Darcey Bussell CBE - Special Guest 2010

Born in London, Darcey joined the Royal Ballet School at 13, when she decided to make ballet her career. Prior to joining the Royal Ballet School she studied a wider variety of dance styles at the Arts Educational School in London. In 1986 she won the Prix de Lausanne. She joined Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet in 1987 and moved to The Royal Ballet in 1988, promoted to Principal 1989. She became a Principal Guest Artist this Season.  She created Princess Rose (Prince of the Pagodas), Masha (Winter Dreams), Mistress Truth-on-Toe (Mr Worldly Wise) and roles in The Spirit of Fugue, Bloodlines, Dances with Death, Amores, Pavane pour une infante defunte, There Where She Loves and DGV: danse a grande vitesse.  Her repertory includes all the leading classical roles and many works by MacMillan, Balanchine, Forsythe and Tharp.  She has appeared with New York City Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Australian Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and La Scala, Milan.  She has published her biography and other dance related books, and was featured on the ‘South Bank Show’ and ‘Omnibus’ She was awarded an OBE, 1995, and made a CBE, 2006.

Darcey‘s decision to retire in 2007 at the peak of her career from The Royal Ballet and start a new phase of her life was very brave, for over two decades Darcey Bussell’s smooth, unusually fluent dancing had delighted The Royal Ballet’s audiences, and graced the international stages of the world as one of the greatest ballerina’s of our time. The roles that she created will always testify to her incredible gifts and position of total admiration that she has achieved.

Darcey now lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters. Her contribution to the dance world has, and will continue to be inspirational and invaluable in so many ways.  Darcey has been appointed to the Board of Sydney Dance Company.