The Young Dancer

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She is a patron of the medical charities Borne, [57] Sight for All and the Henry Spink Foundation. [ citation needed] Personal life [ edit ] On 18 July 2009 Bussell received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford. During the ceremony the university's public orator noted that she "adds to technical mastery, charm and imagination, in such a way that she seems to reveal the grace of her personality as well as the grace of movement… Moreover, she wants those who are perhaps put off by the grand portals of the Royal Opera House to enjoy the pleasures that ballet affords." [52] Famous Dyslexics: Darcey Bussell". David Morgan Education. 11 April 2014 . Retrieved 1 January 2023. Crompton, Sarah (17 May 2007). "An era ends in glittering glory". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 October 2019.

Murphy, Ciara (1 October 2015). "World Ballet Day – eight books that bring ballet to life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 26 October 2019. In December 2015 Bussell presented an hour-long documentary on BBC Two, Darcey's Ballet Heroes, focussing on Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, and other male professionals ballet dancers. [36] In December 2016, she presented a BBC One documentary on Margot Fonteyn, titled Darcey Bussell: Looking for Margot. In December 2017, she presented a BBC One documentary on Fred Astaire, titled Darcey Bussell: Looking for Fred. In December 2018, she presented a BBC Two documentary on the mental health benefits of dance, titled Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness. [37] Darcey Bussell's Wild Coasts of Scotland". channel4.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021 . Retrieved 14 February 2021. Jury, Louise (15 May 2007). "First night of Bussell's farewell to ballet show". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 26 October 2019. Les Patineurs, Winter Dreams and The Concert review, Royal Ballet". The Independent. 19 December 2018 . Retrieved 26 October 2019.

In 2012 Bussell returned to the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel for the 2012 series as a permanent judge and replacement for Alesha Dixon. [33] At the start of her first appearance as a judge she performed in a feature American Smooth, again partnered with Ian Waite. In October 2008 HarperCollins Children's Books released six short books in a new children's series called Magic Ballerina. Bussell had initiated the idea and storyline, and the books were written using a series of ghost writers. [23] [24] They feature a girl named Delphie who joins a ballet school and discovers her shoes are magical. Within three years at least 23 Magic Ballerina stories were published, all featuring girls who own magic sparkly red ballet shoes. The Magic Ballerina books have been published in over 10 territories. Sales have exceeded 1.4m copies. [ citation needed] At least the first two were illustrated by Katie May. [24] Dame Darcey Bussell decides to step down as judge from Strictly". BBC News. 10 April 2019 . Retrieved 26 October 2019. On 12 August 2012 Bussell performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, descending from the roof of the Olympic stadium as the 'Spirit of the Flame' and leading a troupe of 200 ballerinas. [34]

Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell, DBE (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle; [1] 27 April 1969) is an English retired ballerina [2] and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest Strictly Come Dancing. Rees, Jasper (13 August 2012). "Darcey Bussell to replace Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing 2012". BBC Magazine. Rayner, Gordon (3 July 2012). "Darcy Bussell welcomes P&O fleet to Southampton". The Daily Telegraph. London . Retrieved 26 October 2019. Darcey Bussell was born in London to Australian businessman John Crittle and his English wife, Andrea Williams. [6] In total, she performed more than 80 different roles and 17 roles were created for her. In Sleeping Beauty alone, she performed Aurora in four different productions, one of which was Sir Anthony Dowell's production which she opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in front of President Clinton. She made several guest appearances with the New York City Ballet, starting in June 1993, with a performance of the pas de deux from Agon. [17] [18]a b "Darcey Bussell Biography". AETN UK. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013 . Retrieved 6 December 2012. Research has identified five routes to mental wellbeing, and dance can serve every one of them, says Bussell. There’s connecting with other people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others, and paying attention – being aware of your body, thoughts and feelings in the moment. It’s why Bussell works hard to get dance into schools (she has created a dance fitness programme, DDMIX). “Everyone wants to grab hold of something that can help kids with resilience, and dance has it all,” she says. She’s concerned about the impact of social media and screen time on young people’s mental health. She sees how it negatively affects her own daughters, aged 17 and 20. “They know when they’re on there too long and it doesn’t make them feel happy, but it’s addictive. We’ve got to give them ways of balancing that out. We’re always trying to resolve problems when they’ve already happened, instead of where they start.”