Julian Hosking

[l321385]

I was rereading the book " The Shape of Love" and I just realized that he died 3 years after dancing Paris with Gelsey Kirkland in Romeo and Juliet. I was googling to get some answers, but I didn't get much result. Was he a really famous dancer? I have a lot of questions about him. Do any BT members remember him as a dancer?

Can someone please give me a summed up version of his dancing life?

[Mel Johnson]

Short.

[mydarlindancer]

In which way?

[Mel Johnson]

If I remember him correctly, his total time with Royal Ballet was about a dozen years, corps and soloist. He wasn't a particularly wonderful dancer, and one of the Grand Dirty Old Men of English Ballet described him, "Put a fig leaf on him, darling, and just have him stand there, but for God's sake don't ask him to DO anything." Paris in MacMillan's R&J is a fairly accurate indicator of "not terribly good."

[Philip]

Paris in MacMillan's R&J is a fairly accurate indicator of "not terribly good."

 

However, no matter how easy a part it is dance wise, he may have been a good actor. I never saw him, but I will say that if he was given soloist roles, projection of message to the audience might have been the point of having him there. Or, he could have been just a stage ornament... I remember a pretty boy ABT hired in 1972. He mostly did the main courtier in 3rd act swan lake and some such.

 

Philip

 

[edited to remove *wink, wink* comment]

Edited May 3, 2008 by dancemaven

[Jane Simpson]

Hosking was in fact a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet and his roles included Romeo, Florimund, des Grieux, Daphnis, Ivan in Firebird, and the Bridegroom in Les Noces. He also danced in Serenade, Liebeslieder Walzer, In the Night and Enigma Variations. He wasn't one of my favourite dancers but he wasn't a nobody, either; and he was doing Paris in the Kirkland R&Js because he was good in the role: I remember John Percival writing that he was the only one in the cast who 'got' what Kirkland was trying to do and raised his performance to match.

[Lummaton Lass]

Julian was a lovely young man. I worked for his Parents, Ruth & Edgar Lewarne-Hosking at their Nursing Home in Torquay. He was at White Lodge when I first knew him. He worked hard & I’m not surprised of his success. The last time I saw him was at our Wedding in 1969 when he attended with his Grandmother, Mother, Brother, Anthony & his Sister Louise who was our young bridesmaid! I have no idea how he met his death at such a young age. RIP Dear Julian xx

Edited January 22 by vrsfanatic
Taking out unnecessary information.