Durante was born in Rome and started ballet there at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma aged six. Spotted by ballerina Galina Samsova, she joined the lower school of the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge in Richmond Park, London. A year later, she featured in a Thames Television documentary entitled I really want to dance. Shortly after graduating to the upper school, aged 17, she joined the Royal Ballet Company. Two years later, she attracted national attention when she took over as Odette/Odile in mid-performance, never having been taught the role.[4] At 21, she became the company's youngest principal dancer, and a year later, in 1990, she became the youngest artist to receive the Evening Standard Ballet Award.
In 1992, Durante and her fellow principal Darcey Bussell were the joint subjects of a South Bank Show documentary Two Ballerinas at the Royal Ballet (UK: Two Royal Ballet Dancers), and the following year both were invited by the New York City Ballet for the Balanchine Celebration at the New York State Theater.
In 1995, she appeared in the title role of a ninety-minute version of Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, which was telecast on Great Performances by PBS during the Christmas season.[6] In 1998, Durante made a return to the Rome stage as a guest artist in Prokovsky's production of the Tchaikovsky ballet, one of many international guest appearances.
Durante appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan and Harpers and Queen magazines and was profiled in many publications including Vogue,[7]Elle, and Hello. She modelled for photographic shoots for Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino and for catwalk shows by Maison Gattinoni, and featured in commercials for Toyota.
In 1999, a disagreement between Durante and The Royal Ballet, reportedly following her request for a cast change after she was dropped by a partner, blew up into a national media storm.[8] After what the media called a 'dazzling 12-year career' as one of British ballet's major stars,[9] Durante left the company in 2001 to pursue a freelance career.[10]
Durante is a patron of The Hammond School and New English Ballet Theatre. She is a regular juror at competitions including the Prix de Lausanne and the Beijing International Ballet Competition. In 2010, a work choreographed by Durante premiered at Dance Base, Edinburgh,[11] and the same year she collaborated with Richard Eyre on a dance adaptation of the film Truly, Madly, Deeply.[12]
Durante holds diplomas in dance education from the Royal Ballet School and Trinity College, London.[13] In 2016, she returned to The Royal Ballet as a regular guest coach.[14] In 2017, she founded Viviana Durante Company which debuted with Kenneth MacMillan: Steps Back in Time at the Barbican Centre.[15] In 2020 the company premiered Isadora Now at the same venue.[16] Durante was the consultant and wrote the foreword for the 2018 DK book Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated History.[17] In 2019 she was appointed Director of Dance and in 2020 Artistic Director at English National Ballet School.[18]
Critical reviews
Critics noted Durante's combination of immaculate technique and acting ability, often describing her as a blend of Latin passion and British coolness.[19] Her Anastasia was widely appreciated, her Manon (with Russian dancer Irek Mukhamedov as Des Grieux, in particular) has been called the definitive interpretation, and the recording of her performance in The Sleeping Beauty has been perhaps most influential. Critics called her 'the most dramatic of dancers',[20] and an 'unsurpassable actress' (The Independent).[21]
Personal life
Durante married the British author and journalist Nigel Cliff in June 2009.[22] They have a son, and live in London.[23]
Awards and honours (selected)
Awarded Dancer of the Year in the UK, Japan, Italy, Chile
