At the end of June, former ballerina Darcey Bussell CBE, in her capacity as President of the Royal Academy of Dance, escorted Sir Matthew Bourne to Buckingham Palace for a special occasion. In this exciting event as the Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, Her Majesty The Queen presented the recently-knighted Sir Matthew Bourne with the Academy’s Queen Elizabeth II Coronation (QEII) Award, internationally renowned as one of the most coveted honours in dance. Bourne has contributed above and beyond to the dance industry, introducing new audiences and dancers to his world of performing.
The QEII Award is the Royal Academy of Dance’s most prestigious award. Instituted in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it was first given to Dame Ninette De Valois in 1954, in front of an audience including the presidents of the four Royal Academies (Arts, Music, Dramatic Art and Dance). It has been awarded nearly every year to many theatrical personalities in recognition of outstanding services to the art of ballet and dance. 2014 saw the award given to The Royal Ballet, accepted by director Kevin O’Hare.
After the presentation, Darcey Bussell hosted a champagne luncheon in honour of Sir Matthew in the ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, London, where The Queen took dance classes as a child. He was joined by many from the entertainment and dance world including Sir Matthew’s company dancers. From choreographer Arlene Phillips to Darcey Bussell’s Strictly Come Dancing colleagues, the audience also included Bussell’s friend Dawn French, following their much-loved pas de deux on television in The Vicar of Dibley.
The Royal Academy of Dance is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Established in the 1920s, to improve standards of dance training, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students.