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Press Release: English National Ballet announces its 2017 - 2018 Autumn/Winter Season


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I managed to get a seat in the front row last night and I am just a lowly friend! I had to make a quick sprint up the stairs though, or the nearest I can manage to a quick sprint these days. However, I did notice that the audience seemed to be a different mix last night with quite a number of "usual faces" missing. (I don't mean that rudely!)

 

I enjoyed the masterclass and hearing the comments from the dancers during the discussion about the difficulties they were experiencing with the Bausch being so different from their usual style, having to dance barefooted and concerns about dancing on earth. Also Madison was talking about it being her 4th Sacre, all from different choreographers! I thought Aitor Arrieta did very well as he only began dancing the role yesterday when he replaced another dancer who had injured his wrist.

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I was disappointed that ENB have started down the ROH route in this "layering" of Friends.

 

I left the ROH because I could never get tickets for the things I really wanted to see as a Friend and joined ENB.

 

So far so good.... as master classes and dancer interviews etc are still open to all types of Friends....just certain types of rehearsals ....but if they do start to move towards virtually making only pre public booking the only advantage then I will be leaving them as well!

 

I've been down to City Island where their new home will be ....well twice ...but recently when I went at least you can now get onto the island and walk around via a dedicated path. They haven't started the ENB building yet but it's all very exciting and very accessible. ....I timed it from the one cafe place there at mo ...so walking back to Canning Town tube and then getting back to Victoria station including a change at Green Park took exactly 25 mins. .....not bad.

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That's good to know: I had wondered about how accessible it was going to be - obviously not as much as 10 mins' walk down to South Ken tube and 5 mins to Victoria, but better than I expected.  It will presumably be even less to London Bridge via the Jubilee Line.  Actually, what did you do - Jubilee round to Green Park, I'm guessing?

 

I think, Lin, the problem with a tiered approach is surely the sheer numbers involved when it comes to the ROH - I'm sure if ENB had anything like as many Friends any financial problems would be resolved!  Though actually ENB has for decades had what I would call a "very posh" level of fundraising events from which I felt almost totally excluded.

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Sadler's Friend or ENB Friend?  I was at a Pina Bausch Masterclass this evening at ENB for the various Friend tiers and was quite irritated that the front row of seats was all reserved for what presumably are Patrons, so we mere Friends and Great Friends stuck in the second row had to crane and strain to see anything past the bloated bejewelled necks of the aristocracy in front.   They'll regret it when the Revolution comes!   Sorry, I'm coming over all Bolshevik...  

Both but the email was aimed at me as an ENB friend.

 

If you have a spare red flag Quintus, I'll join you........ 

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Yes Alison it was jubilee line to green park and then Victoria line.

It would be quicker to go straight to London Bridge or Waterloo of course.

 

In fact where the ENB building is proposed it will be nearer the tube station than the Italian cafe/restaurant place I found at the end of the path you have to walk on.

It's all very pleasant and surrounded by water...the river Lee ...or some off shoot of it.... so like a real island ( always a plus for me) you can see the Thames and O2 building from parts as well.

 

I just wish they would hurry up and start the building now!!

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Wish they had the casting up for Le Jeunne Homme  as that would depend on the male dancer for me booking it.  If Nicolas La Riche came back to do it I would snap up the tickets immediately as love his interpretation of the role but other male dancers, not so sure. 

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Wish they had the casting up for Le Jeunne Homme  as that would depend on the male dancer for me booking it.  If Nicolas La Riche came back to do it I would snap up the tickets immediately as love his interpretation of the role but other male dancers, not so sure. 

 

Both Yonah Acosta (who danced the role to great acclaim in two previous runs) and Cesar Corrales will be wonderful - and YOUNG.

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"will be"?  Do you know something we don't, capybara?

 

I dear, I've put my foot it in. I should have said "would" as I have no inside knowledge and no right to speculate. But I do think that ENB has within its ranks two most extraordinary contenders for the Jeune Homme role.

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  • 8 months later...

JUST ANNOUNCED by e-mail: Casting for January double bills + more

Le Jeune Homme et la Mort 
16 – 20 January at the London Coliseum
Ivan Vasiliev joins us as a Guest Artist to perform the lead role, opposite Tamara Rojo. When he first performed it with us, The Independent called his “a benchmark performance”.
 

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Principal casting details now up on the ENB website

 

https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/jeune-homme-et-la-mort-la-sylphide/#cast-section

 

https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/song-of-the-earth-la-sylphide/#cast-section

 

Had bought 'blind' and got Vasiliev/Rojo, so well pleased there.  Simply had to get matinee tickets to see Cesar Corales as well. So much for reining in on ticket buying in the New Year!

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And the press release:

 

English National Ballet 
Song of the Earth / La Sylphide
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort / La Sylphide
London Coliseum 
9 - 20 January 2018
 
• Guest Artist Ivan Vasiliev to perform in Le Jeune Homme et la Mort alongside Lead Principal Tamara Rojo
• Lead Principal Isaac Hernández and Principals Begoña Cao, Joseph Caley and Cesar Corrales debut in the production.  
 
Following performances on tour this autumn, English National Ballet presents Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s masterwork, Song of the Earth and Frank Andersen’s faithful version of the 1830s Romantic ballet La Sylphide at the London Coliseum this January where Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort is also revived. 
 
Making his return to the London stage, Guest Artist Ivan Vasiliev, performs the lead role in Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort alongside Lead Principal Tamara Rojo. Born in Vladistock, Russia, Vasiliev is a former Principal with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mikhailovsky in St. Petersburg, and American Ballet Theatre. He previously performed in Le Jeune Homme et la Mort with English National Ballet in 2011, and in 2015 he performed with the Company in Swan Lake. 

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Further Principal casting for Le Jeune Homme et la Mort includes Lead Principal Isaac Hernández and Principal Begoña Cao, Principal Joseph Caley and Cao, and Principal Cesar Corrales and Artist of the Company Jia Zhang.
 
Principal casting for Song of the Earth sees Lead Principal Tamara Rojo perform in the role of The Woman, alongside Principal Joseph Caley and Lead Principal Aaron Robison in the role of The Man and The Messenger of Death. 
 
La Sylphide sees performances from Lead Principals Jurgita Dronina and Isaac Hernández, Lead Principal Erina Takahashiand Guest Artist Ciro Tamayo, Principal Shiori Kase and Lead Principal Aaron Robison, Principal Joseph Caley and Junior Soloist Rina Kanehara, and First Soloist Alison McWhinney and Soloist Aitor Arrieta.  
 
Principal casting 
Please note, casting is subject to change. Please see www.ballet.org.uk for up to date casting. 
 
Song of the Earth / La Sylphide 
London Coliseum  
Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 January 
 
Song of the Earth 
(in the order of The Woman, The Man, The Messenger of Death) 
 
Tuesday 9 January (Press night) 
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, Aaron Robison† 
 
Wednesday 10 January 
Jurgita Dronina†, Aitor Arrieta, TBC 
 
Thursday 11 January (matinee) 
Fernanda Oliveira, Aitor Arrieta, Ken Saruhashi
 
Thursday 11 January 
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, TBC 
 
Friday 12 January 
Erina Takahashi, Isaac Hernández†, TBC 
 
Saturday 13 January (matinee) 
Fernanda Oliveira, Aitor Arrieta, Ken Saruhashi
 
Saturday 13 January 
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, TBC
 
 
La Sylphide 
(in the order of La Sylphide and James) 
 
Tuesday 9 January (Press night) 
Jurgita Dronina† and Isaac Hernández†
 
Wednesday 10 January  
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±, with Eva Kloborg†† as Madge. 
 
Thursday 11 January (matinee) 
Alison McWhinney Shiori Kase and Aaron Robison†
 
Thursday 11 January 
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±, with Eva Kloborg†† as Madge. 
 
Friday 12 January 
Rina Kanehara and Ciro Tamayo±
 
Saturday 13 January (matinee) 
Alison McWhinney Shiori Kase and Aaron Robison†
 
Saturday 13 January  
Jurgita Dronina† and Isaac Hernández†
 
 
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort / La Sylphide 
London Coliseum  
Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 January 
 
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort  
(in the order of The Man and The Woman) 
 
Tuesday 16 January (Press night) 
Ivan Vasiliev†† and Tamara Rojo  
 
Wednesday 17 January 
Isaac Hernández*† and Begoña Cao* 
 
Thursday 18 January (matinee) 
Cesar Corrales*† and Jia Zhang 
 
Thursday 18 January 
Joseph Caley*† and Begoña Cao 
 
Friday 19 January 
Ivan Vasiliev†† and Tamara Rojo 
 
Saturday 20 January (matinee) 
Cesar Corrales† and Jia Zhang
 
Saturday 20 January 
Isaac Hernández† and Begoña Cao 
 
 
La Sylphide 
(in the order of La Sylphide and James) 
 
Tuesday 16 January (Press night) 
Alison McWhinney and Aitor Arrieta
 
Wednesday 17 January  
Rina Kanehara and Joseph Caley† 
 
Thursday 18 January (matinee) 
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±
 
Thursday 18 January 
Jurgita Dronina† and Aaron Robison†
 
Friday 19 January 
Rina Kanehara Shiori Kase and Joseph Caley†
 
Saturday 20 January (matinee) 
Alison McWhinney and Aitor Arrieta
 
Saturday 20 January 
Jurgita Dronina† and Aaron Robison†
 
*Debut in the role with English National Ballet 
†Sponsored by the Aud Jebsen International Talent Programme 
††Guest Artists and Teachers sponsored by Aud Jebsen
±Guest Artist 
 
 
About Ivan Vasiliev 
Honored Artist of Russia

Born in Vladivostok, he studied at the Dnepropetrovsk Ballet School in Ukraine and later at the Belarus State Ballet School in Minsk, graduating in 2006. While still a student, Vasiliev danced Basilio in Don Quixote and Ali in Le Corsaire with the Belarus National Ballet. In 2006, he was invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a Soloist, making his debut with the Company, at the age of 17, as Basilio in Don Quixote. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2010. In 2011, he joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Vasiliev’s repertoire with the Mikhailovsky includes principal roles in Don Quixote, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, La Fille mal gardée, La Bayadère, Laurencia, La Sylphide, The Flames of Paris, Le Halte de cavalerie, and Class Concert. His awards include medals at the international ballet competitions in Varna, Moscow, and Perm. He is also the winner of the Triumph Youth Prize, British Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in the category Spotlight and as Best Male Dancer, and the Benois de la Danse Award for his performance in Le Corsaire and The Flames of Paris (2009). In 2011, he received Grand Prix at the International Dance Open Festival. In 2014, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia.

In 2012–2013, Ivan Vasiliev was a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT). In 2014, he took part in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi (Natasha Rostova’s First Ball scene). In 2015, Ivan Vasiliev made his debut as a choreographer: at the Barvikha Luxury Village he premiered his Ballet № 1. In 2016, he staged three one-act ballets — Morphine, Blind Affair, and Bolero — which are included in the repertoire of the Mikhailovsky Theatre. In May 2016, Vasiliev’s ballet Love is All Around premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

 

Edited by alison
Amended casting
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  • 4 weeks later...

I wonder if anyone could post the revised casting (Kase out due to injury :( ), please?  When I go on the ENB website there appears to be no "off" button for the video at the top of the page, and not all of us have unlimited broadband!  Not only that, but the "all dates" button doesn't seem to work for me, so I'd have to go onto each page separately.

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10 hours ago, alison said:

I wonder if anyone could post the revised casting (Kase out due to injury :( ), please?  

 

Shiori Kase is replaced as the Sylph by Alison McWhinney on Thurs 11th Jan (mat) and Sat 13th Jan (mat). On Frid 19th Jan she is replaced by Rina Kanehara.

 

Both Alison and Rina are lovely in the role.

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It's been a pain, but no more than the continual scrolling up and down the page to try and see both casts at the same time, so I've reordered the casting by date.  Again, please yell if you spot that I've got anything wrong.  The second of the casts is La Sylphide in all cases.

 

Principal casting
Please note, casting is subject to change. Please see www.ballet.org.uk for up to date casting.

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 January
Song of the Earth
(in the order of The Woman, The Man, The Messenger of Death)

 

Tuesday 9 January (Press night)
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, Aaron Robison†
Jurgita Dronina† and Isaac Hernández†

 

Wednesday 10 January
Jurgita Dronina†, Aitor Arrieta, TBC
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±, with Eva Kloborg†† as Madge.

 

Thursday 11 January (matinee)
Fernanda Oliveira, Aitor Arrieta, Ken Saruhashi
Alison McWhinney and Aaron Robison†

 

Thursday 11 January
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, TBC
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±, with Eva Kloborg†† as Madge.

 

Friday 12 January
Erina Takahashi, Isaac Hernández†, TBC
Rina Kanehara and Ciro Tamayo±

 

Saturday 13 January (matinee)
Fernanda Oliveira, Aitor Arrieta, Ken Saruhashi
Alison McWhinney and Aaron Robison†

 

Saturday 13 January
Tamara Rojo, Joseph Caley†, TBC
Jurgita Dronina† and Isaac Hernández†
 

Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 January
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort
(in the order of The Man and The Woman)

 

Tuesday 16 January (Press night)
Ivan Vasiliev†† and Tamara Rojo
Alison McWhinney and Aitor Arrieta

 

Wednesday 17 January
Isaac Hernández*† and Begoña Cao*
Rina Kanehara and Joseph Caley†

 

Thursday 18 January (matinee)
Cesar Corrales*† and Jia Zhang
Erina Takahashi and Ciro Tamayo±

 

Thursday 18 January
Joseph Caley*† and Begoña Cao
Jurgita Dronina† and Aaron Robison†

 

Friday 19 January
Ivan Vasiliev†† and Tamara Rojo
Rina Kanehara and Joseph Caley†

 

Saturday 20 January (matinee)
Cesar Corrales† and Jia Zhang
Alison McWhinney and Aitor Arrieta

 

Saturday 20 January
Isaac Hernández† and Begoña Cao
Jurgita Dronina† and Aaron Robison†

 

*Debut in the role with English National Ballet
†Sponsored by the Aud Jebsen International Talent Programme
††Guest Artists and Teachers sponsored by Aud Jebsen
±Guest Artist

 

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More cast changes may be forthcoming: Aaron Robison was replaced this evening as the Messenger of Death.  I was thinking only yesterday that it might be quite fortunate that La Sylphide doesn't require partnering of any sort - makes life a lot easier if casts have to be swapped :(

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I know I must sometimes sound like a broken record when I ask this question, but do we know who is singing in Song of the Earth?

 

The ENB website seems to name the tenor for each performance (variously Sam Sakker and Simon Gfeller) but doesn't mention the mezzo-soprano...

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Rhonda Browne and Samuel Sakker seem to be singing most of the performances.

I think that I have seen that Simon Gfeller and Fiona MacKintosh are listed for tomorrow (Thurs 11th Jan).

 

The names of the singers are at the head of the free cast sheets available at the theatre.

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I checked the ENB website a while ago, and it looks as though there's been a cast change for tomorrow's matinee: Ciro Tamayo replacing Aaron Robison as James.  I'd been thinking I'd be happy to see Alison McWhinney's Sylphide again, but wondering whether to go and see exactly the same cast as yesterday's matinee.  I haven't seen Ciro yet, so that will make a nice change :)

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