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The article Choreographer Gillian Lynne says 'Reality TV is harming the theatre' written by Vanessa Thorpe was published in The Guardian on March,24. It discusses the a growing threat to musical theatre from television with Gillian Lynne.

She is a choreographer of Cats, The Phantom of The Opera and Aspects of Love, will receive an Olivier award for lifetime achievement next month. The woman says that  television, especially reality TV, is a danger because producers drop someone into a role who has been on television, moreover they want instant fame. Recently, the Wizard of Oz, Chicago and Oliver! have all been promoted by using cast members known to TV audiences first, but it is a trend she decries.

There is a lot of comment on Lynne's personal life and some other facts of her biography. At 87, Lynne is the most successful choreographer of several generations. The Olivier award will celebrate her contribution to theatre and a career she believes has been built ona commitment to her art and a dislike of shortcuts. Lynne worked most recently on the West End show Dear World, but her life in dance started in London's East End at the age of 16. Later, she danced with Sadler's Wells Ballet and at Covent Garden, before turning to acting, choreography and directing. Her story has also become familiar since educationist Sir Ken Robinson used Lynne as an example in a talk given initially as part of a TED event, which has been downloaded more than 15m times. Lynne danced the Black Queen in Checkmate, among other leading roles, at the Royal Opera House, where Dame Ninette de Valois picked her out as a rebel. Eventually, Lynne left Covent Garden, returning much later to choreograph and dance in opera interludes. In recent years, she has complained that the Royal Ballet has let its dancers forget the sensuality of dance.

The article draws a conclusion that Lynne's Olivier award means she joins an elite list of previous recipients. The ceremony in London will crown a career in which she has danced with both Frederick Ashton and Fred Astaire.

As for me, I was really impressed her playing in Cats, she is a great dancer of modern ballet. Jillian Lynne has a huge number of nominations and awards, and I hope her Olivier award isn't the last one.