Mona Inglesby

Published Monday 30 October 2006 at 15:15 by Gavin Roebuck

The dancer, choreographer and director Mona Inglesby has died in her sleep on October 6 at the age of 88. Though largely forgotten, she founded the International Ballet company which for a while rivalled both the Sadler’s Wells and Rambert companies in introducing much of Britain to classical ballet. She also played an important part in saving the texts of Russian classical ballet after the revolution.

Born Mona Vredenburg in London of Dutch/British parentage on May 3, 1918, she made an early debut at the age of five at the Scala Theatre. She started her training with Marie Rambert at the age of 12, also having lessons from Margaret Craske, Nicholas Legat and in Paris with Mathilde Kschessinskaya.

At the age of 14 she appeared with the Ballet Club, dancing in early works by Frederick Ashton, including his Foyer de Danse (1932). She also understudied Alicia Markova in some of her roles. By 21 she had made her first attempt at choreography and in 1939 she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for their London season and when war was declared volunteered for some ambulance driving.

By 1941, backed by family money - her father was the entrepreneur Julius Cato Vredenburg - and using her mother’s maiden name she founded her own touring company, the International Ballet. This was a vehicle for her to stage the classical ballets as they were given in Tsarist St Petersburg. She used the notations of Nikolai Sergeyev, the last regisseur of the St Petersburg Imperial Ballet - renamed the Kirov.

With the notations of the repertory performed under Marius Petipa, the great choreographer whose works form the heart of classical ballet, Inglesby brought these ballets to life in the west. Inglesby’s company at the start had 21 dancers plus an orchestra of 15 and a repertoire of eight ballets. No mean feat for a 23-year-old.

International Ballet had many West End seasons but perhaps its most important work was touring the regions and some foreign tours. Though following the traditions of the Russian school, Mona Inglesby choreographed some of her own works, such as a production of Milton’s Masque of Comus, combining dance, the spoken word and song. She also gave opportunities to others, including Andree Howard for a version of Twelfth Night (1942) and to many young dancers, including Maurice Bejart.

The company later expanded to include about 80 members, with Inglesby dancing many of the ballerina roles herself. International Ballet gave the inaugural performance at the Royal Festival Hall in 1951 and with no government subsidy survived until 1953. After Sergeyev’s death in 1951 Inglesby bought the notations from his heir, later passing them on to the Harvart Theatre Collection, where they still consulted today.

Mona Inglesby married Major Edwin Derrington, who died in 1985. She is survived by their son Peter.