Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Solitaire (ballet)

Solitaire is a one-act ballet created by Kenneth MacMillan in 1956 for the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, London. The music is by Malcolm Arnold: his two sets of English Dances, with two new dances specially composed by Arnold, a sarabande and a polka. The polka was created for New Zealand dancer Sara Neil.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Solitaire is a one-act ballet created by Kenneth MacMillan in 1956 for the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (later the Royal Ballet), London. The music is by Malcolm Arnold: his two sets of English Dances, with two new dances specially composed by Arnold, a sarabande and a polka.1 The polka was created for New Zealand dancer Sara Neil.2

The first performance was at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 7 June 1956. The principal character, called The Girl, was danced by Margaret Hill.3

Original cast

Notes

Notes

  1. Burton-Page, Piers (2001) Notes to EMI CD 5 74780 2
  2. "Dancer inspired others to excel". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  3. "Solitaire (1956)", Royal Opera House Collections Online, retrieved 8 October 2014