Press Release: English National Ballet announces promotions and new joiners for the 2017/2018 Season

[SPD444]

Madison Keesler has written a long piece on her time at ENB on her Instagram page which does refer to good and bad times but does not go into detail. Sorry, I don't know how to copy. Didn't realise so many dancers, of all ranks, are/have left. ENB do seem to use a lot of guests as principals which must be discouraging for dancers hoping to be promoted but not given the chance to shine. Perhaps this explains why no casting as been announced forGiselle at SW in September.

 

Must be a worry for the top management to see so much talent wanting to be somewhere else.

[Jan McNulty]

Laurretta Summerscales has tweeted that she and Yonah Acosta are getting married in six days time.  Congratulations to them!

 

 

 

[SPD444]

Managed to copy.

[MAB]

The MacLeod Report, commissioned by the government in 2009. established that the local climate i.e. direct relationship with management at work is THE determining factor in turnover.  All the research shows the primary reason for people leaving a job is dissatisfaction with the boss,

 

I wonder if that applies to ballet companies too?  Other factors at play of course in an artistic environment, but it's wisest to try and keep people reasonably happy.

 

[alison]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

The MacLeod Report, commissioned by the government in 2009. established that the local climate i.e. direct relationship with management at work is THE determining factor in turnover.  All the research shows the primary reason for people leaving a job is dissatisfaction with the boss,

 

That is, of course, a generalisation.  It shouldn't automatically be assumed that it therefore applies here.

[aileen]

I saw that tweet by Madison Keesler and thought that the timing of it was interesting. I did wonder if she had been reading this thread.

 

Jinhao Zhang is apparently joining Bavarian State Ballet as a soloist.

 

As an aside, the dancers' summer break is starting very late this year and they must be back in the studio by early September at the latest for Giselle at Sadler's Wells later in the month which makes for a rather truncated holiday. I suspect that workload is also a factor in these departures. The international touring must be a great experience for the dancers but it's tacked onto an already very heavy workload. The September performances at the Wells were a late addition to the schedule and preparation for these will be on top of the rehearsals for the Autumn tour and the performances at the ROH (all new rep for most dancers) and, of course, the rehearsals for the marathon Nutcracker season at the Coliseum. Various dancers have alluded to the workload and to the scheduling of performances, particularly the intense Christmas period (usually with only Christmas Day off). I can understand why corps dancers who appear in practically every performance of the big classics might want to move somewhere else where the workload is more reasonable. I've thought for some years that the Nutcracker performances should be cut back (giving the dancers a few days off over Christmas) as they don't all sell out at full price and the law of diminishing returns applies.

[assoluta]

On 29/07/2017 at 20:40, MellissaHuntsley said:

Why did Madidon Kessler leave - well according to her Facebook and Instagram - she's going home to San Francisco Ballet. That's not something against Tamara Tojo - that's something FOR Madison Kessler   This will be fabulous!!!!

 

You must hold ENB in very low esteem to think that leaving ENB for a corps position at SFB is something that could be considered "for or "faboulous". Keesler's depature is a real loss for ENB and joining SFB as corps dancer is not any gain for Keesler, unless Tomasson promised her a speedy promotion to the rank of a soloist.

[assoluta]

18 hours ago, Legseleven said:

If money is a factor, then perhaps what appears to be an overly excessive salary for Ms Rojo should be pruned. Yes, she is still dancing but not as far as I know choreographing - and yet her salary, as AD of a company apparently known not to pay its dancers well, is huge. I don't believe that the disparity between her salary and that of Kevin O'Hare at the RB, where there seems to be a conspicuous contrast with the mass exodus at ENB, can be reasonably explained. 

 

The money indeed is a factor here.

[Sim]

Please note Madison's surname is 'Keesler', not 'Kessler' !

[Guest]

I would be among the first to acknowledge Tamara Rojo’s achievements, as I did those of Wayne Eagling and his team, and I am especially pleased that ENB is now reaching a wider audience.

However, this discussion has led me to look for some facts and figures and I offer what I have found below (with, of course, a health warning over accuracy as I am drawing on material which is in the public domain and may therefore not be complete):

• It appears that 29 dancers who were members of the Company before 2012-13 will still be there next season. 12 of them were already in promoted ranks and 11 of them have been promoted since 2013 (now 4 to First Artist, 1 to Junior Soloist, 2 to Soloist, 3 to First Soloist and 1 to Principal).
• It seems that, excluding guests, 32 dancers (some of whom have already left or are leaving) were recruited between 2013 and June this year. A further 11 are shown in the recent press release as joining for 2017-18 – making a total of 43 (?) new appointments overall within a Company averaging 65 dancers.
• Over the last 4 years, it looks as if 12 dancers have been brought in from other companies at Junior Soloist level or above. [One Principal among them left earlier this year and a Soloist is about to leave.] Over the same period, 7 dancers who started their careers with ENB have been promoted to Junior Soloist or above alongside further promotions for some of the ‘outside’ 12. [One of the ‘internal’ promotees left to take up a Principal contract elsewhere; another is stated in the recent press release as being about to take a sabbatical to dance elsewhere.]
• 12/13 Emerging Dancer nominees have been promoted since 2013. Among the dancers who have left or are leaving ENB, there appear to be 16 who have been Emerging Dancer Finalists/People’s Choice winners. Six of these will be dancing as Principals elsewhere next season; 2(?) will be dancing as Soloists elsewhere.
• 15 male Guest Principals and 3 female Guest Principals have been listed as performing with the Company since 2013.
• Nearly two thirds of ENB dancers are Artists or First Artists. By this September, 13 (?) will have been with the Company for 7 years or more while 20 (?) will have been there for 3 years or less.

Although time has precluded doing a similar analysis for other companies, it does appear from this that ENB has an unusually high turnover of dancers and that leaver numbers have accelerated; that it continues to recruit dancers from outside into promoted positions, that it has a tendency to lose ‘emerging’ talent, and that it has been relying heavily on guests. Others on the Forum have commented on the high proportion of dancers in the lowest two ranks and the possibility that corps members of long-standing may have no reward/recognition.

[aileen]

Wow! That's an amazing analysis. The percentage of the company in the artist and first artist ranks is particularly striking. Whilst ENB has had a fair turnover of dancers in the last few years the number of departures this year (both during and at the end of the season) is exceptionally high by recent standards. I do think that the company needs to carry out a root and branch review, looking at company structure, career progression, pay and working conditions. Whilst some turnover is inevitable and probably healthy haemorrhaging large numbers of experienced dancers is not. Whilst not all dancers will be a great loss to the company if morale generally becomes very poor even the 'stars' and the most talented dancers will move on because nobody wants to work in an unhappy working environment if s/he has other options.  

[MellissaHuntsley]

According to aballeteducation.com...

 

"So the top 10 Classical Ballet Companies in the world would be, in no particular order… Again NO PARTICULAR ORDER, before you all go crazy:

1. Paris Opera Ballet – COMPANY WEBSITE
2. National Ballet of Cuba – COMPANY WEBSITE
3. Bolshoi Ballet/ Kirov/ Mariinsky –BOLSHOI WEBSITE
4. Royal Danish- Bournonville technique- WEBSITE
5. The Australian Ballet – Website
6. Het National Ballet/Dutch National Ballet-WEBSITE
7. American Ballet Theatre- WEBSITE
8. Teatro La Scala – COMPANY WEBSITE
9. National Ballet of Canada –WEBSITE
10. The Royal Ballet – COMPANY WEBSITE

The top 5 Neo-Classical Ballet Companies would be:
1. New York City Ballet
2. Nederlands Dans Theatre
3. Stuttgart Ballet
4. San Francisco Ballet
5. Eifman Ballet"

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

I'm not quite sure of the point of your post Mellissa.

 

[MAB]

Odd top ten made up of eleven companies.

[cavycapers]

Very sad to see the announcement that Cesar Corrales won't be dancing tomorrow night, due to illness.  It was mostly in anticipation of seeing his Mercutio again that made me buy the ticket ?

[MellissaHuntsley]

32 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

I'm not quite sure of the point of your post Mellissa.

 

From the post of English National Ballet bring top tier and peachy... I LOVE this company but most lists found do not place them there...

Tamara Rojo is trying to get them there - that's the way I personally see it

[Jan McNulty]

18 minutes ago, MellissaHuntsley said:

From the post of English National Ballet bring top tier and peachy... I LOVE this company but most lists found do not place them there...

Tamara Rojo is trying to get them there - that's the way I personally see it

 

All lists are subjective and the one you have quoted is quirky to say the least - for example listing the Bolshoi and Mariinsky as though they are one company.

 

I really don't think it furthers the discussion.

[Ian Macmillan]

Melissa: I don't doubt that Ms Rojo is keen to see ENB included in any (necessarily subjective) Top 10 lists, but I'm less clear what your endorsement of such an aim contributes to this thread on Leavers & Joiners.  And I may well be at fault here - advancing age perhaps - but, in putting your argument, I find the meaning of "bring top tier and peachy" just a shade opaque.  

[Sim]

And why does it mention Kirov as if it were a separate company?  The Mariinsky reverted to that name many years ago.

[FLOSS]

Forgive me but I think we need a bit of a reality check here. Rojo is not the first director of ENB who has tried to raise its artistic profile although a lot of people talk about her as if she was. It seems to me that however ambitious you are artistically you won't get very far if you find yourself forced to rebuild your company at regular intervals.

 

 I seem to recall that Wayne Eagling also set himself the task of widening the company's artistic horizons. He seemed to be doing rather well at it as far as I could see and he also seemed to be well respected by his dancers. Of course he came to the company as an experienced AD.His problem was with the company's board or at least members of it. This is Rojo's first experience of running a company and perhaps the problem is that she is inexperienced when it comes to man management skills. I do not believe that anyone who has posted here wishes the company anything other than it should thrive. I suspect that the reason that people have remarked on the recent spate of leavers is because they know that classical ballet is at its strongest in London when both ENB and the RB are in rude artistic health. Excessive churn in a company is a threat to its ability to produce work at the highest artistic level.

Edited August 1, 2017 by FLOSS

[MAB]

In a straight comparison between Rojo and Eagling I would say the former is far more media savvy.  More ENB items appear in the press than before, though whether that translates to more ticket sales I've no idea.

 

I totally agree with FLOSS regarding the achievements of Wayne Eagling, His Roland Petit and Beyond Ballet Russes  evenings in particular were inspired programming: in no way was he an inferior AD to Ms Rojo.  I also feel the company had a very strong artistic identity at the time led by audience favourites Daria Klimentova, Elena Glurjidze and Vadim Mutagirov.  Of the ten principal dancers at the time of Mr Eagling's departure, only three remain.  The new appointments, often brief, and over frequent departures don't suggest stability.  The revolving door system is proving dizzying to me.

[capybara]

8 hours ago, FLOSS said:

.I do not believe that anyone who has posted here wishes the company anything other than it should thrive. I suspect that the reason that people have remarked on the recent spate of leavers is because they know that classical ballet is at its strongest in London when both ENB and the RB are in rude artistic health. 

 

Exactly so, FLOSS. There is a huge feeling of goodwill towards ENB, a real sense of wanting the Company to flourish, and great affection for its tireless dancers.

[Kate_N]

Quote

ENB was a superb company under Wayne Eagling, I feel Tamara Rojo should have considered herself privileged to inherit a company led by the likes of Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova and Elena Glurjidze - all of whom have left.

 

In my experience - of seeing several theatre and dance companies "backstage" as it were - it is quite normal for artists to move around. To me, it shows that there's a healthy international creative atmosphere, and confidence that dancers can move around. Dancers particularly, spend a lot of time training very hard, being very quiet in doing what they're told all through their training. It's not surprising that as they find their individual confidence and capacity as artists (not dance automatons!) their focus might change (extreme example: Sergei Polunin- but think also of Sylvie Guillem). 

 

We have some companies which become career-long places - the Royal Ballet & NYCB & ABT might be the prominent examples - but that doesn't have to be the only model of a ballet company. Many contemporary dancers are much more mobile, for example. 

 

And I seem to remember many controversies (& similar speculation/gossip to that in this thread) about the "happiness" of the company under Wayne Eagling ...

Edited August 1, 2017 by Kate_N

[fromthebalcony]

New to ballet co forum.  Heard about this thread.  I don't presume to know what everyone here knows.  However, I am an avid ballet fan in the U.S., mostly Boston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, but I attend performances of a few other companies now and then.  I remember when Mikko Nissinen took over Boston Ballet, and there were numerous firings, departures, hirings for a number of years.  The company is still known for dancers coming and going, but with a number of people who have remained and are able to carry out Nissinen's vision.  I think it takes awhile for a new AD to see exactly what they want from the company, and to acquire the dancers necessary to carry out that vision.  

 

From an outsider's perspective, it strikes me as odd that so many of the dancers are going to just one company.  That would indicate someone working behind the scenes to undermine Tamara, in my opinion.  That type of oddity - seven or more dancers leaving one company to go to another would be frowned upon here in the US.  I think there would be a discussion between AD's, for sure.  

 

Additionally, as we know, there is much that plays into these decisions.  Why did Aaron Robison leave his principal position at SF Ballet (a company with amazing rep and a position considered the pinnacle of success here in the US)?  Why would Madison Keesler leave a ranked position at ENB to go to the corps of SF Ballet?  My guess on both (and I know Madison personally) would be - they both missed home.  Does that mean there was not some dissatisfaction?  Probably not.  But, as we well know, dancers are never really satisfied.  It is part of their lot in life as artists.  

 

People can speculate all they want, but the dust must settle, and hopefully the outcome will be a positive one.  

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Fromthebalcony and welcome to the Forum.  I do hope we hear more from you!

[Kate_N]

People can speculate all they want,

48 minutes ago, fromthebalcony said:

 

People can speculate all they want

 

Thanks for reminding us that most of the discussion on this thread is just that - speculation! And an interesting view from across the pond.

[MAB]

5 minutes ago, Kate_N said:

People can speculate all they want,

 

Thanks for reminding us that most of the discussion on this thread is just that - speculation! And an interesting view from across the pond.

 

 

Actually I think you will find the actual number of leavers this season are solid fact, not speculation at all, that is the core of this discussion.

[FLOSS]

I am far from sure how a thread which began with expressions of regret about dancers leaving ENB this season which developed into a discussion about what is perceived by those who know the company well and can put the current departures into an historical context,and is seen by them as abnormally high, has turned into a generalised one about the benefits of regular churn.

 

No one is suggesting that dancers should be seen as the equivalent of indentured servants. No one is suggesting that individual dancers should not pursue their own artistic goals and move to companies where they feel that they can do that. Everyone who posts here is, I am sure, acutely conscious that a dancer's life as a performer is incredibly short when compared with those of singers and actors. But what we are talking about here is a specific company with its own history and culture. A company which many people who post here have been following regularly over decades rather than for a few seasons.

 

I think that the long term observers of ENB are in a much  better position to identify what appears to be a radical shift in its corporate culture from relative stability to one where personnel changes are the norm and that they are better able to comment on it than those who have perhaps only been following the company since its current AD was appointed and those who only want us to embrace the exciting future which this change of personnel is said to promise.I am not sure that generalisations about how companies operate elsewhere necessarily sheds much light on what is currently happening at ENB

 

Some companies have a culture in which regular changes of personnel are the norm others do not. Until recently I think that most of us would have put ENB at the stable end of the corporate spectrum. We know that  in some countries it is the accepted norm that when a new AD is appointed they are allowed to get rid of the dancers they have inherited from their predecessor.That is not the way things are done here and generally the appointment of a new AD has little effect on the stability of a company. If the exodus had been triggered by Rojo's appointment prompting dancers to leave I would  have expected it to have taken place earlier.

 

It is quite possible that the main cause of the current exodus of dancers is that Munich's new AD still has money to spend on building his company. He is after all able to offer a wider range of repertory than ENB and the opportunity to dance in a beautiful home theatre rather than touring. Sometimes the simple prospect of being able to sleep in your own bed each night is in itself a  significant factor in deciding where to work. There again we none of us know what impact Brexit will have but I suspect that those who are interested in dancing in Europe will choose to move while it is relatively hassle free rather than waiting until the new post Brexit rules are in place. If this is a one off then little harm will have been done to ENB  I think that most of us would worry if it became the norm for the company as it would affect the company's ability to continue to work at the highest level and from that perspective retaining ballet masters,teachers and coaches is as important as retaining dancers

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2017 by FLOSS

[SwissBalletFan]

It seems Madeline took the time to thank the dancers and all of the people involved in the support of dancers, hair etc.,but left out management totally.

 

for a dancer to be so obvious whilst she still has an active career is extremely brave, and to mention extremely tough times.

 

Dancers leave a company  USUALLY because of; they are not chosen for the roles they would/should be dancing, a repertoire they do not like or does not suit them, they are not in the plans of the AD or do not see promotion happening, they are not given the freedom to go to Galas etc., or personal reasons. These usual reasons explain the small turnover within companies, as not everyone can get exactly as they like in a changing environment.

 

the analysis and comments above indicate that promoted and talented dancers are leaving and not all to be thrown in the same pot for the reasons, although what is clear, is that it is not a happy working environment, it may get things done, it may please the audiences, and the directors, but clearly it is at a cost of the dancers' happiness whether it be pay, too many hours, last minute changes to schedules etc..

 

Many well paid CEOs in business get well rewarded during layoffs and for getting 'the most' out of their workers. Also reading about the BBC pay packages, it was said that so many nice people expected to be treated fairly in pay and were totally in shock when they found out their egotistical and pushy colleagues were getting so much more.

 

I think TR qualifies in both counts to explain her pay and successful record of performances. It seems that the cost of this borne by the dancers, ballet masters, etc., and has had an extreme effect on their feelings towards the environment.

 

Good results at any cost should not be a mantra, and is why modern companies make sure their CEOs are judged on soft targets too, such as the engagement of their employees.

 

I think KOH has done an amazing job at RB and you feel the appreciateion and respect for his dancers.

 

Also looking at the numbers, TR should not be getting more because she is dancing, especially when considering the average wage of the principal dancers, if anything she should be getting less because of it, otherwise how can you tell a fellow principal dancer that their pay is fair with a straight face when you earn 4 times more than them?

[li tai po]

The blog above has reflected on the disquiet caused by the churn of permanent dancers and the apparent reluctance of ENB to acknowledge and accept the full extent of the churn.

The churn also applies to guest principals.  To the best of my knowledge, ENB has welcomed 18 men as guest principals over the last 5 years, in alphabetical order as follows:

Constantine Allen, Carlos Acosta, Esteban Berlanga (previously an ENB principal), Oscar Chacon, Matthias Dingman, Matthew Golding, Osiel Gouneo, Casey Herd, Isaac Hernandez (now a Lead Principal), Josua Hoffalt, Alban Lendorf, Nicholas le Riche. Brooklyn Mack, Vadim Muntagirov (previously an ENB principal), Xander Parish, Ivan Putrov, Ivan Vasiliev and Friedemann Vogel

In the same period, ENB has welcomed only 3 women as guest principals: Elisa Badenes, Jurgita Dronina (now a Lead Principal) and Maria Kochetkova (Japan Tour 2017).

A key element of the roster of guest principals is that few of them return for a second visit.  Some are world stars with busy schedules, some may not find their visits very rewarding and others may not be welcome back.

We have also seen three different chief executives at ENB in the past five years.

The facts again point to a considerable churn, which is potentially unsettling for the permanent dancers in the company. 

There seems to be little opportunity for men in the lower ranks to progress upwards – a direct contrast with the career progression and opportunity, which Kevin O’Hare is providing in the Royal Ballet.  Kevin is adopting a clear policy of growing and nurturing the talent within his company.  He pays close attention to his dancers and values and respects them.  This may account for the current high retention rate at the Royal Ballet.

I have read the comments above from our correspondents in Boston Massachusetts, but I am not sure that comparisons with the USA are very helpful.  By and large, American Ballet Companies are operated on a commercial and donor basis and are not supported by public money - so issues of public value for money and accountability and transparency under funding agreements with the Arts Council do not arise. 

 

American Ballet Companies generally do not offer full-time contracts to their dancers. Many of them pay their dancers only for the time when they are actively performing.  There are apocryphal stories of dancers working in restaurants during the season breaks.  On the other hand, dancers in the USA are generally paid better than their UK counterparts, when they are performing. 

 

I doubt whether ENB could learn many lessons from the USA.  It seems that they could learn a lot from other companies in the UK.

[Jan McNulty]

2 hours ago, MAB said:

 

 

Actually I think you will find the actual number of leavers this season are solid fact, not speculation at all, that is the core of this discussion.

 

The number of leavers is in the public domain, the reasons for their leaving remains speculation.

 

Peter Schaufuss had just taken over the Artistic Directorship when I started watching ballet.  Friends told me that a number of dancers left for a variety of reasons when he took over.  When he left the company a lot of the senior dancers followed him to Berlin and there was, IIRC, churn for a while until things settled down under Ivan Nagy.  It is not unprecedented with companies in this country - I remember considerable churn for a while when Robert North and subsequently Ashley Page took over at Scottish Ballet.  I can remember something similar during the unsettled period that Northern Ballet faced before Christopher Gable became AD.  David Nixon became AD in 2001 (16 years ago) and around half the dancers had churned within the first 4 years and we have had occasional tranches of dancers leaving since then.

 

In respect of the number of male guests, when Ms Rojo took over the company there were a number of senior male dancers who must have been coming towards the end of their careers and perhaps, until she had slots into which she could promote then guests were a viable alternative.

 

There are reasons why some of the guests may not have been back.  IIRC the situation during one Nutcracker season Mathias Dingman graciously accepted the challenge as the ENB male dancers were dropping like flies.    The season after Alban Lendorf guested he accepted a post with ABT as well as retaining his post with RDB and since then he has had a number of injury issues.  I doubt he would have had time to fit ENB into his schedule with all this going on.  Nicholas Le Riche and Oscar Chacon were hired for specific roles (and indeed it was announced in the PR above that Oscar Chacon is reprising his role as Hilarion.

 

Does the Royal Ballet still offer "jobs for life" or are the dancers now on annual contracts?  If the RB offers full-time contracts and ENB annual contracts then it is like comparing apples and pears.

 

I'm not speculating one way or the other why so many dancers have left this year and over the previous couple of years but, as I stated above, it is not unprecedented.

[fromthebalcony]

"American Ballet Companies generally do not offer full-time contracts to their dancers. Many of them pay their dancers only for the time when they are actively performing.  There are apocryphal stories of dancers working in restaurants during the season breaks.  On the other hand, dancers in the USA are generally paid better than their UK counterparts, when they are performing."  

 

You are speaking of smaller, regional companies.  While it is true that American companies do not pay their dancers full-time, those in larger, union companies (NYCB, ABT, San Fran, Boston, PNB, Houston, Miami) spend their lay-offs either teaching or dancing in other capacities.  Additionally, in larger, union companies, the dancers are often times provided supplemental income or unemployment pay.  

 

I realize that the guest policy at ENB has been troublesome, not unlike what ABT has faced.  Until just the past two years, ABT had a guest dancer policy that was, in my opinion, cumbersome.  It took away from opportunities for company dancers to gain opportunities to dance roles and prepare for promotion.  Now, it appears as though the company is looking within.  This will take time to rebuild.  Hopefully, this is the case for ENB, too.  With the hiring of Aaron Robison and Joseph Caley (a dancer I have followed since his days at Royal Ballet School), things are looking up.  Additionally, it appears that Tamara is working on promotions from within: 

 

Cesar Corrales has been promoted to Principal

 

Alison McWhinney and Fernando Bufalá are promoted to First Soloist. 

 

Katja Khaniukova, Aitor Arrieta, and Ken Saruhashi are promoted to Soloist. 

 

Tiffany Hedman, Rina Kanehara and Guilherme Menezes are promoted to Junior Soloist. 

 

Precious Adams, Isabelle Brouwers, Jung ah Choi, and Francesca Velicu are promoted to First Artist. 

 

Emily Suzuki is promoted to 4th year Artist of the Company. 

 

I am not here to argue with anyone.  And I realize comparison to the U.S. is useless, however, even in the U.S., ballet companies are changing and evolving.  Just because things have always been done a certain way, it does not mean they must continue that way.  

 

P.S.  "I have read the comments above from our correspondents in Boston Massachusetts,"  Not from Boston - just love the company and its rep.

 

[Jan McNulty]

Fromthebalcony, I personally found your comments as an outsider looking in to be sensible and thought provoking.  Thank you.

 

I do hope you will continue to post, including telling us about performances you see in the US.