Description

This original London’s Festival Ballet Autumn Tour Programme from 1956 is a beautiful piece of mid‑century British dance history. Featuring elegant period artwork and priced in pre‑decimal currency, it captures the prestige and glamour of one of the UK’s leading ballet companies during a formative era. The cover illustration, with its classic 1950s stage‑curtain design and poised dancers, reflects the refined visual style associated with Festival Ballet’s touring productions of the time.

Programmes from this period were printed in limited quantities and sold only at the venue, making surviving examples increasingly collectable. This edition offers a snapshot of the company’s repertoire, dancers and artistic direction during the post‑war cultural revival, when ballet was becoming more accessible to audiences across the country.

A wonderful find for collectors of ballet memorabilia, mid‑century theatre ephemera, or anyone with an interest in the early history of what would later become the English National Ballet. A graceful and evocative reminder of Britain’s rich performing‑arts heritage.

London’s Festival Ballet in the 1950s

Founded in 1950 by Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, London’s Festival Ballet quickly became one of Britain’s most important touring ballet companies. The 1950s were a defining decade, marked by ambitious nationwide tours, expanding audiences and a growing reputation for accessible, high‑quality classical ballet.

The Autumn Tour of 1956 took place during a period of cultural renewal in post‑war Britain, when theatre, opera and ballet were flourishing. Programmes from this era document not only the performances but also the evolving identity of a company that would eventually become the English National Ballet, one of the world’s leading ballet institutions.

This 1956 programme is a tangible piece of that story — a mid‑century artefact from a company on the rise, capturing the elegance, artistry and optimism of British ballet in the post‑war years.