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Royal Ballet promotions 2016


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Please do not interpret this as an attack or slight on Salenko but given  the number of talented dancers in the company at the present time should not management be concentrating on giving performance opportunities to its own dancers? Does the fact that Salenko is not going on the Japanese tour mean that we shall be seeing less of her at Covent Garden?  

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Frankie has posted this on her Instagram account, which is freely available, so I hope I am not infringing any rules. If I am I am sure the mods will tell me

 

 

"20 years ago I could only have dreamed of being a principal of The Royal Ballet. Today I was told that next season I will be just that. I'm overwhelmed. Thank you to everyone who has helped me here and to everyone who will help me with the hard work to come! Xx "

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However, Heap was a wonderful Myrtha last time round let alone this and j gather she sizzled as Carmen, Calvert was just glorious as Hermione on Tuesday afternoon and I couldn't take my eyes off Hayward. With their pairing in Nutcracker, I think we could seeing rather more of the Hayward / Campbell partnership, sad as that may be for Choe....

Unless The Third Principal has muscled in ...

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Please do not interpret this as an attack or slight on Salenko but given  the number of talented dancers in the company at the present time should not management be concentrating on giving performance opportunities to its own dancers? Does the fact that Salenko is not going on the Japanese tour mean that we shall be seeing less of her at Covent Garden?

 

One indication will be if she still dances Nutcracker at Christmas I guess....

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Unless The Third Principal has muscled in ...

Naughty!  Seriously, I can't imagine a director who now has such a wealth of rising twenty-something talent at his disposal allowing any one principal to dictate casting, especially if he contemplates this company's early 21st century history.

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Naughty!  Seriously, I can't imagine a director who now has such a wealth of rising twenty-something talent at his disposal allowing any one principal to dictate casting, especially if he contemplates this company's early 21st century history.

 

What Third Principal?

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Further to the deliberately anonymous "third principal" references: in case anyone gets the wrong idea, it's not the third principal named in the official announcement, Ryoichi Hirano, whose promotion I welcome.

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Interesting to see that all aud Jebson Programme recruits are from RBS …. is this the norm or is it open to outsiders as well? Really excited for Joe Sissons and look forward to seeing his integration into the company.

 

The programme has only been running since 2014. It is open to outsiders as well as RBS graduates although 2014 was the only year in which non RBS graduates were accepted into the programme. Last year, not all the dancers who completed the programme were accepted into the company, although the ones who were not did obtain contracts elsewhere.

 

Nice to see that everyone got  full contracts this year!

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What Third Principal?

 

There is a discussion on another thread related to Within the Golden Hour where reference is made to the third male Principal to dance a pdd in the first cast. He is also now cast opposite Frankie in R&J in Japan. Hope you've got it now.

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I only realised while reading some press coverage earlier today that Hirano had been with the company for 14 years already :o  I guess it will prove a comfort to some that longevity isn't necessarily a barrier to promotion.

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I only realised while reading some press coverage earlier today that Hirano had been with the company for 14 years already :o  I guess it will prove a comfort to some that longevity isn't necessarily a barrier to promotion.

 

Amazingly, it is actually 15 years as he was the Prix de Lausanne Apprentice in 2001/2002, a detail which appears to be ignored in the write-ups about Ryoichi but not those about Akane.

 

Incidentally, Yuhui Choe followed him in that role in 2002/2003.

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With the greatest respect to Yuhui Choe, I don't think that promotion is going to happen and with all the comments on the situation have been trying to clarify my own thoughts, without trying to be so speculative, and to see if others, better informed, have a more informed take.

 

She is an undoubtedly a delightful, beautifully trained dancer and I think that at one point she really was felt by management to be going all the way. She featured in Dances at a Gathering, was the subject of a Royal Ballet feature promo, and began to dance principal roles as well as building a loyal audience fan base. There was much excitement when she danced a one off Nikiya opposite Polunin, although when the ballet came back she was cast as Gamzatti and, if I recall correctly (it's not a ballet to which I rush) danced rather a lot of them.

 

It seems to me the turning point was the last run of Beauty, Management trusted her, a debutante in her first season in the role, to replace Osipova, a world star, and, if one reads the reviews and forums, it seemed to go well, if not more so. Surely, if she were going to have been promoted it would have been after those performances or at the end of that season.

 

So, what has caused her to stall, for want of a better word? I didn't see her in Beauty and am not sure I see a wide enough range of her work to quantify as she's not a dancer I necessary "follow" and for whom I automatically book, although I did see her in Pigeons, where I found her neat but a little saccharine. I know she is generally regarded as working well with the glorious Mr Campbell but I think the prospect of his dancing with the dynamic Ms Hayward is one really to savour as she has a vividness of stage demeanour and presentation that would seem really to ally with his.

 

I'd be genuinely interested to know what other readers think. I wrote that I wouldn't speculate, but I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing this time of year must have been to Ms Choe.

Edited by Jamesrhblack
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Interesting post, James. I'd be interested to know, genuinely, what Takada has that Choe doesn't as they seem to be rather in the same mould: both excellent classical dancers and convincing in light-heated roles such as Don Q and Fille but perhaps not a first choice in more dramatic rep such as R&J and Manon.

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Interesting post, James. I'd be interested to know, genuinely, what Takada has that Choe doesn't as they seem to be rather in the same mould: both excellent classical dancers and convincing in light-heated roles such as Don Q and Fille but perhaps not a first choice in more dramatic rep such as R&J and Manon.

I've not seen Takada in a full length role but her Beauty and Giselle have been notably well reviewed (as was her replacing Osipova in Don Q), and I do remember her catching my eye during Live Fire Exercise in a way that I've not experienced Choe. Takada was also very moving in Woolf Works, although at Winter's Tale I did feel her being shown up in stage projection as the Young Shepherdess by Ms Hayeard's radiant physicality as Perdita. Even at very close quarters that difference was palpable....

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So, what has caused her to stall, for want of a better word? I didn't see her in Beauty and am not sure I see a wide enough range of her work to quantify as she's not a dancer I necessary "follow" and for whom I automatically book, although I did see her in Pigeons, where I found her neat but a little saccharine.

 

 

 

James, I haven't seen some of the things that both Hayward and Takada received praise for, but I have seen Choe in several things recently.  I also saw her in Pigeons, and I said at the time that I actually preferred her to Cuthbertson, as she was more lively and less "balletic."  I also saw all three of them on stage together in Within the Golden Hour, and thought she more than held her own.  In fact, I liked her the best, there was a lovely lyrical quality to her dancing that stood out for me. 

 

I wonder if she might lack a little dramatic bite. perhaps?  This is pure speculation on my part, but maybe she is seen as a bit too gentle a stage personality to be convincing in some of the tougher dramatic roles? 

 

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Interesting post, James. I'd be interested to know, genuinely, what Takada has that Choe doesn't as they seem to be rather in the same mould: both excellent classical dancers and convincing in light-heated roles such as Don Q and Fille but perhaps not a first choice in more dramatic rep such as R&J and Manon.

And, of course, Takada hasn't danced Fille....

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I wonder if she might lack a little dramatic bite. perhaps?  This is pure speculation on my part, but maybe she is seen as a bit too gentle a stage personality to be convincing in some of the tougher dramatic roles? 

 

.

 

That's how I feel about Takada. I missed her in 2P, but people told me I must see her Giselle because it was very good. So I went on the final night of the run. Whilst she danced the role perfectly well, I was unmoved at the end.

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Choe catches my eye every time I watch her dance. I've long wished Kevin O'Hare would promote her to Principal, and as she and Campbell were reportedly wonderful in 2P it seems a terribly wasted opportunity not to promote them together. :-( She exudes such joy when she dances.

 

Very pleased for all the other promotions. To be honest, I find Naghdi technically equal to Hayward, and - I know personal taste plays a huge part - I would book to see Yasmine before Francesca. I just find her more moving emotionally, and joyful to watch.

In fairness the only lead role I have seen Hayward in was Clara in Nutcracker (twice) but for me her acting as Clara was not in the same league as Cojocaru with her adorable childlike innocence. Definitely personal choice though and I would very much like to see Hayward as Manon.

 

Absolutely delighted for Campbell; he really is an exceptional dancer. Just very very disappointed for Choe. I seriously hope she stays with RB but it must be so terribly disheartening for her.

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I just love the Choe/Campbell partnership, and I fear that now he has been promoted to Principal he will be put with Hayward and leave Choe in his wake.  I really, really, really hope that this doesn't happen.  They are so good together in every way, and it would be yet another example of a potential great and long-standing partnership being allowed to dissipate.

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I just love the Choe/Campbell partnership, and I fear that now he has been promoted to Principal he will be put with Hayward and leave Choe in his wake.  I really, really, really hope that this doesn't happen.  They are so good together in every way, and it would be yet another example of a potential great and long-standing partnership being allowed to dissipate.

 

And it is a bit unfortunate that Campbell is dancing Fille with Marquez in the autumn - although she is a lovely Lise, of course.

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And it is a bit unfortunate that Campbell is dancing Fille with Marquez in the autumn - although she is a lovely Lise, of course.

Why unfortunate? They were fantastic together in it last time round as they were when dancing together in Don Q, with onstage chemistry to burn.

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And it is a bit unfortunate that Campbell is dancing Fille with Marquez in the autumn - although she is a lovely Lise, of course.

 

 

 

Alex and Roberta were fabulous together in Don Q and as these performances will be Roberta's valedictory performances I think that is a bit of a mean thing to say.

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Alex and Roberta were fabulous together in Don Q and as these performances will be Roberta's valedictory performances I think that is a bit of a mean thing to say.

 

I wasn't meaning to be mean to Roberta and I regret it very much if it has come across that way.

 

I like the fact that she has chosen Lise as her farewell role and am looking forward to seeing her dance it.

 

It's just that my heart wanted the Choe/Campbell line up.

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