress Elizabeth and a former mistress of the prince, played by David Wall, she scored a theatrical triumph.

Of all the ballets in which Park appeared in her later years, however, none suited her joyous style of dancing better than Voices of Spring (1983), a pas de deux created by Ashton for a New Year's gala performance of Die Fledermaus at the Royal Opera House. Upon entering the party scene, carried aloft by Wayne Eagling, smiling and strewing flower petals, she and he danced Ashton's buoyant choreography to Strauss's famous waltz. She was a director of the Royal Ballet School in London between 1983 and 1998.

Roles created

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  • 1963. Kingdom of the Shades (act 3 of La Bayadère), choreography by Rudolf Nureyev, after Marius Petipa; music by Ludwig Minkus. Role: Shade, solo variation.
  • 1967. Shadowplay, choreography by Antony Tudor, music by Charles Koechlin. Role: Celestial, with Derek Rencher as Terrestrial and Anthony Dowell as the Boy with Matted Hair.
  • 1968. Jazz Calendar, choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton, music by Richard Rodney Bennett. Role: Tuesday, a pas de trois with Anthony Dowell and Robert Mead.
  • 1968. The Nutcracker, staged by Rudolf Nureyev, music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Role: Clara.
  • 1972. The Walk to the Paradise Garden, choreography by Frederick Ashton, music by Frederick Delius. Role: principal dancer in a pas de trois with David Wall and Derek Rencher.
  • 1974. Elite Syncopations, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Scott Joplin and others. Roles: "Stop Time Rag" and "Bethena, a Concert Waltz.".
  • 1976. Lulu, choreography by Jack Carter, music by Darius Milhaud. Role: Lulu.
  • 1977. Bohemian Rhapsody, music and lyrics by Freddie Mercury of the rock band Queen. Special performance at a charity gala on behalf of the City of Westminster Society for Mentally Handicapped Children. Role: principal dancer.
  • 1978. Mayerling, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Franz Liszt, arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery. Role: Countess Marie Larisch.
  • 1979. La Fin du Jour, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Maurice Ravel. Role: principal dancer.
  • 1980. Adieu, choreography by David Bintley, music by Andrzej Panufnik. Role: principal dancer.
  • 1981. Isadora, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Richard Rodney Bennett. Role: Isadora.
  • 1983. Voices of Spring, choreography by Frederick Ashton, music by Johann Strauss II. Role: dancer in pas de deux with Wayne Eagling.

Selected videography

[edit]
  • 1959. John Cranko: Pineapple Poll danced by the Royal Ballet, with Merle Park as Poll, David Blair as Jasper the Pot Boy, Stanley Holden as Captain Belaye, Brenda Taylor as Blanche and Gerd Larsen as Mrs Dimple. A BBC recording, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras. DVD, International Classical Artists; released 2011 (coupled with The Lady and the Fool).
  • 1960. Choreography by Bournonville. The pas de deux from The Flower Festival in Genzano, danced by Merle Park as Rosa and Rudolf Nureyev as Paolo. A BBC recording. DVD, International Classical Artists; released 2013 (coupled with La Sylphide).
  • 1968. The Nutcracker, staged by Rudolf Nureyev, directed by John Vernon, and danced by the Royal Ballet, with Nureyev and Merle Park in the starring roles. DVD, Kultur Video; released 2000.
  • 1972. The Special London Bridge Special, directed by David Winters and starring Tom Jones, Jennifer O'Neill, and Kirk Douglas. Includes a dramatic pas de deux choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev and danced by him and Merle Park impersonating The Carpenters. DVD, Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holding Corporation.
  • 1981-1982. In the title role of the ballet Isadora, featured in the 50th anniversary BBC programme 'Right Royal Company', in May 1981,[14] and filmed by Granada Television with the original cast, broadcast in 1982, and issued on DVD in 2011 by Odeon Entertainment (with the 1968 feature film Isadora.[15]
  • 1983. An Evening with the Royal Ballet, a documentary directed by Anthony Asquith and Anthony Havelock-Allan. Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, David Blair, Antoinette Sibley, Graham Usher, and Merle Park appear as themselves. Includes the pas de deux from Le Corsaire, with Fonteyn and Nureyev, and excerpts from Les Sylphides, Aurora's Wedding, and La Valse. DVD, Kultur Video; released 2001.
  • 1984. Die Fledermaus, a TV movie of the operetta by Johann Strauss II, directed by Humphrey Burton, conducted by Placido Domingo, and starring Kiri Te Kanawa and Hermann Prey. Includes Voices of Spring, a pas de deux choreographed by Frederick Ashton and danced by Merle Park and Wayne Eagling. DVD, Warner Music Group Germany; released 2003.
  • 1991. Rudolf Nureyev, a documentary produced and directed by Patricia Foy. Merle Park is among Nureyev's colleagues who appear as themselves. DVD, Kultur Video; released 2013.

Teaching activities

[edit]

In 1977, while still the senior ballerina of the Royal Ballet, Park opened her own school in London[3] and became a popular teacher, as she was able to imbue her students with the joy of dancing as well as instructing them in the basics and fine points of classical technique. A member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, she was named a director of the Royal Ballet School in 1983.[16] With her mastery of technique and knowledge of style, she was instrumental in maintaining the high standards that made it the preeminent school of classical ballet in the United Kingdom.

Honors and awards

[edit]

Park was named Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1974 Queen's Honours List. In 1982, she was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, the highest award bestowed by the Royal Academy of Dance.[17] Four years later, in 1986, she was honored with the title of Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to ballet in the United Kingdom.[5]

Personal life

[edit]

Park was married twice. Her first husband was James Monahan, whom she wed in 1965 and with whom she had one child. As the dance critic of The Guardian newspaper in London, he had admired her since early in her career.[18] After their divorce in 1970, she married Sidney Bloch and was widowed upon his death in 2000. We can read pieces of interview with her on Gramilano website, where her personality is shown.[19]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Merle Park

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Dame Merle Park DBE (born 8 October 1937) is a British ballerina known for her distinguished career as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, where she excelled in classical and contemporary repertoire and originated leading roles in several works by choreographer Kenneth MacMillan. Born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), she trained at Elmhurst Ballet School from 1951 and at the Royal Ballet School from 1954, joined the company in 1954, rising to principal dancer in 1962 and remaining a key figure until her retirement from performing in 1983. Her repertoire encompassed signature classical roles such as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and Giselle, alongside notable creations including the title role in MacMillan's Manon (1974), "Stop Time Rag" and "Bethena, a Concert Waltz" in Elite Syncopations (1974), and Countess Larisch in Mayerling (1978). Park frequently partnered with Rudolf Nureyev in productions that helped define the Royal Ballet's international profile during the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from the stage, she served as director of the Royal Ballet School from 1983 to 1998, influencing the next generation of dancers. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1986 for her services to dance. Her technical precision, musicality, and versatility left a lasting impact on British ballet.

Early Life and Training

Birth and Childhood

Merle Park was born on October 8, 1937, in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). She was the daughter of an engine driver. Park spent her early childhood in Rhodesia, a British Crown colony at the time, before later relocating to England. Limited public sources provide further details on her family life or early environment in Salisbury during this period.

Move to England and Initial Training

Merle Park relocated to England in 1951 at the age of 14 when her family moved from Salisbury, Rhodesia, specifically to enable her to pursue full-time ballet training. Prior to the move, she had begun her ballet studies under the guidance of local teacher Betty Lamb in Rhodesia, where she showed early promise in dance. Upon arriving in England, Park enrolled at the Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham, where she trained intensively from 1951 onward. This period marked her transition to professional-level ballet education in a dedicated institution, building on her foundational lessons in Rhodesia. In 1954, she briefly attended the Royal Ballet School before entering the Royal Ballet company that same year.

Royal Ballet Career

Joining the Company and Early Roles

Merle Park joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet (which was renamed the Royal Ballet in 1956) in 1954, beginning her professional career in the corps de ballet. She performed in various company productions during these initial years, gaining experience in the ensemble and undertaking small roles as she adapted to the demands of the repertory company. Her technical proficiency and stage presence became evident early on, contributing to her steady progress within the organization. This advancement allowed her to take on more featured parts in ballets, setting the foundation for her subsequent career trajectory in the company.

Promotion to Principal Dancer

Merle Park was promoted to principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in 1962. This advancement allowed her to transition into major classical parts during the early 1960s, where she quickly established herself as a leading interpreter in the company's repertoire. Her initial principal roles included leading assignments in such works as La Fille Mal Gardée, Coppélia, Cinderella, and La Bayadère, showcasing her command of the classical idiom. Park's performances drew praise for her brilliant technique and glamorous stage personality, which contributed to her growing reputation as a dancer of distinction within the company during this period.

Peak Years as Prima Ballerina

Merle Park's peak years as a prima ballerina with the Royal Ballet occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, a period when she ranked among the company's foremost dancers and commanded leading roles across an extensive repertoire of classical and contemporary works. Throughout this era, she appeared in numerous prominent ballets, contributing significantly to the Royal Ballet's artistic output and touring extensively. She earned critical acclaim for her vivacity and technical facility, qualities that allowed her to excel in both virtuosic classical variations and more dramatically nuanced contemporary pieces. Her dancing was admired for its speed, precision, and versatility, enabling her to bring distinctive energy and clarity to a broad spectrum of roles. This combination of athletic brilliance and expressive range made her a standout figure in the company during its post-Fonteyn era of transition and innovation. Park continued performing into the early 1980s, but retired from the stage in 1983 while still regarded as a senior ballerina of the Royal Ballet. Her departure from performing marked the end of nearly three decades on stage with the company, after which she transitioned to administrative and teaching roles.

Key Partnerships and Repertoire

Merle Park enjoyed notable partnerships with leading dancers of the Royal Ballet, particularly Rudolf Nureyev, with whom she performed frequently across several productions. Their collaboration was especially prominent in Rudolf Nureyev's 1968 staging of The Nutcracker, where Park created the role of Clara and joined Nureyev in the Grand Pas de Deux, featuring striking unison dancing at the opening, dynamic athletic partnering including dramatic lifts and dips, and a captivating final pose. She also danced Juliet opposite Nureyev's Romeo in a 1969 performance of Romeo and Juliet, delivering a beautifully danced and lyrically pervasive interpretation. Park created a number of significant roles in Kenneth MacMillan's works, showcasing her versatility in both dramatic and character-driven pieces. She originated "Stop Time Rag" and "Bethena, a Concert Waltz" in Elite Syncopations (1974), the Countess Marie Larisch in Mayerling (1978), and the title role in Isadora (1981). Her repertoire also included classical principal parts such as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and the lead in Swan Lake, though she later expressed greater affinity for acting-oriented roles like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and the title role in Manon, as well as for pure dance works including Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations, which she described as bringing her particular enjoyment. She additionally created roles in Ashton's Voices of Spring.

Screen Appearances

Filmed Ballet Performances

Merle Park's stage work with The Royal Ballet was documented in a few notable filmed ballet productions that captured her artistry for wider audiences. One such recording is the 1959 television production of Pineapple Poll, John Cranko's comic ballet arranged to music by Arthur Sullivan and adapted by Charles Mackerras. In this work, Park performed the title role of Pineapple Poll, the central character in this light-hearted story inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Her most prominent filmed appearance came in Rudolf Nureyev's 1968 production of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet, which was recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Park danced the role of Clara opposite Nureyev, who performed the dual parts of Drosselmeyer and the Prince in his own choreography. This performance was later released commercially on DVD, preserving her partnership with Nureyev in one of the company's landmark interpretations of Tchaikovsky's ballet.

Television Broadcasts and Other Media

Merle Park featured in several BBC television broadcasts of Royal Ballet productions during her performing career. One such broadcast was the 1959 production of Pineapple Poll, in which she danced the title role opposite David Blair as Captain Belaye, with music by Arthur Sullivan arranged by Charles Mackerras, presented from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Another BBC-2 transmission showcased her alongside Rudolf Nureyev in a complete ballet, presented for the first time in colour direct from the Royal Opera House. In other media, Park was the castaway on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, broadcast on 26 February 1977. Hosted by Roy Plomley, the episode featured her selections as a prima ballerina, including Im Abendrot by Richard Strauss as her favourite track and Fowler's Modern English Usage by Henry Fowler as her chosen book. The programme remains available on BBC Sounds.

Retirement and Post-Performance Career

Retirement from Performing

Merle Park retired from performing with the Royal Ballet in 1983. In a 1979 interview, she discussed the physical toll of her career, describing suffering from arthritis and multiple old injuries, particularly to her feet and ankles, where x-rays revealed odd calcified bone resulting from childhood accidents and years of dancing. She characterized herself as "a cripple really" despite still performing, emphasizing that dancers routinely work through severe pain, tiredness, and bandaged injuries that would incapacitate most people. At age 42, Park stated she was at "the end of my career" and planned to give up the major pure classical roles—such as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake—the following year. She described these roles as "huge chores" and "just medicine to be taken," no longer enjoyable due to the accompanying nerves and physical strain, often leaving her thinking "never again" after performances. In contrast, she expressed enthusiasm for acting-oriented roles like Juliet, Manon, and Katherina, saying she would "give up all the others like a shot" if given more of those opportunities. Park continued to value certain pure dance works, such as Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations, and welcomed her involvement in new creations like Kenneth MacMillan's La Fin du jour. She reflected on the inevitable physical limitations dancers face, noting that the body "will just not hold out indefinitely" and that only exceptional figures can sustain performing into later decades. She shifted toward teaching and administrative positions following her retirement.

Teaching and Administrative Roles

After retiring from the stage, Merle Park focused on teaching and administrative contributions to ballet education. She opened her own ballet school in London, where she was regarded as a popular teacher who passed on the joy of dancing to her students. In 1983, Park became Director of the Royal Ballet School, a position she held until 1998. During her tenure, she implemented several changes to the institution's training approach, including the incorporation of elements from the Vaganova Method. Now retired, she maintains a close relationship with the Royal Ballet School and has returned on occasion to coach students. She is remembered as an essential figure in the school's history for her innovative work.

Honours and Recognition

Awards and Titles

Merle Park was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1974 for her services to dance. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1986 for her services to ballet. This honour granted her the title Dame, by which she is widely known as Dame Merle Park. In 1982, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from the Royal Academy of Dance in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the art of dance. This prestigious award highlights her influence as a leading figure in British ballet during her performing career.

Personal Life

Family and Personal Interests

Merle Park was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she spent her early years before moving to England to pursue ballet training. She has one son, Anthony. In a 1979 interview, Park described a personal preference against dining at restaurants after evening performances, stating that she disliked the idea and would rather purchase a hamburger to eat in the car on the way home. She noted, however, that she enjoys restaurants while on holiday, when there is more leisure time available.

Legacy

Dame Merle Park is widely regarded as one of the leading British ballerinas of the 1960s and 1970s, emerging as a principal dancer in the early 1960s during a period of notable talent within the Royal Ballet. Her reputation rests on her vivacity and exceptional technical facility, qualities that distinguished her in both classical and dramatic repertoires and established her as a significant figure in British ballet's postwar era. Park's performances were marked by sweeping energy, meticulous attention to subtle details, and a sensitive musicality that allowed her to mirror scores with dynamic contrasts and fluid upper-body articulation. In roles ranging from romantic works like Les Sylphides to dramatic creations in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets, she demonstrated versatility through artistic choices, seamless transitions, and expressive depth, contributing to the richness of the Royal Ballet's output during her prime. Her enduring legacy lies in her status as a valuable role model for subsequent generations of dancers, inspiring young performers through her example of technical excellence, perseverance, and commitment to ballet's artistic possibilities.
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