Kenneth Bannerman, who has died aged 89, danced with Ballet Rambert between 1958 and 1966, and was the first British dancer to take on the role of Basilio, the barber, in Marius Petipa’s now well-known Don Quixote, when the company invited Witold Borkowski to stage the ballet in 1962.
It is a role generally associated with dancers of the calibre of Rudolf Nureyev, Vladimir Vasiliev or Carlos Acosta, so it says much for Bannerman’s talent that in the 1960s it became associated with him. It also showcased his stage partnership with Lucette Aldous, the vivacious young ballerina who would go on to be one of Nureyev’s favourite partners.
