Ballet on British television, 1946–1947

Ballet has always had a recognized place in television programming in Britain, not just from the opening of the official BBC television service in November 1936, but from the time of the unofficial experimental service that took its first faltering steps in 1932. It developed from being able to show only soloists, dancing in front of a plain white backcloth on a checkered floor accompanied by a single piano, through duets, trios, small groups with instrumental ensembles and simple scenery, and specially created ballets, to a two-act version of The Sleeping Princess (or Beauty, as it is usually known), featuring sixty dancers from the Vic-Wells Ballet. The service closed down in September 1939, on the eve of the outbreak in Europe of World War II, and remained closed for the duration. Before the war, ballet and television in Britain had developed side by side, but after the close-down, television obviously made no further effective progress, while ballet surged ahead. Until the war, ballet was seen only rarely outside London, but the war played havoc with London theatres and theatregoing so that touring became the order of the day. The Sadler's Wells

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