Blair, David
David Blair (1932–1975) was a renowned British ballet dancer and a leading star of the Royal Ballet company in London during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1947, at the age of 15, he joined the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet and changed his name to David Blair and later in 1953, Blair joined the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden where he became a Principal dancer. Blair left the company shortly after the arrival of Rudolph Nureyev and there is speculation that his departure was because after the retirement of Michael Somes, Blair was the natural replacement to partner Margot Fonteyn, however Nureyev was partnered with Fonteyn and much of the publicity of the Royal Ballet became focussed solely on the Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership. After his departure from the Royal Ballet, Blair continued to work in ballet as a repetiteur, staging productions of classic ballets for a number of companies worldwide, including American Ballet Theatre. He was due to become Artistic Director of the Norwegian Ballet, but died before he was due to take up the post, aged 43.
David Blair (1932–1975) was a renowned British ballet dancer and a leading star of the Royal Ballet company in London during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1947, at the age of 15, he joined the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet and changed his name to David Blair and later in 1953, Blair joined the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden where he became a Principal dancer. Blair left the company shortly after the arrival of Rudolph Nureyev and there is speculation that his departure was because after the retirement of Michael Somes, Blair was the natural replacement to partner Margot Fonteyn, however Nureyev was partnered with Fonteyn and much of the publicity of the Royal Ballet became focussed solely on the Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership. After his departure from the Royal Ballet, Blair continued to work in ballet as a repetiteur, staging productions of classic ballets for a number of companies worldwide, including American Ballet Theatre. He was due to become Artistic Director of the Norwegian Ballet, but died before he was due to take up the post, aged 43.