Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Sir Kenneth MacMillan (1929-1992), British choreographer and director of the Royal Ballet from 1970 to 1977. Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, he studied ballet at the Sadler’s Wells School in London and became a notable dancer. He made his dancing debut with the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet in 1946. Because he suffered from stage fright, MacMillan was encouraged by leading British ballet teacher and choreographer Peggy van Praagh to choreograph for the Theatre Ballet. He produced a number of lasting works, inspired by the personalities of his dancers, notably Lynn Seymour in The Burrow (1958), based on Anne Frank’s diary, and The Invitation (1960). He also created ballets for Sadler’s main dance company, including Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring, 1962), to music by Igor Stravinsky, and for American Ballet Theatre.

MacMillan became resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet in 1965, and in 1970 he succeeded Sir Frederick Ashton as director of the Royal Ballet. In 1965 he produced the choreography for the highly popular ballet Romeo and Juliet, with music by Sergey Prokofiev. Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev starred in the premiere of his Romeo and Juliet and also in a motion-picture version of the ballet the following year.

Because his artistic choice was restricted at the Royal Ballet, MacMillan also worked in Germany with the Stuttgart Ballet, creating Das Lied von der Erde (1965; Song of the Earth) to music by Gustav Mahler. In Germany he began exploring unorthodox techniques using religious music, drama, dialogue, and historical fact in his full-length narrative ballets. From 1966 to 1969 MacMillan directed the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, producing additional works for Seymour, including Concerto (1966) to Dmitry Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Anastasia (1967), a ballet depicting the insanity of the Romanov pretender. He also held positions with the American Ballet Theatre, New York City (1984-1989), and with the Houston Ballet (1989-1992).

Critics found MacMillan drawn to “the themes of war, disease, poverty, and death.” His later works were increasingly dramatic, based on intricate two-person dances called pas de deux, which explored the inner psychology of his characters. These works included Mayerling (1978), about the fall of the Habsburg dynasty and the death of crown prince Rudolf and his mistress; and Gloria (1980), a tribute to the young men who died in World War I (1914-1918), to religious music by Francis Poulenc.