"It's either not good enough and dies altogether, or it develops"
About this Quote
A hard law of creative life is stated with bracing clarity: something that lacks strength, clarity, or necessity fades; what has vitality learns, adapts, and grows. Ninette de Valois knew this not as a theory but as the daily practice of an artist who became an institution builder. Trained as a dancer and shaped by her time with Diaghilev, she founded the company and school that became The Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. Her career fused vision with rigor, and her standard was unsentimental. Art is not preserved by wishing. It survives by proving itself.
In ballet, development is literal and ongoing. A choreographic idea is tested in rehearsal, revised by the demands of music, bodies, and stage space, and refined under the pressure of performance. Some pieces do not take that heat; they disappear. Others gain definition as steps are clarified, musical phrasing deepens, and dramatic intention sharpens. The repertory of a serious company is therefore a living ecosystem, and de Valois acted as its gardener, culling what could not grow and nurturing what could. She balanced conservation of the classics with the cultivation of a distinctly British voice, giving space to homegrown choreographers like Frederick Ashton and building a school to ensure a pipeline of dancers who could sustain and develop the work.
The same law holds for dancers. Daily class builds technique; roles build artistry; corrections build resilience. Stagnation is decline in slow motion. De Valois insisted that progress is not an optional extra but the only alternative to obsolescence.
Beyond ballet, the sentence reads as a credo for any creative or entrepreneurial field. Ideas must iterate; institutions must adapt; standards must be earned, not inherited. There is a kindness in the ruthlessness: letting weak work die makes room for stronger growth. Development is not a cosmetic update but a continuous negotiation with time, taste, and truth. Choose to develop, or accept that the world will choose otherwise.
In ballet, development is literal and ongoing. A choreographic idea is tested in rehearsal, revised by the demands of music, bodies, and stage space, and refined under the pressure of performance. Some pieces do not take that heat; they disappear. Others gain definition as steps are clarified, musical phrasing deepens, and dramatic intention sharpens. The repertory of a serious company is therefore a living ecosystem, and de Valois acted as its gardener, culling what could not grow and nurturing what could. She balanced conservation of the classics with the cultivation of a distinctly British voice, giving space to homegrown choreographers like Frederick Ashton and building a school to ensure a pipeline of dancers who could sustain and develop the work.
The same law holds for dancers. Daily class builds technique; roles build artistry; corrections build resilience. Stagnation is decline in slow motion. De Valois insisted that progress is not an optional extra but the only alternative to obsolescence.
Beyond ballet, the sentence reads as a credo for any creative or entrepreneurial field. Ideas must iterate; institutions must adapt; standards must be earned, not inherited. There is a kindness in the ruthlessness: letting weak work die makes room for stronger growth. Development is not a cosmetic update but a continuous negotiation with time, taste, and truth. Choose to develop, or accept that the world will choose otherwise.
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