Through The Eyes of Colin Jones: ‘Fifty Years of The Ballet’

“Emily McDonnell is drawn into the secretive and sophisticated world of British ballet.”

Being born and raised as a man in London’s East End in an age of gangsters meant that going on to become a world-class ballet dancer and photographer wasn’t the expect route. Nevertheless Colin Jones, who did exactly that, is now being exhibited at Proud Gallery, Chelsea, in the gallery’s first ever ballet exhibition.

At first glance, the gallery may not seem like much, but this tiny space, nestled between the Chelsea boutiques, holds the intimate images captured by Jones. They offer a unique insight into London’s Royal Ballet School in the early sixties, whose stars included luminary dancers such as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Ninette de Valois, as they rehearse and tour the world.

The photographs are striking in black and white, and stretch out across the walls, drawing you into the secretive and sophisticated world of ballet.

I don’t know much about professional ballet, having given up lessons when I was about 8 years old, but I can tell that these photographs are something special. They capture the intimate moments of the ballerinas as they push their bodies to the limits; photographs showcase dancers performing, rehearsing and stretching. While these are contrasted with images showing the dancers as regular people, drinking and being tourists. This juxtaposition enable us to connect more with the people behind the tutus, while still demonstrating the elegance of the dancers, showing them laughing and unwinding as the sight see in foreign lands. Jones has captured the British ballet at the height of its reign, and the images stir up a real nostalgia whilst showing the true behind-the-scenes experience of tours to Japan and Australia. There’s something truly moving about seeing the application of the iconic Swan Lake makeup.

With Black Swan still making money at the box office, now is a good time to see the real side of ballet, especially before the prints disappear into a private collection.