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Enb - roster changes?


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I believe this year 12 dancers are leaving or have left the companythis year,the latest a principal,is Miss Rojo loosing confidence of the dancers by her directorship style. She has done wonders in getting great ballets for the company but if the dancers are leaving there must be an issue with the management. Aaron Robison is a good asset a lovely dancer but only 2 lead principal dancers !! Until perhaps the new defection from BRB (sorry Janet McNulry )

i admire these dancers they all work so hard and always give their all .

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I was told by one of the aforementioned leavers that the member is 15, various reasonx for leaving I believe but worrying all the same.  Two in particular are in my opinion a catastrophic loss.

Edited by MAB
typo
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I haven't seen an official announcement from ENB so speculation is pointless until then.

 

I heard some "news" about another company I follow ... when the official announcement came out at least one name was different to I had been told.

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This sort of speculation that has no evidence to support it really gets my back up. Dancers leave a company for any number of reasons and it doesn't imply that they have a problem with Tamara or any other artistic director they may be working for. 

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There is so much similar speculation hereabouts on so many BcoF threads of a similar ilk - albeit with different companies. I agree it is - for all intents and purposes - (and I'm certain there must be many) - ultimately fruitless.  What was it Churchill said?  'Facts are better than dreams.'  I don't always agree with that but in this case it would appear - at least to me - to be apt.  

 

I find it hard to think that any dancer leaving ENB could be truly catastrophic for the overall company.  (After all, Muntagirov's departure - while significant certainly - wasn't catastrophic.)  Ms. Rojo has done such a fine job in shaping the company.  One senses that she doesn't compromise easily and always has this habit of coming out on the better side of any compromise on behalf of her audience.  I have faith that - having built such a strong creative/coaching staff - she will attract amongst the best dancers available.  Certainly that is the category in which I would place (in pen rather than pencil)  the stunning Ms. Dronina.  (With such a brilliant star on board of the ENB express I have a feeling that Ms. Rojo will now not mind retiring ever more roles in favour of the day job; one she equally excels at.)  May there be much, much more strength to her stunning arm.  

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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I presume the unwanted speculation would be as to why so many are going rather than the numbers? 

 

Perhaps the O/P was being a little premature as the company doesn't finish its season until August but I daresay intentions will be posted on Facebook (some already have) and one young dancer in particular is making a very exciting move.

 

The thought has just occurred to me that if a similar number were to be leaving the RB, 90% of the posters here would be having kittens, oh well,

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I think you are correct MAB but also it is unwise to speculate about names before any official announcements.

 

As I said above, at least one name I was given about another company proved incorrect when the official announcement came out.

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10 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

As I said above, at least one name I was given about another company proved incorrect when the official announcement came out.

 

Watching the F1 grand prix today I was reminded that Filipe Massa announced his retirement at the end of last season then changed his mind and is still whizzing round the track,  I'm hoping something like that will be happening at ENB.  It's nearly two months to the end of the season and if a week is a long tine in politics, a week in ballet is doubly so.

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1 hour ago, cavycapers said:

Gulp!  I really hope Cesar Coralles isn't going anywhere.  I am disappointed that he isn't getting a shot at Romeo at the Southbank Centre in August.  He was fabulous as Mercutio in Bristol nearly two years ago.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Coralles did move on .. or if he does so in the very near future.  He has been quoted as saying his goal was to dance for ABT and I could certainly see him shining there - especially now as they are focusing much more as an ensemble company and have such a key asset in Ratmansky as their master choreographer (and I know many of his true master works have yet to see the light of a UK day and that many here have not liked the relatively limited amount they have locally tasted heretofore.)  

 

I'm sure when (rather than 'if' as I'm certain it will happen) such a move comes up for Mr. Coralles we will ALL here congratulate him and take concerted pride in watching - and indeed in celebrating - his future development - much as we would/will for any young dancer who chooses to move on from any of our cherished UK companies.  Surely that is part of our joy in following a company.. I work a great deal with prisoners and part of that excitement is watching them celebrate the work of each other.  When one is good, he/she is good for the institution as a whole; i.e., is good for their team.  That does not dissolve on their release or move to another institution.  I get frequent notes/letters to this effect.  Indeed that aspect - in my experience - is true in criminal justice regimes  throughout the world, be it in the UK, in Uganda, in China, in India, etc.  I have always felt such largess was a lesson that sometimes our outside brethren might well benefit from. 

 

The visionary Ms. Rojo has made it crystal clear that a key part of ENB's mandate was/is to progress young dancers towards major careers, much as she herself benefited from before moving on to (in her case) the Royal Ballet.  With the opportunities she has given under her regime to dancers such as Muntagirov and Coralles the rewards have been truly rich for all of us to share.  Long may our souls cherish such.  I'm sure there will many more in her/our future to champion.  

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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21 minutes ago, Sim said:

Is that usual, Capybara?  I will post the link in Doing Dance, in case anyone's DSs would like to audition.

 

Two questions come to mind.  Are they advertising to replace retiring corps members?  If so, why can't vacancies be filled by ENB's school?

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1 hour ago, MAB said:

 

Two questions come to mind.  Are they advertising to replace retiring corps members?  If so, why can't vacancies be filled by ENB's school?

 

If the call has only just gone out ... maybe the graduates have already got contracts lined up elsewhere?  I think most companies were advertising earlier in the year.

 

They may also have to advertise to meet employment legislation.

Edited by Jan McNulty
To add final sentence
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2 hours ago, Sim said:

Is that usual, Capybara? 

 

I don't know. There was an ad. on ENB's website for Male Principals and Soloists earlier this season.

 

I think that 5/6 female dancers (including 2 from the ENBS and 2 from the RBS) and 2 men (one ex ENBS, the other ex RBS) have joined ENB over the past year:

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In reading the reaction she of some members to this thread you would think ENB was a million light years away from the Royal Ballet.

 

So many posts in this site are about Royal 'we don't need any stars, our young talent is amazing and they should be given a chance' etc etc.

 

ENB clearly like 'star' names and invite a lot of guests for their performances, they also advertised for new soloists ( as previously stated) and now they are applying for more corps. 

 

I do not have any inside knowledge of what is happening, but can't fathom why many dancers might not be happy at ENB, when it seems internal opportunities seem to be going to outsiders.

 

Royal have one regular outside guest, and there is a load of fuss about it.

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15 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

In reading the reaction she of some members to this thread you would think ENB was a million light years away from the Royal Ballet.

 

 

Not a million miles away perhaps but very different historically.  The company was founded by Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, two former Diaghilev dancers that had had very international careers, from the outset the company drew its dancers from all over and it was decades before it established a school of its own.

 

The first time I saw the than Festival Ballet Markova danced alongside Riabouchinska in Dolin's Pas de Quatre, but the English male star, John Gilpin, also danced in that programme.  There was always what I have considered a healthy mix of British dancers and foreign guests, some imports, e.g. Peter Schaufuss, was the male star of the company for many years, eventually becoming director.  No problem with dancers joining either permanently or for the run of a specific ballet but the company has talent at all levels and I don't think it is wrong to hope that a structure of career progression exists for them

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1 hour ago, SwissBalletFan said:

In reading the reaction she of some members to this thread you would think ENB was a million light years away from the Royal Ballet.

 

So many posts in this site are about Royal 'we don't need any stars, our young talent is amazing and they should be given a chance' etc etc.

 

ENB clearly like 'star' names and invite a lot of guests for their performances, they also advertised for new soloists ( as previously stated) and now they are applying for more corps. 

 

I do not have any inside knowledge of what is happening, but can't fathom why many dancers might not be happy at ENB, when it seems internal opportunities seem to be going to outsiders.

 

Royal have one regular outside guest, and there is a load of fuss about it.

 

In America, American Ballet Theatre is an example of what a "star system" (their words) can do to company moral. It has always been an international company with exciting guest artists - like ENB, it was late to open a school - but then for over a decade in the 2000s the CEO/CFO made a financial decision to give the *majority* of its leading roles during its main season (eight weeks at the Metropolitan Opera) to a jumble of one-time guest artists after a few years where American Ballet Theatre had been bursting with its own home-grown talent.

 

We saw a massive turnover in the corps and dozens of soloists and even principals left the company due to lack of opportunities. These artists - and even those who stayed - made their views on the star system known in print. Even the principals who stayed have spoken about how demoralizing it was to dance less and less while "talents" like Ivan Vasiliev were flown in to sell tickets to a targeted audience.

 

When the CFO gave an interview at a business college boasting about the star system, it was so controversial that the ballet company asked it to be yanked from YouTube. Only recently has the Artistic Director admitted that those lost years have damaged the company's reputation ("the solution became the problem") and took years away from careers (a principal promoted in her late thirties, debuting in roles at age 39!); and just THIS season, company soloists have finally had chances to debut in leading roles.

 

I don't envy the ADs who are offered the choice between a quick fix of importing guest artists and a long-term struggle of attracting and nurturing young talent.

 

Here are excerpts from an interview with the AD at the height of the star strategy years.

 

Q. Does the presence of guest stars have an effect on company morale?

 

A. I think it does. It’s natural, and it’s normal. When I was dancing, Lucia [Chase] brought lots of guests. Misha [Mikhail Baryshnikov] brought fewer, but when he did, I was like, “What’s the matter with me?” 

 

Q. Is it true that ballet dancers are more like free agents now? 

 

A. On the principal level, yes. The people it hits hardest are not the people who are new to a company and not the people who are clearly gifted and moving up. It’s the people who have already been through that and now are going, “Is this it?” I say, “What exactly is so bad about being a flagship soloist or even a junior principal who maybe isn’t right to do all the roles?” That’s what gives the company the depth we have — that the girl who’s playing Giselle’s mother is as moving and believable as the guest artist who’s maybe recognized as the greatest Giselle in the world.

 
Q. And yet you need those guest artists to draw audiences?
 

A. Contributions are way down. And much as I hate to admit it, a new face is interesting to an audience. And also, are we presenting the best of the best? 

 
Edited by lull
Misspellings.
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ENB has a huge number of artists, some of whom have been at the company for several years. At the RB it appears that everyone is promoted to soloist eventually. Why does ENB have so many artists who are never promoted despite, in some cases, dancing soloist roles? Is it the programming of so many performances of the classic staples (eg Swan Lake, Nutcracker) which require a large corps? ENB often bring in dancers on short contracts and use students at ENBS as well for some of their productions. Nurturing talent has to be balanced with attracting audiences and keeping standards at the highest level possible. The middle ranks at ENB are rather sparse at the moment and, on top of that, there are and have been absences among the female principals due to maternity leave and injury which has necessitated TR bringing in senior dancers (she herself is dancing less as well). TR definitely has preferences and there are some dancers who are IMO under-used. 

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Madison Keesler was performing as Bathilde, was taking various corps roles in Giselle in Belfast and is leaving ENB this week. A lovely dancer and one who has shone in principal roles (including Khan's Giselle) while a First Artist. She will be very much missed.

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Maddie Keesler will indeed be much missed; she has been a very mature and polished First Artist and a polite and very pleasant presence on her social media.  I guess as a California girl who trained at the SF ballet school, she is 'going home' with her move to San Francisco Ballet.  Their press release showed her joining as a Corps de ballet member.   I hope she thrives there.

 

 

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The most worrying trend at ENB in recent years, in my opinion, is not rate of turnover or number of guest artists, but the fact that at least one dancer I can think of (no names) at mid-rank has actually been demoted to artist level. This is surely unprecedented, certainly I've never heard of this happening in any other company, but I can't think of anything more humiliating or demoralizing. I know that ballet companies aren't the fairy tale wonderlands they so often portray, but knowing that the dancers could be threatened with demotion puts me off going to see the company.

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I've just noticed that Juan Rodrigues is no longer listed on the roster so I checked his twitter account.  It looks as though he retired at the beginning of June.

 

I first saw Juan Rodrigues dance the lead role in Peter Schaufuss' The King at Sadler's Wells quite a few years ago and I've always enjoyed his performances.  Very best wishes to Juan for the future.

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