Peter Darrell

He then worked in musicals and at the Malmö Opera House, Sweden, until the founding of "Ballet Workshop" at the Mercury Theatre, London, brought the chance for would-be choreographers to try their talents.

From the first, Darrell had two guiding aims: to use classical ballet to entertain the widest possible public, and to introduce contemporary themes and the influence of other theatrical skills.

Also notable among Darrell's very large creative output for that company were his modern-dress interpretations of Debussy's Jeux and the first ballet to be based on Beatles music, Mods and Rockers.

The Tales of Hoffmann (1972) and Cinderella (1979) are probably the best examples of his long narrative works, which also include Mary Queen of Scots, a radical new treatment of Swan Lake and an intelligent and stylish production of Giselle.

He was a man of wonderful humour, strong enthusiasms: his memorial is not only his company and his choreography, but the marked influence he had upon the way we think of ballet today" Clement Crisp, 'Financial Times' - December 1987.