Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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This is footage of Norwegian-born Gerd Larsen teaching at the Royal Ballet in 1980.

I used to see Larsen at Covent Garden in mime roles - such as the Nurse in ‘Romeo and Juliet - and had no sense of the strength and determination of her character, as revealed here I think.

The ballerina was married to Harold Turner from 1944 until his death in 1962. They had one child together, a daughter, Solveig, born in 1952.

The momentary talking head is of course Dame Ninette de Valois.

Enjoy!