Christopher Marney recently received a very nice letter from Prince William and his wife. Thirty years ago, William’s mother, Diana, a ballet lover and sometime dancer, had been patron of London City Ballet. That company folded in 1996 but Marney was on a mission to revive it. He sent the royals some photos of Diana with the original company’s director, Harold King, “and they sent a lovely letter back, wishing me luck”. Was that all? No offer of royal patronage? “I don’t know about going down that route,” says Marney with a faint smile. “I don’t know if it’s very us.”
Marney’s vision for the rebooted, 21st-century version of London City Ballet breaks from some of the more traditional ideas of the art form, as forged originally in the court of Louis XIV. He wants a company of dancers that reflect the present: a diverse lineup in age, ethnicity, experience and body type, and – in a discipline where adults are still sometimes called “girls” and “boys” – an environment that treats dancers like grownups. But at the same time, interestingly, it’s a company that’s purposefully staying connected to the past, with a specific remit to revive forgotten gems by genius choreographers and bring them back to life on stage.
