Strictly Darcey- Britain’s Best Loved Ballerina is ‘ Godmother’ to Britain’s Latest Superliner

(PRWeb UK) November 24, 2009

The theme of the ship is ‘Back to the Future’ epitomising the glamour of British cruising but with a contemporary twist. Azura is the first ship to have a wooden dance floor in the Atrium to ensure passengers will dance their way across the seas. There is also a giant cinema SeaScreen showing British film classics, a wine bar overseen by TV wine expert Olly Smith and a fine dining Indian restaurant from Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar.

Over 1,200 invited guests will witness the naming ceremony on Azura’s top deck in Southampton Docks on Saturday, April 10, prior to the vessel’s maiden voyage, a 16 night cruise to the Central Mediterranean, which includes calls to Malaga, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Venice.

We have B roll including an interview with Darcy Bussell, images of the Ship etc and audio clips. Strictly not for broadcast before 0830 Sunday 22ndNovember.

Available for interview Carol Marlow, Managing Director P&O Cruises

Azura facts…

The stylish superliner will carry up to 3,100 passengers and 1226 crew
She boasts 10 restaurants, including Sindhu, created by Atul Kochhar the first Indian chef to be awarded a coveted Michelin star,
A state of the art health and beauty spa with an open-air spa terrace
750 seat live show theatre and separate nightclubs, plus a full range of daytime activities including sports courts, whirlpool spas and fully equipped gym, dance and art classes all offer non-stop entertainment.

Note to Editors

The naming ceremony will benefit three international charities personally chosen by Darcey Bussell - The Royal Ballet School; The Sydney Opera Trust; and The Prince’s Rainforests Project.

About P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises can trace its roots back to 1837 when the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was awarded the lucrative Admiralty contract to carry mail to the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.

Today P&O Cruises combines innovation, professionalism and unrivalled experience on its fleet of seven ships dedicated to the British market. Building on this wealth of knowledge and experience, Ventura was launched in April 2008 and will be followed by Azura in 2010. P&O Cruises offers passengers the most stylish and contemporary holidays afloat with destinations including the Caribbean, South America, Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Atlantic islands and round the world cruises.

About Darcey Bussell

Darcey Bussell was born in London on the 27th of April 1969. She attended the Arts Educational School at the Barbican, had a flair for dance and so at the relatively late age of 13 she auditioned and won a place at the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge.

She signed up for some lessons with the legendary Svetlana Beriosova during her summer holidays and in 1985, aged 16, Darcey was accepted at the Royal Ballet's Upper School.

While she was still at school, the late Kenneth MacMillan noticed her exceptional technique and in 1988 he gave her the leading role in his ballet ‘The Prince Of The Pagodas’, causing her to move to The Royal Ballet. A year later in December 1989, on the opening night of the show she was promoted to Principal, at the time the youngest ballerina to be given this honour.

In December 1990 she was voted Dancer of the Year by the readers of Dance & Dancers magazine. In February 1991, she was presented with the Variety Club of Great Britain's Sir James Garreras Award for the most promising newcomer of 1990. One week later she was then presented with the Evening Standard Ballet Award for 1990. In April 1991 she was selected as the joint winner of the Cosmopolitan Achievement Award in the Performing Arts category.

A full-length portrait of her by the artist Allen Jones RA, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, was unveiled on 23 May 1994. She was created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1995 New Year Honours List and subsequently a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2006 Birthday Honours list.

In 2006 Darcey announced her retirement as a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet. She stayed with the company as a “guest principal artist” and on the 8th of June 2007 Darcey officially retired from ballet with a final performance of MacMillan’s song of the Earth. It was performed at the Royal Opera House and was broadcast on BBC 2.

Darcey recently teamed up with Welsh Opera sensation Katherine Jenkins with whom she put on a musical called Viva La Diva, which paid tribute to the stars who have inspired them.

Darcey Bussell is married and has two daughters and now lives in Australia.

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