Born Edris Stannus in County Wicklow, Ireland

Ninette de Valois was born Edris Stannus on 6 June 1898 at Baltiboys, near Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland, into an Anglo-Irish family. Her father was a British Army officer, and her early years were shaped by the traditions of the Anglo-Irish gentry.

She showed an early aptitude for dance and, after her family moved to England, began formal training. She later adopted the stage name 'Ninette de Valois,' a francophone reinvention that reflected the era's fashion for glamorous stage identities in the ballet world, dominated at the time by Russian and French nomenclature.

This Irish birth would later become a point of national pride, with Ireland claiming her as one of its most influential cultural exports despite her career unfolding almost entirely in Britain. Her upbringing amid the Anglo-Irish landed class gave her an early exposure to European high culture, setting the stage for her eventual role as a bridge between continental ballet traditions and British performing arts. Her birth date is well documented and is celebrated as the foundation date of a career that would fundamentally reshape British dance.