THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL VISITS ‘ON POINT: ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE AT 100’ AT THE V&A
Wednesday 9th June 2021
The Duchess of Cornwall, Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, will visit, ‘On Point: Royal Academy of Dance At 100’ the Academy’s Centenary Display at the V&A.
On arrival, The Duchess of Cornwall will be greeted by, Colonel Jane Davis, Vice Lord-Lieutenant, who will introduce Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A and Nicholas Coleridge, Chair of the V&A.
The Duchess will proceed to the Raphael Court where Her Royal Highness will view the Raphael Cartoons, lent to the V&A from the Royal Collection by Her Majesty The Queen and learn of recent research and work.
The Duchess will move on to the display ‘On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100’. In the gallery, Her Royal Highness will meet Luke Rittner, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Dance, who shall present, Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance, Guy Perricone, Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dance, and display curators, Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance, Theatre and Performance at the V&A, and Eleanor Fitzpatrick, Archives and Records Manager at the Royal Academy of Dance alongside Ottilie McKinley, a RAD student.
Her Royal Highness will hear about and tour the space before meeting Dame Monica Mason, Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dance, Aud Jebsen, Arts Philanthropist and Lady Anya Sainsbury, former dancer and Arts philanthropist.
The Duchess will be invited to sign the Guest Book for the Royal Academy of Dance at the conclusion of the visit.
Today HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visited our centenary display On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100 at the @V_and_A, in her first official engagement with us since becoming Vice-Patron.
— Royal Academy of Dance (@RADheadquarters) June 9, 2021
The display is open until 1 May 2022. Read more: https://t.co/Z9XLeGiFiS @ClarenceHouse
Royal Academy of Dance
The visit will be The Duchess’ first official engagement as Vice Patron of the RAD.
Her Royal Highness acquired the title last year and in taking on the role, The Duchess joined Her Majesty The Queen, who has been Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance since 1953. To mark the occasion, Her Royal Highness joined a video call with Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance and Angela Rippon, Silver Swans Ambassador. The Duchess discussed the Silver Swans programme, RAD’s specially designed ballet classes for over 55s and described how ballet is, ‘something that will make you feel better. It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself. It’s just a bit of discipline there, which I think we all need in our lives.’ The Duchess went on to say ‘I love dance in any form.’
In February 2018, The Duchess visited the Royal Academy of Dance and met older students taking part in a Silver Swans ballet class.
The Duchess of Cornwall is visiting the @V_and_A today to view a display celebrating the centenary of the Royal Academy of Dance.
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) June 9, 2021
HRH is Vice Patron of @RADheadquarters, and this is her first official engagement for the Academy since taking up the role last year. pic.twitter.com/F14hHBlaqu
On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100
This project is a partnership and the display has been curated between V&A and RAD.
The free display at the V&A in London, celebrates 100 years of the RAD and tells the story of how it shaped the future of dance training, the famous faces who lead the way, and how it continues to bring the joy of dance to the lives of people across the world. The RAD is home to one of the largest dance collections in Europe, and this is the first time in its history it has given access to its archive on this scale.
The display presents costumes, designs, photographs and more from the RAD’s archive and the V&A’s Theatre & Performance Collection, exploring the RAD’s story from its foundation to its influence on ballet and dance internationally. It highlights the role of successive presidents, including Nureyev’s first performance in Britain in partnership with Dame Margot Fonteyn.
Original ballet costumes and accessories worn by RAD founders and presidents are on display, along with 60 original objects and over 80 supporting archival images. Other items include busts and sculptures, sketches and drawings, as well as letters, posters, programmes, audio-visual footage and some original photographs
The Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the next generation, and spark everyone’s imagination.
