Taken in the early 1960s, this photograph shows Russell Kerr leading a rehearsal. After success as a dancer in Britain, Kerr returned to New Zealand in 1957 intending to found a national ballet company, only to find that Poul Gnatt had already done so. Like Gnatt, Kerr initially worked with Auckland-based Beryl Nettleton and Bettina Edwards, becoming a partner in their successful dance school. He also became the producer for the Auckland Ballet Theatre. Gnatt and Kerr worked together on Prismatic variations, and Kerr went on to become artistic director of the New Zealand Ballet (1962–68).
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library, Royal New Zealand Ballet Collection
Reference:
PAColl-8050-02-58
Photograph by John Ashton
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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