Robert de Warren
British dancer, choreographer, and director, born in Montevideo, Uruguay. Studied at the Arts Educational Trust in London before joining the National Ballet of Uruguay in 1954. He subsequently returned to London with a British Council Bursary at the Royal Ballet School. He was engaged by the Royal Opera at Covent Garden as a principal dancer (1957) and later promoted to The Royal Ballet the following year. Dame Ninette de Valois, the founding director of the Royal Ballet, encouraged his first productions as a choreographer. In 1962, he was offered a principal dancer contract at Stuttgart Ballet, later at Frankfurt Ballet, where he was engaged until 1964.
Early Career and Royal Ballet Connections
He was sent to Iran in 1965 by Dame Ninette de Valois and served as the ballet master and principal choreographer of the Iranian National Ballet (until 1970), creating various new ballets and also choreographing works based on Iranian culture. In 1971, de Warren was invited to direct the foundation of the National Folklore Society of Iran and The Mahalli Dancers of Iran, its affiliate dance company. During his years in Iran as the director of the organization, de Warren traveled throughout the country to visit remote villages and tribes in order to collect and record folk dances of various Iranian provinces. De Warren created over thirty productions for The Mahalli Dancers of Iran based on his research in each province of the country, as well as works inspired by the Zurkhāneh, Whirling Dervishes, Kheymeh-Shab Bāzi, and traditional dances to Zarb and Zanguleh rhythms. He also created many productions for official events and functions in the presence of the Imperial family and invited national and international dignitaries. Robert de Warren returned to Britain in 1977 to become artistic director of Northern Ballet Theatre (1977-1987).
Later Career and Achievements
He had a close collaboration with Rudolf Nureyev and, by his recommendation, de Warren was appointed artistic director of La Scala in Milan (1987-1992). He became artistic director of Sarasota Ballet (1994-2007), for which he created many choreographies, including Eva Peron: A Dance Portrait (1997), Madame Butterfly (1998), a new staging of Swan Lake (1996), and Zal and Rudabeh (2001, music: David Goldstein), a tale based on the Shahnameh. The World Premiere performance of Zal and Rudabeh in Sarasota was attended by Empress Farah. After his retirement in 2007, he founded the IRAN-DAS Foundation in 2009, a non-profit organization aiming to undertake the recreation of the lost archives of the National Folklore Society of Iran. In 2010, he formed the Sarasota International Dance Festival, presenting international ballet stars and intensive courses for pre-professional dancers. He has given lectures and presentations in Iranian dance conferences and workshops in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Toronto. In 2010, de Warren’s work in Iran and his contribution to Iranian dance was celebrated in London.