Jersey Post has prepared for issuing a special set of six stamps to honor the world-renowned ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn DBE. Born in England, she has a strong connection to Jersey though. Her parents lived on the island for a number of years. Dame Margot Fonteyn also performed at the Jersey Opera House twice. Illustrated by Christian David Moore, the stamps celebrate the centenary of Fonteyn’s birth on 18 May 1919 and show the ballerina in some of her most famous performances.
Dame Margot Fonteyn was an outstanding ballerina of the English stage whose musicality, technical perfection, and precisely conceived and executed characterizations made her an international star. She was the first homegrown English ballerina, and she became an iconic and much-loved figure, particularly after she began to perform with Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
“Fonteyn appeared in some of the Royal Ballet’s most iconic performances,” comments James Dann, Philatelic Production Executive at Jersey Post. “She starred in a full-length production of The Sleeping Beauty when the Royal Ballet reopened after the Second World War, as well as a production of Giselle in 1962, after which she received 15 minutes of applause and 20 curtain calls. In 1979, at the age of 60, Fonteyn was appointed Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Royal Ballet by HM Queen Elizabeth II.”
The stamps presented by Jersey Post show Dame Margot Fonteyn performing as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and an indigenous goddess in Amazon Forest.
