John Hart (dancer)

Francis John Hart CBE (4 July 1921 – 8 February 2015), was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Ballet West from 1986 to 1997.

Early life

Francis John Hart was born in London on 4 July 1921,[1][2] the son of Frank L. Hart and Ivy Hart.[3] He trained at the Royal Academy of Dancing with Judith Espinosa.[2] He was awarded the RAD Adeline Genée Medal.[4] In 1938, he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet, dancing lead roles by the age of 21.[2]

Career

He created a role in Ninette de Valois' 1940 The Prospect Before Us, before leaving to serve in the Royal Air Force from 1942 to 1946.[4] He returned as a principal dancer, creating roles in Frederick Ashton's Sylvia (1952) and Homage to the Queen (1953). In 1955, Hart was appointed ballet master, and was assistant director of the Royal Ballet from 1962 to 1970.[2] He resigned in 1970, and took up a position as head of the dance division of the United States International University. In 1972 he served as artistic director of PACT Ballet.[4] His last major position was as artistic director of Salt Lake City’s Ballet West from 1986 to 1997.[1]

Honours

Hart received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1970, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1971 New Year Honours.[1][5]

Personal life

Hart married Ann Howard, a former coryphée of the Royal Ballet.[4] He enjoyed fine art, collected stamps, and had a "fondness for epicurean delights".[3] He died in Salt Lake City on 8 February 2015.[1]

References
  1. Adams, Kathy (13 February 2015). "1921-2015: John Hart brought English traditions of Royal Ballet to Utah's Ballet West". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  2. "John Hart". OUP. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  3. "John Hart". Starks Funeral Parlor. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  4. Grut, Marina (1981). The History of Ballet in South Africa. Human & Rosseau. p. 381. ISBN 0798110899.
  5. United Kingdom list: "No. 45262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1970. p. 8.
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