Bluebird Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Below is the list of this year's RBS contracts as printed in the Linbury Season Programme: Chisato Katsura Royal Ballet Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Harry Churches Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Leo Dixon Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Isabel Lubach Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Julia Roscoe Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Letícia Dias Domingues Birmingham Royal Ballet Rachele Pizzillo Birmingham Royal Ballet Brooke Ray Birmingham Royal Ballet Kento Sumitani American Ballet Theatre William Beagley English National Ballet Josephine Frick English National Ballet Erik Woolhouse English National Ballet Adam Ashcroft Estonian National Ballet Monja Obrul Mikhailovsky Ballet Laurynas Vejalis National Ballet of Canada Killian Smith National Ballet of Portugal Henry Dowden National Romanian Ballet Alexander Yap Northern Ballet Grace Robinson Northern Ballet – Apprentice Kenji Wilkie Norwegian National Ballet – Apprentice Grace Horne Scottish Ballet Giulia Frosi Semperoper Ballett Dresden Gareth Haw Semperoper Ballett Dresden Benjamin Thomas Stuttgart Ballet – Apprentice Sophie Moffatt Washington Ballet Studio Company Apologies for the strange spacing. I don't seem able to copy and paste Word documents accurately! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 What a wonderful array of contracts. Congratulations to all. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 26 Graduates. Is it normal to have that many graduate from RBS in one year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 26 Graduates. Is it normal to have that many graduate from RBS in one year? The current Upper School students number: 28 in the 1st Year (14G/14B) 33 in the 2nd Year (17G/16B) 29 in the 3rd Year (13G/14B) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 When I went to the RBS preview a month or so ago I loved the piece Chanson danced by two wonderful young dancers Guilia Frosi and Lukas Bjorneboe Braendsrod. I'm glad to see have both got good contracts. Leticia Domingues and Harry Churches danced the main roles in Classical Symphony and we're both outstanding too. But I was really impressed with all the dancers that took part that day so great to see all these contracts for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 What great news for this year's graduates! Did Letícia Dias Domingues study for 2 years at RBS or 3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabitha Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Fabulous set of contracts! I'm sure Gailene Stock would have been very proud. Leticia came to RBS following Prix de Lausanne and joined second year, so she has been there for 2 years. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottokeepworking Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 26 Graduates. Is it normal to have that many graduate from RBS in one year? In my DS graduation year (2011) there were 34. I believe more boys than girls! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Leticia came to RBS following Prix de Lausanne and joined second year, so she has been there for 2 years. I thought so. She was fabulous at the Prix de Lausanne. I haven't seen her dance since but it will be interesting to watch her career develop at BRB. It's interesting that several girls who have joined RBS from the Prix de Lausanne have started in the second year, whereas the boys are mostly going into first year but the competition itself seems to give many more prizes to boys (at least in recent years.) Is there any significance to the order in which these graduate destinations are presented? Also, was it reported (or does anyone know) how many of these graduates came through White Lodge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Nine of those listed were at White Lodge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabitha Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Is there any significance to the order in which these graduate destinations are presented? My own little theory is that as the school states that its aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers for The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, then they list those companies first and then all the other companies are in alphabetical order. I may be completely wrong though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 That is how I have read it too, tabitha. 9/26 did time at White Lodge - is that a good percentage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Nine of those listed were at White Lodge Thanks! Was it published who the nine are? (Maybe it's against forum rules to name names. I know of just one for sure who went to WL.) My own little theory is that as the school states that its aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers for The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, then they list those companies first and then all the other companies are in alphabetical order. I may be completely wrong though. Makes sense, I hadn't noticed that but seems obvious now! That is how I have read it too, tabitha. 9/26 did time at White Lodge - is that a good percentage? I don't know how it compares to other years but considering applications for upper school are coming from all over the world, international competition winners, and the fact that we don't know how many from that year of WL even applied for an upper school place (it probably wasn't everyone,) it's a good number in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottokeepworking Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 My own little theory is that as the school states that its aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers for The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, then they list those companies first and then all the other companies are in alphabetical order. I may be completely wrong though. Looks like this is how they are doing it now. In the past it has always been RB BRB ENB Scottish Northern Europe America Rest of the World RBS train and educate outstanding classical dancers not just for RB and BRB! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Lovely news (but as ever, I do wish they'd list them alphabetically by surname - just a perennial irritation of mine) (is perennial the right word? Lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Maybe in this case it should be annual. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) Years ago it seemed to me that anyone with any sense would try to start their career with SWRB/BRB because in that company you got a chance to dance a lot at an early stage in your career and there were no make or break,one chance to shine performances, that loomed so large in the Covent Garden compsny.At that time there was the problem that casting was frequently undertaken on the basis of seniority and dancers who had seemingly great potential when they left the school were left so long that the spark had gone out of them by the time that they got their chance.There are plenty of companies on the continent that can provide the sort of opportunities that are in short supply at Covent Garden. I hope that everyone who has graduated has a long and rewarding career as a dancer wherever they dance. Xander Parrish spoke about joining the company and being left without the support that newly recruited dancers who have been identified as having potential receive in the major Russian companies.It remains to be seen whether O'Hare has finally hit upon a way of dealing with that problem . Giving dancers a chance to perform is still a problem although changes to the repertory could reduce that problem if not resolve it completely. I hope that restoring Two Pigeons to the repertory is part of his plan to give the large number of talented young dancers in his company the chance to show what they can do. Edited July 13, 2015 by FLOSS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) Xander Parrish spoke about joining the company and being left without the support that newly recruited dancers who have been identified as having potential receive in the major Russian companies. Xander is right. In Russian companies a dancer who has "been identified as having potential" and is given even a very small solo will be immediately officially attached to a personal teacher (not a ballet master who is rehearsing a particular ballet). From that day this dancer will always prepare any solo or a whole role with his/her teacher as long as their relationship survives. Usually they rehearse together almost every day and often it becomes like a parent and child relationship. At the Bolshoi presently there are 20 teachers, you can roll down the page here and see their list: http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/persons/ballet/ No outsiders among them. They all danced on the Bolshoi's stage and have its basic repertoire in their feet. The Mariinsky has the same system and Xander appreciated this. Edited July 13, 2015 by Amelia 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 An additional contract was listed in yesterday's programme - that of Maria Huguet Planas with New English Ballet Theatre. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Amelia, Out of interest do you have any idea how long the major Russian companies have employed the personal coach/teacher for dancers with potential? Is it a system whose origins are lost in the mists of time or something that can be identified as having begun at a particular time and place under a particular director? At one level it sounds a bit like the system that many countries have in place for top atheletes. Strange that it is now universally acceptable for sportspeople but not in the arts. I wonder whether it is the history and comparative youth of the company, the cost of the system or the thought that somehow it is inherently unfair to select the few at the expense of the many that prevents the Royal Ballet adopting a system which clearly works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I believe this is indeed one where the origins are "lost in the mists of time". The equivalent years to RBS Upper School also have a similar continuity in that dancers are assigned to a teacher who then takes them through all three years of training. This was explained at the Russian "Focus on Style" one of the RBS series of seminars a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 My enquiry was not about what happens at the school but the personal coaching relationship in the Russian companies.What I wanted to know about was when the selection and special coaching relationship that takes place in the major Russian companies first began? Did it begin in the nineteenth century or was it something that began in the twentieth century with the upheavals after the Revolution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Is it a system whose origins are lost in the mists of time or something that can be identified as having begun at a particular time and place under a particular director? Hi, Floss! I wasn‘t sure when this system started, so I did some inquiry today - phoned a ballet historian in Moscow. She was also puzzled and didn’t give a clear answer. What is clear, she said, is that this system had not been introduced by a particular director but was gradually born out of everyday practice. We recalled with her what is known about regular personal coaching in Russia. Marius Petipa rehearsed himself with the leading ballerinas but he did it also as the choreographer of his ballets, of course. After his unfair dismissal Nikolai Legat was rehearsing his ballets at Mariinsky. Pavlova paid also for additional classes with Checchetti. In Moscow, Alexander Gorsky was rehearsing with Vera Karalli. In the 1920-30s Vaganova, apart from teaching at the School, was rehearsing for the theatre with her former pupils: Marina Semyonova, Galina Ulanova, Natalya Dudinskaya and others. Those who are still alive now, remember that at their time rehearsals with personal repetiteurs were a norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) Amelia, Thank you very much for the fruits of your research.It sounds as if the personal repetiteur may well have started as a pragmatic response to two things which occurred in rapid succession.First with the dismissal of Petipa, the absence of a major choreographer whose taste and aesthetics influence every aspect of the company its repertory and performance style. Second the loss of a large number of senior dancers to the West. Edited July 16, 2015 by FLOSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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