extracts
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...from the foreword by Herida May (Former Principal, International Ballet)
"...Mona Inglesby was an incredible lady. At the age of twenty-two she formed a classical ballet company during the Blitz of 1940/41... She gathered together established stars of the ballet world, among whom were Harold Turner (a principal dancer from Sadler's Wells Ballet), Nina Tarakanova (former principal of de Basil's Ballets Russe), Stanislas Idzikowski (ex-Diaghileff Company), Ballet Master Nicolai Sergué Later came such dancers as Sonia Arova, Maurice Béjart, Algeranoff and the great Leonide Massine... As a pioneer, Mona Inglesby took ballet to the masses and toured blitzed cities and in 1947, Butlin's Holiday Camps... During the war we gave many performances to "Forces only" audiences in very large theatres in provincial cities, usually theatres near large military camps and air bases... We gave one extraordinary performance of Coppelia in the Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne to prisoners of war about to return to Germany and Italy... We danced at large cinemas around London, charging cinema prices for admission... Under her guidance, International Ballet was the first company to take full length classical ballets to Europe - Zurich, Arena di Verona, many Italian Opera Houses and Teatro Licco, Barcelona. In 1951, ours was the first ballet company to open at the newly built Royal Festival Hall..."
...dedication by Mona Inglesby for Nicolai Serguéeff, The last Regisseur of the Imperial Ballet ("Maestro")
"...I have set out these memoirs in tribute to the life and times of Maestro's work within International Ballet, and I hope they will contribute something towards the understanding of the company, and the era of ballet in which it flourished, with so much dedication by everyone concerned..."
...and finally, from Kay Hunter "...After her death on October 6 2006 at the age of eighty-eight, Mona Inglesby merited lengthy obituaries in the major national papers. All reported favourably upon her enterprise and the pioneer work she did for British ballet. Ironically, she had finally recived the recognition due to her. Tih is her book - a tribute to her, and to the work of the company she loved..." |
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