Anton Dolin
Great Britain- Antonius Frederick Dolin
- Dance Career with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
- Establishment of Independent Companies
- Wartime Work and Return to London
Antonius Frederick Dolin
Early Life and TrainingAntonius Frederick Dolin was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Born in Slinfold, England, he began his ballet training under the renowned teachers Serafima Astafieva and Bronislava Nijinska.
Dance Career with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
In 1921, Dolin joined Serge Diaghilev's renowned Ballets Russes. Under Diaghilev, he adopted the stage name Dolin and performed in works by Bronislava Nijinska, George Balanchine, Ninette de Valois, and Michel Fokine. He was the first to dance the leading roles in Darius Milhaud's "Le Train Bleu" (1924, choreographed by Nijinska) and Léonide Massine's "Zéphyr et Flore" (1925). In 1929, he performed in Balanchine's "The Prodigal Son" and "The Ball."
Establishment of Independent Companies
In 1925, Dolin opened a ballet studio in London with plans to eventually form his own company. After Diaghilev's death in 1929, he joined Marie Rambert's Ballet Club alongside Alicia Markova. He later moved to Ninette de Valois's Vic-Wells Ballet. Together with Markova, he founded the Dolin-Markova Company, which operated from 1935-1938 and 1945-1949.
Wartime Work and Return to London
With the outbreak of World War II, Dolin moved to New York City where he worked with the Ballet Theatre from 1940-1946. After the war, he returned to London and, in 1950, founded the London Festival Ballet (later renamed English National Ballet) alongside Markova. He served as the company's director until 1961.
