BBC Radio 3 has just given news of Moira Shearer's death. There has also been a report on the Edinburgh Evening News website

She was a beautiful dancer and a true "beauty". She will live on in her films...A sad day...

A sad farewell to a lovely dancer and person – who knows how many people had their first experience of ballet by watching Moira Shearer and her colleagues in “The Red Shoes"? This also marks the passing of the last of the original “Symphonic Variations” ballerinas and the first of Ashton’s Cinderellas. And on top of this, a great beauty, a natural actress, a writer, and wife and mother.

Here is the Internet Movie Database entry for Shearer.

I was fortunate to see her early in her career as Cinderella. Due to Fonteyn's illness, she got first chance at the role and I preferred her to Fonteyn, although those two august critics, Beaumont and Denby, even when reporting on Shearer's performance, lamented not seeing Fonteyn-----I guess not even Denby is perfect.

Rest in peace, lovely Moira.

The obituaries and comments are coming in and we should avoid turning this into a links thread, but this is a good and representative one, from the UK Times, anonymous, as is the custom.





Thank you for that recollection, atm711. I imagine her footwork in Act I was delicious.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in the obits so far was that Shearer came from a musical family, on both sides – I recall reading that her maternal grandfather was a violinist and conductor, pretty much everyone could play an instrument, and there was always music in the house. Shearer herself had thoughts of becoming a pianist.

Poor Moira Shearer might have had difficulties with her career at Covent Garden after her film, but just think of how she spread the word of ballet round the globe.
That she wouldnt have done dancing only at Covent Garden.
Those myriads of little girls who wanted to take up ballet after seeing the film; there must have been a great ballerina or two emanating from that - and all those others, who did not become ballerinas, but all the same enjoyed learning ballet and finding great benefit from ballet tuition.
Here sits one of those who had to quit at a too early age, but now enjoys ballet in other forms, namely studying dance history. I think I can thank Moira Shearer for sitting here in front of my computer. She inspired me. And I thank her for that!

Moira wrote a beautiful little book about Balanchine called "Balletmaster". It is worth seeking out. Not only was she a wonderful dancer, she was a wonderful writer and a gentle spirit. She is missed.
Leyla

Thank you for that information, Leyla. While many of our readers surely are aware of, many have read, Ms. Shearer's memoir, I am sure many others have not. It certainly deserves mention.

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In the 27 March 2006 issue of The New Yorker, there was an item about a political fundraiser for the former attorney of Rhode Island's senatorial campaign that took place in the home of director Martin Scorsese and his wife, Helen. In describing their home, Nick Paumgarten wrote:
He then goes onto cite examples, one of which is
(Talk of the Town, p. 31).

Scorsese's admiration for the work of the director Michael Powell and for The Red Shoes in particular is well known. The DVD extras for the picture include items from Scorsese's extensive collection of Red Shoes memorabilia.