Prima Ballerina by Zoe James-Williams

Paintings of two amazing Prima Ballerinas, Iana Salenko and Tamara Rojo by Zoe James-Williams

SPLENDID ISOLATION BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

BALLET PAINTING BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

SPLENDID ISOLATION BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

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ORIGINAL ART AND PRINTS AVAILABLE

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THE THREE GRACES BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

 THE THREE GRACES BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

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PASSION BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

PASSION BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

PASTEL

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SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA AND ANDREY MERKURIEV IN ISOLDE AND TRISTAN, BOLSHOI

SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA AND ANDREY MERKURIEV, BOLSHOI BALLET DANCING IN 

ISOLDE AND TRISTAN

PASTEL PAINTING BY ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS

Alina Cojocaru rehearsing In The Night

Ballet painting of Prima Ballerina Alina Cojocaru while she was in rehearsing In The Night  with The Royal Ballet 

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Painting of Mara Galeazzi, Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina in The Royal Opera House

Watercolour painting of Mara Galeazzi and Antoine Vereecken in the Macmillan studio, Royal Opera House taking a break from rehearsal for Wayne McGregor choreography. Wanted to capture and paint them both against the London skyline as they were working together on the dance. 

My continuing series of paintings of ballerinas.

Paintings of Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina Mara Galeazzi

FIrst two paintings of Royal Ballet Principal Mara Galeazzi in Alta Stare, choreographed by Tim Podesta. Mixed Media

Painted Lovers by Zoe James-Williams celebrating with The National Gallery

To celebrate the run up to Valentines Day I am posting a painting featuring lovers from the world of ballet every day up to February 14th!

The Embrace by Zoe James-Williams

Featuring principal dancers 

Akzhol Mussahanov and Ekaterina Bortykova

Margot Fonteyn's Birthday

Today is Margot Fonteyn's Birthday
Born on this day May 18th 1919

Biography

Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina Assoluta Margot Fonteyn (1919–91) was an iconic figure in British ballet. With Ninette de Valois and Frederick Ashton she was instrumental in shaping the Company, and was particularly renowned for her performances in the classics and as a muse for Ashton. Her dance partnership with Rudolf Nureyev towards the end of her career won them both worldwide fame.

Fonteyn was born Margaret Hookham in Reigate. She started ballet lessons aged four in Ealing. In 1928 her family moved to China, where she studied in Shanghai under George Goncharov. She returned to England in 1933 to study under Serfina Astafieva and in 1934 joined Sadler's Wells School. While a student she made her debut with Vic-Wells Ballet and made her solo debut that year as Young Tregennis (De Valois' The Haunted Ballroom). When Alicia Markova left the Company in 1935 Fonteyn took over many of her roles and went on to develop a great partnership with Robert Helpmann in the classical ballets. She was reaching the end of her career when she first performed with Nureyev in Giselle in February 1962. Through Nureyev Fonteyn discovered new resources, and their partnership became one of the most famed in ballet's history.

Fonteyn's dancing was distinguished by its perfect line and exquisite lyricism, qualities evident in the roles created on her by Ashton. These include Ondine, Cinderella, Chloë, Marguerite and roles in Symphonic Variations and Homage to The Queen.

Margot Fonteyn dancing in Romeo and Juliet

Watercolour of Xander Parish and Viktoria Tereshkina, Mariinsky

New watercolour of Xander Parish and Viktoria Tereshkina, Mariinsky Ballet, while performing Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Opera House. From the Star Crossed Lovers Series

Carmen Painting performed by Maria Alexandrova

Carmen

Carmen was performed by Bolshoi Prima Ballerina Maria Alexandrova.

It is mixed media on purple Ingres Paper

I really wanted to capture the fire and passion of the performance. it was Amazing!

Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg in Manon

New Watercolour of Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg reprising their famous partnership in Manon

Title Harmony

The Emergence of Ballet in Britain during The Second World War, BBC Ballet Season

Ballet During The Second World War

Continuing the BBC Ballet Season. Wed BBC March 5th 9pm but can be seen on iplayer. Dancing in the Blitz. 
David Bintley on how British ballet was forged during the Second World War.David Bintley, director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet explores how the Second World War was the making of British ballet and how fundamental the years of hardship and adversity were in getting the British public to embrace ballet. Bintley shows how the then Sadler's Wells Ballet Company, led by Ninette de Valois and featuring a star-studded generation of British dancers and choreographers including Margot Fonteyn and Frederick Ashton, was forged during the Second World War.

It's the story of how de Valois and her small company of dancers took what was essentially a foreign art-form and made it British despite the falling bombs, the rationing and the call-up. Plus it is the story of how Britain, as a nation, fell in love with ballet.

Using rare and previously unseen footage, plus interviews with dance icons such as Dame Gillian Lynne and Dame Beryl Grey, Bintley shows how the Sadler's Wells Ballet company survived an encounter with Nazi forces in Holland, dancing whilst the bombs were falling in the Blitz, rationing and a punishing touring schedule to bring ballet to the British people as an antidote to the austerity the country faced to emerge post-war as The Royal Ballet 

Dancing the the Blitz, BBC Link


Also if your interested in this era you must read the autobiography by Gillian Lynne, Dancer in Wartime. She was dancing with Margot Fonteine and Moira Shearer at this time. A tale of courage, tenacity and ambition.

Darcey Bussell on Life

Darcey Bussell talking about her life and career as a Prima Ballerina on BBC

Link to the BBC Documentary

Darcey Bussell Documentary on BBC I Player