100 stories – Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley 

As part of our centenary year, we are featuring 100 stories that make up The Royal Ballet School’s past, present and future. Today, we share the story of Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley, a celebrated Principal partnership in The Royal Ballet. 

The British prima ballerina Dame Antoinette Sibley was born in Bromley, Kent on 27 February 1939. After starting her ballet studies at the Cone-Ripman School (later called the Arts Educational), Sibley trained at the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School from 1949-56, where her principal teacher was Winifred Edwards. The young Sibley was a favourite of Ninette de Valois, who quickly recognised her promise as a dancer of rare classical purity and innate musicality. In 1959, just three years after she had joined the Company at Covent Garden and after a rehearsal period of only two weeks, she performed the challenging dual role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Sibley was duly promoted to Principal the following year and began to make her mark on all the iconic ballerina roles, including the titular role in Giselle, and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. 

Sibley’s career soon became closely associated with that of the great British dancer Sir Anthony Dowell, with whom she enjoyed a widely celebrated stage partnership. Dowell was born in London on 16 February 1943 and began his early dance training with June Hampshire. He studied at The Royal Ballet School from 1953-60, graduating into the Covent Garden Opera Ballet before joining The Royal Ballet in 1961. He was appointed to Principal in 1966. His exceptional qualities as a classical dancer in the elegant danseur noble style made Dowell an ideal Romantic hero in the classic Franco-Russian ballets, such as Giselle, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Dowell and Sibley formed a superb partnership in these historic works, their stylistic and artistic compatibility bringing a new level of perfection to The Royal Ballet. 

Antoinette and Anthony in Romeo and Juliet, photographed by Roy Round and Frederika Davis.

The onstage pairing of Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell also provided significant inspiration for the choreographers Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. Ashton’s The Dream (1964) first revealed the special chemistry between the duo, while MacMillan’s Manon (1974) became another enduring masterwork that captured their potent combination of pure classicism and sensuality. Sibley and Dowell were true exemplars of the English ballet style, which emphasises unforced lyricism and clarity; they were also highly versatile performers with deep dramatic intelligence. In addition, they were both so glamorous and beautiful that their stage partnership became the natural successor to that of Fonteyn and Nureyev, in terms of attracting new audiences and raising the profile of The Royal Ballet worldwide. 

From 1978-80, Dowell made American Ballet Theatre his temporary artistic home, as he was keen to experience a different repertoire and dance culture. At around the same time, Sibley took a short period of respite from performing (1979-81), later returning to the stage for occasional guest appearances until her retirement from dancing in 1989, when she was appointed Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dancing (now the Royal Academy of Dance). In 1991, she succeeded Margot Fonteyn as President of the RAD, a position she held for the next 21 years. Dowell continued to perform with The Royal Ballet for many years, excelling in dramatic character roles. In 1984 he became assistant to the Director Norman Morrice and was made Associate Director of the Company the following year. In 1986, he succeeded Morrice as Director of The Royal Ballet, remaining in post for 15 years. Dowell was awarded his knighthood in 1995, while Sibley became a Dame of the British Empire in 1996. 

Written by Dr Anna Meadmore, Manager of Special Collections 

Read more about Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley in Strength and Grace: Portraits of The Royal Ballet School, now available to purchase online or at the School. 

Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell, photographed by Rick Guest and styled by Olivia Pomp.

Header image: Anthony and Antoinette in Afternoon of a Faun by Jerome Robbins in 1972.

Catja Christensen is the Marketing and Communications Executive at The Royal Ballet School and joined the School in 2025. She enjoys interviewing students, staff and guest artists for news stories and crafting eye-catching newsletters.