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This was the programme on Thursday 28th June: Larina Waltz - Ashley Page (Upper School 3rd Years) Sea Interludes - Andrew McNicol (Upper School 1st Years) - new work Self and Soul - Robert Binet (Upper School 3rd Year) Napoli - Act III Pas de Six and Tarantella - August Bournonville (White Lodge Years 10 and 11, Upper School 1st Years) Bach, Multiplicity Forms of Silence and Emptiness - Excerpts - Nacho Duato (Upper School 2nd and 3rd Years) Aurora's Wedding - after Marius Petipa * (Upper School 1st, 2nd and 3rd Years; and White Lodge Year 8 for Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf) * Just in case anyone doesn't know, this is the SB Prologue Fairy sequence combined with a version of SB Act 3. However, the principal couple's pdd coda was replaced a Russian dance by three men. The staging was by Anthony Dowell, no less. Although I have the outline programme for the other 3 shows, I wasn't able to attend these so I think that it's best if others post the details here (just in case I get it wrong). I was extremely impressed with what I saw. The dancers who shone the very brightest for me were: Daichi Ikarashi and James Large (both now 1st Year Upper School but familiar faces from their White Lodge days), Marianna Tsembenhoi (also 1st Year US) and graduates Amelia Townsend, Yuki Sugiura and Yu Hang.

I can't be the only one who was at the RBS showcase this evening, surely? I only started attending RBS events a year ago so am a bit green and don't feel qualified to comment in detail, but I found it absolutely strong throughout. Varied repertoire, no weak links, dancers who consistently engaged with the audience. Though it was a "mostly Upper School" showcase, I actually probably enjoyed the one White Lodge piece (Erik Bruhn's "Here We Come", danced by boys from years 10 and 11) most of all. For me, the standout among the Upper School boys was - as it was last year - Harrison Lee. Many strong dancers among the ladies but I was particularly taken with Yu Hang (the pas de deux soloist in Concerto). I spent the interval chatting with Mike Volpe, OHP general director, who (having watched rehearsals) picked out Nadia Mullova-Barley as having particular star quality (for the record, last year his similar pick was Arianna Maldini).