Sara Payne was born in England in 1907 into a theatrical family. She was the daughter of the theatre director Ben Iden Payne and actress Mona Limerick. Payne was amongst the first cohort of students at Ninette de Valois’ school, the Academy of Choreographic Art, London. From 1928 until 1931 she was Principal at the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet. In 1936, Payne returned to Dublin, where she established the Sara Payne School of Dance and Mime and a dance company. In parallel, she worked as a choreographer and dancer at the Gate Theatre.
Payne’s vision for the development of ballet in Ireland focused on fusing ballet with traditional Irish dance steps and patterns. This is exemplified by her Irish-themed ballets, including *Doomed Cuchulain*, *The Scarecrow* and *A Fiddler’s Story*. Payne’s inclusion of trained traditional Irish dancers and musicians in performances took her vision a step further.
In c. 1946, Payne return to England, and by 1955 she was working again with de Valois at the White Lodge, Royal Ballet School, London, where she remained until her retirement in 1972. Sara Payne died in 1993.
Published
Book originally belonging to Sara Payne.
Sara Payne was born in England in 1907 into a theatrical family. She was the daughter of the theatre director Ben Iden Payne and actress Mona Limerick. Payne was amongst the first cohort of students at Ninette de Valois’ school, the Academy of Choreographic Art, London. From 1928 until 1931 she was Principal at the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet. In 1936, Payne returned to Dublin, where she established the Sara Payne School of Dance and Mime and a dance company. In parallel, she worked as a choreographer and dancer at the Gate Theatre.
Payne’s vision for the development of ballet in Ireland focused on fusing ballet with traditional Irish dance steps and patterns. This is exemplified by her Irish-themed ballets, including *Doomed Cuchulain*, *The Scarecrow* and *A Fiddler’s Story*. Payne’s inclusion of trained traditional Irish dancers and musicians in performances took her vision a step further.
In c. 1946, Payne return to England, and by 1955 she was working again with de Valois at the White Lodge, Royal Ballet School, London, where she remained until her retirement in 1972. Sara Payne died in 1993.
Published
Yeats, William Butler. *Four Plays for Dancers*. London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1921. Lacking dust jacket. Signed on the inside by Sara Payne, and by the original owner of the book, Abbey Theatre actor Joseph O’Neill. The pages contain handwritten annotations for possible movement and sound direction, and the players’ cues for the play *At the Hawks Well*.
Fragile. Use book cushion for support.