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John Cranko

[b]John Cranko[/b] (15 August 1927, Rustenburg, South Africa — 26 June 1973, Dublin, Ireland) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer best known for his work with [a=The Royal Ballet] and the [url=https://discogs.com/label/464374]Stuttgart Ballet[/url]. Born to British parents in Rustenburg, a former Transvaal province in South Africa, John received his early ballet training in Cape Town under [b]Dulcie Howes[/b] (1908—1993) of the [url=https://discogs.com/label/725200]University of Cape Town's Ballet School[/url]. In 1946, nineteen-year-old Cranko returned to London, further studying at [i]Sadler's Wells Ballet School[/i] (later known as [a=The Royal Ballet]) and dancing his first role with [url=https://discogs.com/artist/1731476]Sadler's Wells Ballet[/url] in November 1947. John Cranko collaborated with stage designer [url=https://discogs.com/artist/2464228]John Piper[/url] on [i]Sea Change[/i] production, which debuted in July 1949 at [l=The Gaiety Theatre] in Dublin, Ireland. By the spring of 1950, Cranko gave up his dancing career in favor of stage production; he was appointed resident choreographer at [l=Sadler's Wells Theatre] for the 1950–51 season. Cranko collaborated with [a=Benjamin Britten] on [i]The Prince of the Pagodas[/i] ballet, authoring an early draft scenario in January 1954. The following year, John Cranko wrote and directed [i][m=1812016][/i] featuring [a=John Addison]'s music; the critically acclaimed revue show had over 220 runs. In 1960, Cranko again worked with Britten, directing the first production of [i]A Midsummer Night's Dream[/i] opera at the [l=Aldeburgh Festival]. Shortly after, John hastily immigrated to Germany, prosecuted as a homosexual in the UK. He became the director of the [url=https://discogs.com/label/464374]Stuttgart State Theater Ballet[/url] in 1961, leading the Werst German company to international acclaim over the next twelve years. Cranko assembled a talented cast, including [a=Marcia Haydee], [a=Richard Cragun], and [a=Birgit Keil], and choreographed numerous ballets, from classics like [url=https://discogs.com/artist/621694]Prokofiev[/url]'s [i]Romeo and Juliet[/i] (1962) to various original adaptations, such as [url=https://discogs.com/artist/715919]Alexander Pushkin[/url]'s [i]Onegin[/i] (1965) orchestrated by [a=Kurt Heinz Stolze] to [url=https://discogs.com/artist/999914]Tchaikovsky[/url]'s music or [i]Carmen[/i] (1971) scored by [a=Wolfgang Fortner] and [a=Wilfried Steinbrenner]. Under Cranko's direction, the Stuttgart Ballet embarked on several international tours, starting with their 1969 overseas debut at [l=The Metropolitan Opera] in New York. In November 1973, John Cranko choked to death after an allergic reaction to a sleeping pill on a charter flight carrying the troupe back home to Stuttgart after completing the USA tour with a final show at the [l=Academy Of Music, Philadelphia]. The airplane made an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland, where 45-year-old Cranko was pronounced dead. According to [a=Sol Hurok]'s Concert Agency manager, John appeared in good health the night before boarding the plane. The official cause of death was ruled a heart attack.