Like many other small countries, Scotland is proud of its artistic heritage. In literature, music, and painting its record is notable, and it has living traditions in dance. Highland dance--best known to the world in sword dance, Highland Fling, and reels--is a sophisticated folk art showing a surprising affinity with classical ballet technique. There are similarities in steps, formations, and in the carriage of the head and arms. Tradition says that this comes from the historic Scottish-French friendship known as "the Auld Alliance." 'Brain Drain'
All the same, Scotland lagged well behind England in establishing a sizable ballet company. Ever since Scotland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there has been a brain drain toward the south of England, and the best balletic talents--like the choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan and the prima ballerina Moira Shearer--have made careers outside Scotland. It was not until 1969 that the Scottish Ballet was formed. Twenty-four years later, it is a flourishing organization, known internationally through touring, and is made up of a main company of some fifty dancers and orchestra, a small-scale second company, a school, and an education unit.
From the beginning the ballet company's home was Glasgow rather than Scotland's beautiful and celebrated capital, Edinburgh. Then as now, Glasgow was a vigorous, go-ahead city capable of adapting to new developments of every kind with practical enthusiasm, and it has proved the right place for the company to grow into maturity.
When the proposal was accepted for the creation of a Scottish Ballet, various ideas as to what it should be like were debated. The Scottish Arts Council considered a number of small local dance groups as a basis, but none seemed to be sufficiently professional in its experience. At the other end of Britain, however, in the southwest county of Devon, there existed a suitable company.
Western Theatre Ballet was not large, but it had already survived for a dozen years. It had become known as an enjoyable and imaginative group, brimful of dancing talent, with a varied repertoire. It staged revivals from Diaghilev's Ballets Russes like Michel Fokine's Carnival but came right up to date with the first controversial works of Maurice Béjart, such as a version of Sartre's play Huit Clos under the title Sonate a trois. At the time, Western Theatre was directed by a live-wire young choreographer, Peter Darrell, a strong and attractive personality already displaying qualities that would make him a force in British ballet.
With Darrell's new appointment to the Scottish Ballet, all his remarkable mixture of firmness, tact,
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