Rambert Dance Company

Founder Director: Marie Rambert
Numbers: 53 Touring Venues Inc. Mercury Theatre

• 1930 - The Marie Rambert dancers perform with Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina
• 1931 - Ballet Club at Mercury Theatre: new company name, new resident theatre
• 1935 - Ballet Rambert
• 1936 - BBC Broadcast: Company performs live on TV
• 1937 - Dark Elegies: Premiere of Antony Tudor's seminal work

• Nijinsky- L'Apres-midi d'un faune (1912/1931)
• Rambert - Primavera (1931)
• Tudor - The Planets 

Designer: Nadia Benois

Musicians: Hugh Bradford, Constant Lambert, Charles Lynch, Angus Morrison

Dancers: Alicia Markova, Sally Gilmour, Maude LLoyd, Diana Gould, Harold Turner, William Chappell, Hugh Laing

• 1940: Peter and Wolf  premiere at the Arts Theatre Cambridge
• 1941: Daytime Performances Lunch Ballet and Tea Ballet become popular
• 1946: First full-length production of Giselle with Sally Gilmour and Walter Gore
• 1947: Visit Australia and New Zealand company invited to tour for 6 months, stayed 15
• 1948: In the Red shoe premiere Marie Rambert has a cameo in the Movie 

• Staff - Peter and the Wolf (1940)
• Howard - Carnival of Animals (1943)

• 26 Dancers joined the tour
• 12 Dancers came back
• 15 months touring Australia and New Zealand
• Curtain calls for Melbourne premiere

The War Years

• The company danced everywhere: Theatres, community centres, halls, canteens
• Performed for exhausted factory workers so they  could relax
• Male dancers including Frank Staff were called for National Service during WW2 

• 1951: Festival of Britain: Rambert participates with two new works
• 1956: Tour to Spain: Open-air theatres all over the country
• 1957: Conte Fantastique Andree Howard's final creation for Rambert
• 1958: Seasons at Sadler's Wells: Regularly featuring works by Antony Tudor
• 1959: Temple of Jupiter: First Ballet company to perform on Lebanese historic site

• Morrice - Two Brothers (1958)

• 2 Months touring China
• 3 Honours and recognitions (Marie Rambert) - CBE, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award and Chevalier of the Legion D'Honneur
• 2 New commissions for the Festival of Britain
• 3 Weeks performing at Jacob's of Britain
• 20 Dancers

• Dancers: John Chesworth, Beryl Goldwyn, Norman Morrice and Shirley Rees
• Designers: Edward Burra and Ralph Koltai
• Choreographers: Robert Joffrey and Norman Morrice

• Artistic Director: Marie Rambert 1962
• Associate Director: Norman Morrice 1966-1970
• Assistant Directors: John Chesworth 1966-1970
  
• 1961: Norman Morrice in the USA to train with Martha Graham
• 1963: Christopher Bruce joins as a dancer with the company
• 1966: Morrice appointed Associate Director; Company reorganisation from medium classical troupe to smaller ensemble 15- 20
• 1967: First Choreographic workshop novice choreographers, designers and musicians collaborate 

• New works by new/established Choreographers
• Preserve masterworks contributing to Heritage
• Perform regular seasons and tour frequently
• Company Down Size
• 33 Full-time Dancers: 17 Full-Time Dancers, 2 Guests  
• 1963 tour to Greece and the Middle East: 24 Performances

• Morrice: The Realms of Choice (1965); The Wise Monkeys (1960)
• Chesworth: Time Base (1966); Tic-Tack (1968); 'H' (1968)
• Tetley: Pierrot Lunaire (1962/1967); Ricercare (1966/1967); Ziggurat (1967) 
• Bruce: George Frideric (1969)

• Artistic Director: Norman Morrice (1970-1974); John Chesworth (1974-1980) 
• Associate Director: Christopher Bruce (1975- 1979) 

• 1970: Bertram BA Tell's sideshow educational programme for young audiences
• 1971: New premises company moves to Chiswick
• 1972: Creation of Dance Unit to reach out to new audiences and student
• 1976: 50th-anniversary special performances including premieres by Christopher Bruce and Frederick Ashton
• 1977: Queen's silver jubilee new commissions including Bruce and Kemp's 'Cruel Garden'

• 2 Dance Studios
• 209 Venues Visited
• 95 Performances by Dance Unit 

• Bruce: Promenade (1976); Girl with Straw Hat (1976); Cruel Garden (1977)
• Tetley: The Tempest (1979); Rag-Dances (1971)
• Davies: Celebration (1979)

• Artistic Directors: Robert North (1981-1985); Richard Alston (1986- 1992)

• 1982: Marie Rambert dies
• 1986: Alston becomes Artistic Director and the company takes a new direction; 60th anniversary the company commissions Michael Clark to choreograph 'Swamp'
• 1987: Company was renamed Rambert Dance Company

• Bruce: Ghost Dances (1981); Sergeant Early's Dream Soda Lake (1984)
• North: Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1980/1981); Death and the Maiden (1980/1984)
• Alston: Soda Lake (1981/1986); Strong Language (1987); Wildlife (1984)
• Davies: Rushes (1982/1987); Embarque (1988)
• Cunningham: Fielding Sixes (1980/1983); Doubles (1984)

• 18 Dancers
• 197 Venues visited on Tour
• 2 USA tours 
• 1st UK company to perform a work by Merce Cunningham

• Artistic Director: Christopher Bruce (1994- 2000)

• Davies: Plain Song (1981/1991); Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues (1992)
• Bruce: Rooster (1991/1994); Swansong (1987/1995)
• Cunningham: Touchbase (1992)
• Baldwin: Island to Island (1991)

• 206 Venues visited
• 40 Additions to Repertoire
• 50 works performed
• 25 Creations for the company
• 25 Dancers: Dancers with Bruce; New Dancers; Dancers already with Rambert

• 1991: Mark Baldwin emerges as a significant choreographer's
• 1992: Cunningham's work was specially created for Rambert
• 1994: Bruce returns to become Artistic Director and relaunches the company
• 1996: Overseas touring expands to Europe, Asia, North & South America

• Artistic Director: Christopher Bruce (1994- 2002); Mark Baldwin (2002-2018)

• 2001: Rambert on the web the company launches its first website
• 2013: Shortened to 'Rambert'

• Cunningham:  Beach Birds (1991/2000)

• 22 Dancers