{{Short description|English ballerina}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} '''Simone Clarke''' FDI, CDE, DIP Cecchetti<ref name=SEBS>{{Cite web|title=Simone Clarke|url=https://www.southeast-balletscholars.org/simone|access-date=11 May 2021|publisher=South East Ballet Scholars}}</ref> (born 1970) is an English ballerina and former prima ballerina of English National Ballet company. She retired from professional dance in 2007 and opened her own school, the Yorkshire Ballet Academy,<ref name=SC>{{cite news | title= Leeds 'BNP ballerina' dances into controversy |url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-bnp-ballerina-dances-into-controversy-1-2231670|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519111743/http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-bnp-ballerina-dances-into-controversy-1-2231670|archivedate=19 May 2017| date= 21 October 2009|newspaper= Yorkshire Evening Post |location= Leeds| access-date= 31 March 2017 }}</ref> in Leeds in 2008.

== Early life == Clarke was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Alfred Clarke, a maths teacher and Janet, a secretary. She was educated at a local Catholic school.<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 April 2012|title='BNP ballerina' ditches Cuban immigrant lover to marry far right|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/bnp-ballerina-ditches-cuban-immigrant-lover-to-marry-far-right-councillor-7282597.html|access-date=11 May 2021|work=The Evening Standard}}</ref> Clarke left her home in Leeds at the age of 10 to begin training at the Royal Ballet School in London after winning one of 23 places sought by 4,500 entrants.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1 January 2007|title=BNP ballerina defies rising clamour to sack her|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jan/01/arts.thefarright|access-date=10 January 2022|work=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Career== Clarke trained at the Royal Ballet School (1981–1988) and then joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet where she was promoted to first soloist in 1995. In 1998 she joined the English National Ballet. During the company's tour of China in 2000, she performed the role of Odette/Odile in ''Swan Lake'' as a guest dancer, and became senior soloist in that year. In 2003 she advanced to principal dancer. She has performed as Juliet in ''Romeo and Juliet'', and as Cinderella and as Aurora in ''The Sleeping Beauty'' and the Dormouse in ''Alice in Wonderland''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Alice in Wonderland|url=https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/ballet/Alice%20In%20Wonderland.htm|access-date=11 May 2021|website=Daily Info|location=Oxford}}</ref>

Clarke has made several television appearances including Peter Wright's ''Coppelia'' and ''The Nutcracker'', ''The Generation Game'', ''Ballet Hell'', ''Blue Peter'' and the lead ballerina in ''Men in Tights''.<ref name=SEBS/> She was the Equity trade union "dance representative" for the London region<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2145128.ece |title=Enter stage far right: 'BNP ballerina' dances again|author=Cahal Milmo|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070122155126/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2145128.ece|archivedate=22 January 2007|work=The Independent|date=2 January 2007}}</ref> and, from November 2007, also an executive member of the trade union Solidarity.<ref name="SC" />

In 2006, Clarke's name was on a list of British National Party members leaked by ''The Guardian'' newspaper when one of its journalists, Ian Cobain, posed as a member.<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 December 2006|title=The Guardian journalist who became central London organiser for the BNP|author=Ian Cobain|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/21/thefarright.politics|access-date=11 May 2021|work=The Guardian}}<br>- {{Cite news|date=21 December 2006|title=Exclusive: inside the secret and sinister world of the BNP|author=Ian Cobain|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/21/thefarright.topstories3|access-date=11 May 2021|work=The Guardian}}</ref> Clarke defended her personal political affiliation, stating that "the BNP is the only party to take a stand against immigration".<ref name="BNP-ball-BBC">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6241763.stm "Storm grows over 'BNP ballerina'"], ''BBC News'', 8 January 2007</ref> She faced calls to be sacked from the English National Ballet by the campaign group Unite Against Fascism, which believed it was inappropriate for a potential role model in a far-right party to be funded with public money.<ref name="BNP-ball-BBC" /> ''The Guardian'' later reported that Clarke had received "nearly 300 emails supporting me" since her membership became public,<ref>Hugh Muir, [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jan/01/arts.thefarright "BNP ballerina defies rising clamour to sack her"], ''The Guardian'', 1 January 2007</ref> and PopMatters pointed out her views were actually at odds with party policy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-03-04 |title=Not Such a Merry Dance » PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/not-such-a-merry-dance-2495814816.html |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.popmatters.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 12 January 2007, around forty people staged a protest outside the London Coliseum theatre, where Clarke was to perform that night playing the lead in the romantic classic ''Giselle'' in her first performance since ''The Guardian'' reported on her BNP membership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6255723.stm |title='BNP ballerina' returns to stage|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2007}}</ref> The ENB said that her politics were a private matter and it had no mandate to comment on her views.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bovver boots and ballerinas|author=Dominic Casciani|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2007|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6255195.stm|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> Clarke was also supported by actors' union Equity, which said it was illegal to sack someone for their political beliefs.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Edge|first=Simon|date=12 December 2007|title=The BNP Ballerina|url=https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/29141/The-BNP-Ballerina|access-date=10 January 2022|work=The Daily Express}}{{rs|date=January 2022}}</ref>

In 2008, Clarke opened the Yorkshire Ballet Company, a private dance school, and went into teaching.<ref name=SEBS/> She is a qualified Cochetti Method teacher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cicb.org/diplomas/|access-date=11 May 2021|title=Diplomas|publisher=Cecchetti International Classical Ballet}}</ref>

==Personal life== Clarke was in a relationship with Yat-Sen Chang, an ENB dancer of Cuban-Chinese descent, with whom she has a daughter, Olivia Chang Clarke, an award-winning dancer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=School|first=Elmhurst Ballet School|date=8 November 2019|title=Awakenings|url=https://elmhurstballetschool.org/en/awakenings|access-date=10 January 2022|publisher=Elmhurst Ballet School}}</ref> Clarke was briefly engaged to the artist and former BNP councillor Richard Barnbrook.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Having a baby? it was tutu easy!|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5877669.baby-tutu-easy/|access-date=11 May 2021|website=The Lancashire Telegraph|date=11 October 2003}}<br>- {{cite news|author=Louise Radnofsky|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/dec/19/thefarright.uk|title='BNP ballerina' to wed fellow far-right activist"|work=The Guardian|date=19 December 2007}}<br>- {{cite news|author=Martin Fletcher|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/bnp-by-all-means-name-us-but-you-wont-shame-us-says-the-ordinary-face-of-the-far-right-8gxqshqgn2n|title=BNP: By all means name us, but you won't shame us, says the 'ordinary' face of the far Right|work=The Times|date=22 November 2008|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Simone}} Category:English ballerinas Category:People educated at the Royal Ballet School Category:Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers Category:English National Ballet Category:British National Party people Category:Entertainers from Leeds Category:1970 births Category:Living people