Lady Deborah MacMillan has donated the Kenneth MacMillan archive to the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) which includes correspondence with, photographs of, and personal material that belonged to her late husband.
Although recognized mostly for his impact on the choreographic landscape of ballet, Kenneth MacMillan devoted his life to the art having danced with Sadler’s Wells Ballet/The Royal Ballet, later becoming the company’s Artistic Director from 1970-1977 and Principal Choreographer from 1977 through his death in 1992.
MacMillan also served as Director of Deutsche Oper Ballet Berlin from 1966-1969 and Artistic Associate of American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet from 1984–1989.
“There is no doubt that Kenneth’s creative genius contributed to the evolution of the art form of classical ballet. He put British ballet on the international map, drawing stars from around the world to work with him and perform his works.
The RAD could not be more grateful to have the honour of holding Kenneth’s archive. With our state-of-the-art facilities, I know the RAD will preserve the archive superbly and offer access in an inclusive way in the years to come.”
– Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance
The Kenneth MacMillan Archive
The Kenneth MacMillan Archive will provide deep insight into one of Britain’s most influential artists, creating a timeline from his days as a student at the Royal Academy of Dancing (including his Grade 1 ballet exam certificate from 1944) through the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey held in his honor in 1993.
Dame Monica Mason, the Vice President of the Royal Academy of Dance and répétiteur to MacMillan in 1980 shares:
“Sir Kenneth MacMillan was a visionary choreographer whose work had a profound impact on the evolution of ballet. His innovative creations captivated audiences worldwide and continue to inspire dancers and choreographers today.
This archive is a wonderful legacy for the RAD to receive and will not only shed light on Sir Kenneth’s creative process but enrich our understanding of his life and the cultural context in which he worked.”
The archive includes correspondence – both business and personal – from prominent figures in the performing arts such as Dame Ninette de Valois, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Humphrey Burton, Lucia Chase, Alexandra Grant, Nora Kaye, Jiri Kylian, as well as those from MacMillan’s friends and members of the public.
Along with the portrait and rehearsal photographs of MacMillan as a dancer and choreographer, there are others of dancers in his ballets.
There is also personal material which reveals more facets of MacMillan’s interest and collection of fantasy jewelry; there is correspondence, catalogues, and details of the Jewels of Fantasy exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Throughout 2025, The Royal Academy of Dance will work on cataloguing the photographs, diaries, and letters gifted after which they will become publicly available for public research at the RAD Archive, based at RAD’s Wolfson Library in London.
Featured Photo of MacMillan in the studio rehearsing Le Baiser de la Fée with Lynn Seymour and Donald MacLeary (1960). Photo by Zoe Dominic, courtesy of the Royal Academy of Dance.
