li tai po

A brief financial comment. The only new production falling into the 2018-19 financial year (1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019) is Stina Quagebeur's A Doll's House. Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella falls into 2019-2020 financial year. Does this reflect a pressure on financial resources? The current financial year 2017-18 ends on 31 March, but the financial results will not be published until the end of 2018.

Lisbie1, my fulsome apologies. I should have referred to Erica.

Aileen asks what outcome the ‘whistleblowers’ are seeking. The primary desire of victims of abuse is to be listened to and to be believed. I doubt they have any aims beyond this. I was very saddened when I read the account on the Ballet Position website. I found the description of public humiliation in the studio particularly distressing. This is not acceptable in the 21st century. The daily unpredictability of screaming or silent treatment also speaks volumes. The website makes it clear that they have spoken to twelve dancers past and present, as well as support staff, and had sight of relevant documents. These are not just opinions sent from the cowardice of anonymity, as Lizbie1 would have us believe. I am sure that present dancers would step forward and speak openly to an independent investigation. There is clearly a problem within ENB, which needs to be resolved. If the Trustees sweep it under the carpet, it will break out again. They need to allow a proper independent investigation to take place, in which employees past and present are able to speak freely of their concerns. The Trustees must then take action to set up proper controls within the organisation to protect their staff and decide whether the existing management is capable of working within such controls or whether the organisation should move a new solution. Human resources are intended to bring out the best work ethic of the employees and therefore make a move to a better working environment. The Trustees should ensure that human resources provide a safe environment for employees to express their concerns, without fear of retribution. Staff of any organisation have the right to be safe at work. Today the Government and the Charity Commission called Oxfam to account, because they were apparently failing to deal with abuse within the organisation. It is time to call the Trustees of ENB to account in the same way.

English National Ballet is subject to a funding agreement with the Arts Council of Great Britain and is also a registered charity. Its primary sources of income are from the taxpayer, charitable donations and box office income.

I previously reported to this Forum here about Directors of Ballet Companies – Pay Differential. http://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/15932-directors-of-uk-ballet-companies-pay-differential/ Four of the UK’s major ballet companies have just reported their results for the year to 31 March 2017. The Royal Opera House works to a year-end of 28 August, so their results for 2017 are not due to be published until June 2018. We can now see the latest remuneration of four of the five major ballet directors and assess their pay increases between 2015-16 and 2016-17. The financial statements show that Tamara Rojo at English National Ballet had the biggest increase, jumping two bands (a pay rise of approx. £20,000), possibly representing between 8% and 9%. In 2016-17, her remuneration was between £250,000 and £259,999. It is understood that the ENB dancers received a pay rise of 2% last year. Rojo’s total emoluments would appear to be close to those of Alex Beard, the Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, responsible for opera and ballet. The most recent accounts for the English National Ballet School (31 July 2016) show that the three directors (Cordelia Barker, Samira Saida and Tamara Rojo) drew £125,775 between them. As no employees had emoluments in excess of £60,000, Rojo must have drawn at least £5,000 from ENB School. David Bintley at Birmingham Royal Ballet continues to be remunerated between £130,000 and £140,000, as last year. David Nixon at Northern Ballet continues to be remunerated between £90,000 and £100,000, as last year. Christopher Hampson at Scottish Ballet has moved up one band from last year and is now remunerated between £100,000 and £110,000. Kevin O’Hare at the Royal Ballet had emoluments of £183,423 for the year ended 28 August 2016 (as previously reported). It is also instructive to look at the salaries of the Chief Executive Officers and the differential from the Artistic Director. English National Ballet Director – Tamara Rojo - £250,000 to £259,000 Chief Executive – Patrick Harrison - £80,000 to £89,000 This is pro-rata for nine months, which suggests that Patrick Harrison’s remuneration falls within the £100,000 to £110,000 band. Birmingham Royal Ballet Director - David Bintley - £130,000 to £140,000 Chief Executive - Jan Teo - £110,000 to £120,000 Northern Ballet Artistic Director – David Nixon - £90,001 to £100,000 Chief Executive – Mark Skipper – £90,001 to £100,000 Scottish Ballet Artistic Director – Christopher Hampson - £100,000 to £110,000 Executive Director – Steven Roth - £70,000 to £80,000 Royal Ballet Artistic Director – Kevin O’Hare - £183,423 Alex Beard – Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House - £260,139 Sally O’Neill – Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Opera House - £187,262. The financial year 2017-18 is almost ended, but we must wait until January 2019, to find out what they earned in the current year.

Is it appropriate to seek further charitable donations, when the charity is paying such a large remuneration to its artistic director? The trustees should reflect.

Thanks, Gavin - the mandolin was at the back of the pit tonight and sounded clearly into the auditorium. You and the musicians deserved the ovation you received tonight at ROH. Thrilling!

Alison - thanks for your kind reply. I am a technical disaster; if you are able to remove the double image from my post, I will be very grateful.

I saw and heard the two Saturday performances of Song of the Earth in Milton Keynes and I am sure you would expect Li Tai Po to comment. For me the strength of these performances was on the musical side. Two superb singers and an orchestra which had clearly rehearsed very thoroughly for this work, that involves so many solo instrumental passages. The matinee performance was conducted by guest conductor, Misato Tomita, and the evening by Gavin Sutherland. Time and again I was ravished by the beauty of an individual instrument – a phrase from the clarinet, the oboe or the bassoon. The runs on the harp and the shimmering clusters from the celeste at the end of the ballet were exquisite., but I could barely hear the mandolin, because it was positioned immediately below the stalls, where the sound did not reach the audience directly. The mandolin repeatedly strums two notes, echoing the final word “ewig - everlasting”. It is essential that it is heard clearly. Maybe Gavin can position the mandolin at the back of the pit, so it sounds out clearly into the auditorium. The singers were tenor, Samuel Sakker and contralto, Rhonda Browne. They took great care with their vocal colours. The tenor tells us that a full glass of wine is worth more than all the empires of the world. Three times Sakker sang “worth more”, softly and reflectively the first time, thoughtfully and insidiously the second time, insistent and stentorian the third time. He sang about the ape howling shrill into the sweet scent of life. The word “life” disintegrated into a descending melisma of notes; the effect was terrifying. Rhonda Browne sang the second song about solitude with rich and deep autumnal colours. She brightened her voice noticeably for the opening of the fourth song, with the young girls picking flowers. Her eyes twinkled as she described the fairest of the maidens looking after the horseman with longing. I would recommend any Mahlerian to go and hear this electrifying performance at the Coliseum. Great credit to Gavin Sutherland and the orchestra for caring so much about this masterpiece and delivering such quality. The dancing was not on the same level. As other correspondents above have commented, the men do not seem to understand what this ballet is about. Three times the tenor sings the refrain, “Dark is Life, Dark is Death” - the men onstage were apparently unaware. The Messenger of Death must create an immediate and startling presence with every appearance, something achieved by the likes of Dowell, Nureyev and Watson. Likewise the Man must have a strength, empathy and melancholy – he must be a reliable anchor for the Woman, causing her insecurity, as she realises she is losing him – MacLeary, Wall and Cope come to mind. An honourable exception is James Forbat, who appeared in five songs in the afternoon, taking the role most recently associated with Ricardo Cervera. He had an angularity of line and a focus of concentration, which suggested that he was at ease with the MacMillan style and the content of the songs. Serious, thoughtful and energetic in the first song (always precise with this timing), full of humour in the drunken capering of the fifth song, he brought testosterone to his entry as the rumbustious horseman in the fourth song, which quickly melted into a loving exchange with Tiffany Hedman. As the two traded longing glances, the soprano physically turned to watch them fulfil her words, “In the flashing of her eyes, in the darkness of her warm glances, her anxious heart cries after him”. Both Fernanda Oliveira and Erina Takahashi made an impact as the Woman – both had elements of power and melancholy in the final song. Erina was particularly haunting. Her eyes were wide with terror, as she looked over her shoulder at the pursuing men, after a shudder in the orchestra. To the words “I am seeking rest for my lonely heart”, she threw herself into the arms of her men, but they held her awkwardly without comfort and her arm slumped down dejectedly. She filled the stage with her misery and despair. My colleague stated that the highlight of the performance was Erina’s solo passages. The 1984 revival with guest artists Marcia Haydée and Richard Cragun and Wayne Eagling as the Messenger of Death is etched in my memory, with two established Wagnerians, Linda Finnie and John Mitchinson singing. John Mitchinson, a notable Tristan and Peter Grimes, sang Song of the Earth throughout the 1970s. MacMillan always insisted that the words were available to the audience in German and English. During the 1960s and 1970s they were published in a separate booklet, handed out with the programme. Surtitles came along towards the end of MacMillan’s life, but he rejected them, stating that he did not want to distract the viewer from the movement onstage. The MacMillan celebration programme booklet devotes four pages to the text of Song of the Earth with a further three full page illustrations of the etchings by Paunzen. I asked at Milton Keynes for a copy of the text and was very pleased to discover a pile of texts, lying next to the cast sheets. Well done ENB! Both Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet have achieved considerable success and approbation with their performances last week, so the bar(re) is high for ENB. Tamara Rojo has set herself a challenging target, seeking to perform one of the iconic ballets of the Royal Ballet repertoire on their home turf. Timmie says above that the men were “more synchronised”, but they are still a long way off. Based on yesterday’s performances, there is much work needed to perfect the timing and spacing; the ballet staff will be busy for the next couple of days. Tamara is to be applauded for her courage, but let us wait for the results.

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.

The recent public debate about the remuneration and gender pay gap of BBC high profile stars, celebrities and presenters has led me to inquire about the relative pay of the directors of the major ballet companies. Here the gender pay gap is tilted well in the direction of the female. The latest annual reports and financial statements of the UK’s five leading ballet companies are published on The Charity Commission and Scottish Charity Commission websites. The various sets of financial statements have different dates for reporting, but the emoluments of the highest paid employees are shown in bands, as for the BBC, as follows: English National Ballet (Tamara Rojo) 2015 - £200,000 - £209,999 2016 – £230,000 - £239,999 Royal Ballet (Kevin O’Hare) 2015 - £179,813 2016 - £183,423 Birmingham Royal Ballet (David Bintley) 2015 - £140,001 - £150,000 2016 - £130,001 - £140,000 Scottish Ballet (Christopher Hampson) 2015 - £110,001 - £120,000 2016 - £90,001 - £100,000 Northern Ballet (David Nixon) 2015 - £90,001 - £100,000 2016 - £90,001 - £100,000 By way of comparison, the Prime Minister is paid £150,402. Under company law, the figures disclose all emoluments, including fees for choreography and dancing. David Bintley, Christopher Hampson and David Nixon are also choreographers; Tamara Rojo is also a dancer. These emoluments should be considered in the light of the current austerity squeeze on arts funding. They appear to show that David Bintley and Christopher Hampson accepted salary sacrifices in 2016, whilst Kevin O’Hare received a pay rise of just 2%. The bandings suggest that Tamara Rojo received a rise of approximately 17% in 2016. The bandings suggest that Tamara Rojo’s emoluments are 30% higher than those of Kevin O’Hare. This is against a background of low pay for English National Ballet dancers, who are paid significantly less at all levels from Principal to Corps de Ballet than their colleagues at the Royal Ballet. Finally, the English National Ballet accounts for 2012 show that in 2011 (his last full year as Director of ENB) Wayne Eagling (also a choreographer) was remunerated in the band of £100,000 - £109,999.

No-one seems to have mentioned Irek Mukhamedov (Character Artist). I am under the impression that he is also leaving at the end of this week. Maybe I am wrong. The total number of departures this season is 18 so far, close to a churn of 30% of the dancers. Ksenia Ovsyanick - Berlin - left at the beginning of the season, after two weeks of class at Jay Mews Max Westwell - An American in Paris Anton Lukovkin - to pursue a career in opera Juan Rodriguez - retired Makoto Nakamura - retired Madison Keesler - San Francisco Grant Rae - to retire at the end of the week Yonah Acosta - Munich Laurretta Summerscales - Munich Alejandro Virelles - Munich Yoko Callegari - Munich Jinhao Zhang - Munich Jeanette Kakareka - Munich Emilio Pavan - Munich Vitor Menezes - Copenhagen Daniele Silingardi - Stuttgart Tamarin Stott - Scottish Ballet Irek Mukhamedov The press release referred to Tamarin Stott rather contemptuously as leaving to pursue other interests. My understanding is that she is to be ballet mistress at Scottish Ballet. Whilst ENB may not yet be disintegrating, there appears to be considerable unease and insecurity amongst the dancers. The clever PR has attempted to repackage the current situation as a triumph of recruitment and to manipulate the numbers by being economical with the truth. The ungracious manner in which ENB management and its Development Department allowed Max Westwell and Anton Lukovkin to leave without comment (both of them with around 10 years' service to the company as dancers) is symptomatic of the current malaise within the company. I do not know how human resources is perceived in Boston Massachusetts, but the situation as outlined above must certainly be a concern for dancers and audience alike in London.

I have just come back from the second performance of Beyond Ballets Russes Second Programme. I am feeling very exhilarated. The corps de ballet is simply breathtaking. I have waited twenty years to see the ENB corps return to this scintillating form. Suite en Blanc is a feast of virtuoso dancing from principal after principal. Rather than picking out individual performances, I am revelling in the memory of the wonderful corps. They are so together, so sparkling and projecting so well into the audience. Time and again, my eye was distracted from the principal in front by a line up of dancers behind with perfect spacing, every single arm in exactly the same position, every movement perfectly synchronized. It takes years of hard work to build up this level of discipline and co-ordination. It is so rewarding for the audience, when this magic is achieved. Thanks to Maina Gielgud who has staged this work so beautifully for a second year running. Her sense of style and mood is impeccable. Thanks also to the ballet staff, Ros Whitten, Jane Howarth and Antony Dowson. I have watched (and heard) Ros Whitten in action at rehearsals. She is tireless, dogged – no detail is missed, no fault is too trivial for correction – she is a true completer/finisher – firm with the “ladies”, yet fair and considerate. The company is so lucky to have such a solid team of ballet staff. I have also been thrilled by Eagling’s new ballet, Jeux. Wayne Eagling is such a thoughtful and interesting choreographer – all the more so because he quite often has to make ballets to order, rather than because the theme or music particularly appeals to him. Jeux has quite a difficult score; Debussy’s last orchestral work is better known in the concert hall than in the theatre. Eagling has faced up to the music and developed his own take on the original scenario, by showing Nijinsky, the choreographer, struggling to choreograph the music. There are humorous references to the tennis match of Nijinsky’s original, but the choreographer soon becomes absorbed in a pas de trois with his two leading ladies. It is as if he has lost touch with reality and is living the dream of his own ballet. Meanwhile a second group of three dancers plays a tennis match in semi-shadow at the back of the stage, using a barre as the tennis net. Eventually this second pas de trois is drawn into the dreamlike action front stage, echoing the first group – until a sudden change of lighting returns the choreographer back to reality – seated beside his piano, struggling to create the movement to the music. Finally he is visited by the sinister figure of Diaghilev, or was it the Chairman of the Board? Eagling’s choreography is full of interesting movements, contrasts and dramatic conflicts and resolutions. Eagling has created a wonderful dramatic role for Dmitri Gruzdyev, who demonstrates his long and deep experience of the stage in a rounded performance, full of dramatic insight – as he travels from creative block, to dreamy distraction, to frustration and despair. Like many good (? great) choreographers, Eagling has created a ballet, which seems semi-autobiographical. The lighting is stunning. The design is so simple. ENB deliver convincing value for money with their designs – an object lesson for other companies, which indulge in unnecessarily extravagant designs, that can swamp the choreography. This ballet comes as a timely reminder of Eagling’s skill as a choreographer – one of the select band of convincing British choreographers post-MacMillan. He has given ENB a beautiful chain of ballets, Resolution, Men-Y-Men and The Nutcracker. Let us hope that he will use the extra time available to him next year to focus on choreography and make more beautiful ballets. I cannot wait to see Jeux again on Saturday. Finally a brief appreciation of Vadim Muntagirov’s bravura performance as the Handsome Young Chap in Le Train Bleu – not only his technical aplomb, but his sunny personality and winning humour. He dominates the stage and draws in his audience. How this company has enabled him to develop into such a confident artist, after the initial shyness of his first season! It is a tribute to Vadim and all those who have helped him – and Vadim’s performance is also a worthy tribute to Anton Dolin, the work’s creator.

I have just looked on the ENB website for confirmation of this news – but there is nothing on the website. In fact the whole press office appears to be in meltdown. Everyone is on voice mail and I was directed from one number to another. Rachel Branton, the press manager, has a message stating that she is out of the office until Monday 13 February (sic). Sally Christopher, the press officer, has a message stating that she only works on Mondays and Tuesdays – it is Tuesday. Both Louise Halliday, Communications Manager and the website manager are on voice mail. I trust that ENB will make a public announcement soon – it is only fair to their loyal supporters and paying public. I also trust that the vacancy will subject to public competition, given that it is funded indirectly by the public through The Arts Council.