Different Drummer
The Life of Kenneth MacMillan
Jann Parry
- Kenneth
- MacMillan's
- ballets
- are
- in
- constant
- demand
- by
- world-famous
- companies,
- particularly
- Romeo
- and
- Juliet,
- Manon
- and
- Mayerling.
- However,
- MacMillan
- was
- tormented
- by
- an
- acute
- sense
- of
- being
- an
- outsider,
- and
- often
- at
- odds
- with
- the
- institutions
- in
- which
- he
- worked.
A
- real-life
- Billy
- Elliot
- from
- a
- Scottish
- working
- class
- family,
- MacMillan
- demonstrated
- a
- prodigious
- talent
- for
- dancing
- from
- an
- early
- age.
- Following
- the
- premature
- death
- of
- his
- mother,
- the
- young
- MacMillan
- sought
- an
- escape,
- and
- despite
- his
- father's
- disapproval,
- secured
- a
- place
- at
- Sadler's
- Wells.
- Paradoxically
- he
- found
- himself
- crippled
- by
- stage-fright
- during
- the
- height
- of
- his
- professional
- career,
- leaving
- him
- with
- only
- one
- option
- -
- choreography.
- He
- went
- on
- to
- produce
- ballets
- which
- defied
- convention
- and
- became
- renowned
- for
- challenging
- audiences.
- Despite
- criticism,
- MacMillan
- achieved
- international
- acclaim,
- becoming
- artistic
- director
- of
- both
- the
- Berlin
- Ballet
- and
- the
- Royal
- Ballet.
- On
- a
- personal
- level
- he
- found
- unexpected
- happiness
- with
- his
- wife
- and
- daughter
- in
- the
- later
- stages
- of
- his
- life,
- making
- it
- all
- the
- more
- tragic
- when
- he
- died
- suddenly
- at
- the
- age
- of
- 62.
This
- stunning
- biography
- reveals
- a
- complex
- artist
- who
- fiercely
- guarded
- his
- own
- privacy,
- whilst
- his
- ballets
- communicated
- his
- darkest
- and
- most
- intimate thoughts.
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