In memory of Dame Gillian Lynne 1926 – 2018
Here at Northern Ballet we were greatly saddened to learn that Dame Gillian Lynne has passed away.
'It is a very sad day for all to lose such an extraordinary talent and woman.
Gillian played such a critical role in putting Northern Ballet on the map with A Simple Man and in introducing Christopher Gable to the Company. She continued to have a close relationship with the Company over the years.
We will all miss her very much. So a legend passes quietly into the night.'
David Nixon OBE
Dame Gillian Lynne and Northern Ballet
Dame Gillian Lynne’s first creation for Northern Ballet was A Simple Man, based on the life and works of renowned painter LS Lowry. The piece first premièred in 1987 and also introduced the Company to Christopher Gable CBE who created the role of Lowry and went on to become Artistic Director of Northern Ballet.
A Simple Man went on to become a great success. The piece was shown on TV with the adaptation winning a BAFTA. It was then performed live by the Company on the Royal Variety stage in 1989, where Dame Gillian performed alongside Christopher Gable as Lowry’s mother.
In 1989 she returned to Northern Ballet to choreograph Lipizzaner and in 1995 created The Brontës, her only full-length work for the Company. In 2009 she returned to create On Such A Night for our 40th anniversary celebrations.
Dame Gillian’s many other theatre credits include choreography for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats (1981), The Phantom of the Opera (1986), Aspects of Love (1990); and Gigi (1999).
