There`s a painting of her in the National Portrait Gallery, a larger-than-life sculpture of her stands above the entrance to a shopping arcade in Oxford Street and she`s a CBE... not many ballerinas cross the divide from dance fame to celebrity but Darcey Bussell, who retired from the Royal Ballet during June 2007 in a gala event that included a television special, is one of the few.
The main celebration performances produced by the George Piper Dancers featured Ballet Boyz, Michael Nunn and William Travitt and were staged at London`s Sadlers Wells 15 – 18 May 2007.
Darcey, accompanied by Jonathan Cope out of retirement for one last fling with his old partner, stood sleek and severe, shoulder-to-shoulder like the last humans left alive in a duet from Christopher Wheeldon`s Tryst, the post-apocalyptic theme pursued in suggestions of coiled ferns pushing up through the earth, or gaunt wading birds... the semi-abstract style showing Bussell at her best.
Staged in stark contrast was Kenneth MacMillan`s Winter Dreams, modelled on Chekhov`s The Three Sisters. The ballet, aptly about saying goodbye enacts the sisters reluctantly waving off the billet of army officers from their village, along with their hopes and dreams. The performance includes pas de deux performances by Darcey as the yearning Marsha and Roberto Bolle as Lt. Colonel Vershinin.
Charles Willmott was invited to attend rehearsals at Sadlers Wells to observe and prepare reference material from which this body of work covering the two ballets emerged.
Darcey`s final appearances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden featured three performances of Kenneth MacMillan`s Song of the Earth, the lead ballerina is forced to accept the relentless, seductive call of death... it felt as though she could not have chosen a more poignant vehicle with which to take her final bow on the ballet stage, her final performance on Friday 4th June 2007 was screened on BBC2.
And then of course, there`s Darcey and Katherine Jenkins in Viva La Diva... but that`s another story!
Tryst
(Darcey Bussell - Farewell Sadlers Wells May 2007)
  
   
  
   
   
Winter Dreams
(Darcey Bussell - Farewell Sadlers Wells May 2007)
    
   
   
Song of the Earth
(Darcey Bussell - Farewell Royal Opera House June 2007)
 
 
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