Book description
London during the Blitz was a time of hardship, heroism and hope.
For Gillian Lynne - a budding ballerina - it was also a time of
great change as she was evacuated from war-torn London to a crumbling
mansion, where dance classes took place in the faded ballroom.
Life was hard, but her talent and dedication shone through and an
astonishing journey ensued, which saw Gillian dancing a triumphant
debut in Swan Lake, performing in the West End with doodlebugs falling
and touring a devastated Europe entertaining the troops.
A Dancer in Wartime paints a vivid and moving picture of what
life was really like during the hard years of the Blitz and brings to
life a lost world.
Gillian Lynne is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre
director, television director and choreographer, best known for her
iconic choreography of
Cats
and
The Phantom of the Opera
. She was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1926. At the age of ten she won a
scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dancing, after which she joined the
Cone Ripman School before being selected to join Molly Lake's Ballet
Guild and Ninette de Valois's Sadler's Wells. As part of what would soon
become the Royal Ballet, she was renowned for her portrayal of the Black
Queen in de Valois's
Checkmate
, Queen of the Wilis in
Giselle
, the Lilac Fairy in
The Sleeping Beauty
and in roles created for her by Frederick Ashton and Robert Helpmann.
Her film, television and stage credits include many long-running West
End and Broadway shows, productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company,
the English National Opera and
The Muppets
. She continues to produce television, film and stage productions and
lives in London.
A Dancer in Wartime
was shortlisted for the Society for Theatre Research's Theatre Book
Prize.
