Now past and present members of the Royal Ballet have gathered to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. The party at the Royal Opera House in London brought together hundreds of dancers including Alina Cojocaru and Antoinette Sibley, the 1960s' soloist. Our art correspondent Nicholas Glass went along.

The Royal Ballet has been thinking about this for a while now, 75 years old this year, so why not have a party, and invite everyone who has ever been with the company. At Covent Garden this afternoon more Princess Auroras , exiled Ordets and Sugar Plum Fairies (上面都是皇家芭蕾舞团表演剧目中的角色, 都加s是因为来了很多演员嘛,这么多年了,他们都演过这些角色)than any self-respecting balletomane could count.

It's something about the posture, the way they place the feet, that tells you these are or were dancers.

The company, we always say it's like a family, more so than actors, we have a real closeknit family cause we are together 24 hours a day.

It's something I haven't met before. It's completely wonderful, I mean there're so many people that I haven't seen in, maybe even 30 years. And of course I keep meeting people who're saying they've just met someone / they haven't seen in 40 years.

This was a bit like a school reunion, lots of hugs and kisses, and occasional so looking about trying to see if she could recognize anyone from her year.

This way...

Are there any more oldies like me, anywhere?

Uhm, well, you'll find them if there are...

Downstairs, the bust of the formidable Dame Ninette de Valois, reminds us all who started the whole thing off back in 1931, upstairs books to be signed decade by decade. Remembering exact dates could be difficult.

"Was remembering your dates, was a hard trip?"

"Oh, yeah, I know, I could, really, I'm, I'm caught. I saw somebody there, that I, I 'd love to see, Judy Lerop, Do you know Judy Lerop?

"The photo helps havn't found her yet."

No, no, I havn't found her yet , but a man put on no his looks like, the 50 years, is something it's let.

Inevitably the one many names in the book for the 1930s, but Madam De Valois was vividly remembered.

"So you both remember Madam?"

Oh, hoho, who will forget her?

We wouldn't be here without her. I mean, you know, that / she was / our lives.

Can you tell me what she was like. Is that possible?

Yes.

Oh, she will be called, in so many ways you call, she was fantastic, she was impossible, she was, made you laugh, she made you cry, she did everything, she was everything...

She could, she could be very irritating, and she could do us something that you totally unexpect, totally unexpected....

I mean very, very kind and compassionate(Yeah.), complete mix, that's why, that's why, this is all here.

Yeah.

Another departed company member who had to be remembered was Sir Frederick Ashton. He gave the Royal Ballet much of its early repertoire.

I remember, I knew him. It was 1938, he was very young, tough, wanted his own way, lovely, and, a man with, that had great humor, wonderful humor.

Was he?

Oh, very,always a little slight remark would be getting in somewhere.

The Royal Ballet laid on the pretty decent 75th birthday spread. It goes with green tea and later champagne. The cake was created by a former dancer, decorated with characters from Royal Ballets, the Red King from Checkmate , the Zebra from the Still Life at the Penguin Cafe, who was cut by the youngest member of the company, 18-year/ old dancer with one of those interesting ballet names Demelza Parish. Unlike the Ashton centenary last year when some people were offended not to be invited to the celebration, everybody was included this time, and a good time, it's had by all.

Onto the weather now.