Jan McNulty

Hello Tired Dance Mummy and welcome to the Forum!

There is a Phantom of the Opera workshop scheduled for 26th June: https://v1.bookwhen.com/jlpworkshops

Congratulations to Northern Ballet for winning the Dance Award with Jonathan Watkins 1984.

Hello Balletstars and welcome to the Forum!

I saw Robert de Warren's production of Swan Lake for Northern Ballet many years ago. The young lady dancing the role had a bad fall in the first part of the pdd. She did not do the fouettes, she did a different variation but I assumed it was because she was hurt in the fall (but not badly enough to stop the performance). More recently I have seen a young dancer come off the fouettes early and complete the music with a spectacular manege around the stage. I thought it looked wonderful. However I had also seen this dancer do immaculate fouettes completing the music in other performances. I have to say Fonty that I absolutely agree that the ability to do 32 fouettes does not make a good Odette/Odile and I would hate to see a dancer missing a chance because of that. I never count the fouettes so I wouldn't know how many dancers over the years have completed 32. I personally prefer single fouettes to the more fancy doubles and triples because, unless the dancer is Momoko Hirata who can flash them out so fast you don't notice, they are not usually in time with the music.

Such very sad news to wake up to this morning. Muhammad Ali was a star who way transcended the confines of his sport. He had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for over 30 years. On BBC Breakfast this morning Mike Bushell described him as the Poet Laureate of boxing. Condolences to his family and friends. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16011175 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-sp-fighter-joker-magician http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-2792097/Muhammad-Ali-Greatest-pictures-look-life-famous-sportsman-world.html

I've been meaning to post about these two productions for a while; sorry my posting is so late in the day. Kenneth Tindall's Children of the Mantic Stain was his second collaboration with the artist Linder Sterling and it featured a rug tufted at the Dovecot Galleries in Edinburgh, Kenneth used seven dancers from Northern Ballet in the piece. I was fortunate to see the dress rehearsal at Quarry Hill last Autumn and jumped at the chance to see a performance at the Dovecot Galleries. The Galleries were a public baths and provided an extraordinary performance space. At ground level there was a row of seats right around the dance floor and people could view from the gallery above too. It was a packed house. What was good about seeing it in the gallery space was that the seven dancers just appeared and disappeared from within the crowd. There is a large, mainly red, patterned rug in the middle of the floor. The dancers dance around it and on it and fondle it. The commissioned score has sections that are jagged or lyrical or disco and the choreography matches the music. It turns out that the rug is a spiral that can be unravelled and it is eventually draped around the incomparable Hannah Bateman as she is carried off. The costumes are best described as de-constructed sports-ware. For example Nicola Gervasi was wearing what seemed to be a straight-forward track-suit top but when he turned around there was no back in it. His trousers were similarly constructed. It was a mesmerising piece and I am so glad I got to see it in a gallery setting which really added to the atmosphere. The rug is part of a travelling exhibition and the following day I went to see it in place in the British Art Show 8 exhibition. It is truly a fabulous rug and I would very nearly kill to own one like it! Kit Holder collaborated with composer and leader of jazz combo Hansu Tori, David Austen Grey and illustrator Nick Robertson to create Wolves Are People Too, Kit's first full evening work. This is a narrative work that tells of a human/wolf family. The mother is human and the father is wolf and the children have the characteristics of both. The costumes are incredibly simple but effective. The father and children have parkas that have fur edged hoods - it makes them remarkably lupine. We see the happy family and the children in school then the father goes out to work and never comes back. We see the mother getting the news that he has died by the simple device of her being given the parka he had been wearing. The children have to make their own choice as to whether to develop their human or wolf side. The band plays on stage and the illustrator sits in a corner of the stage. His drawings start to appear on a giant screen at the back of the stage. One of the band members acts as a teacher in the first schoolroom scene and the illustrator in the second schoolroom scene. Kit used five BRB dancers for the production and I thought it was a delight. Lachlan Monaghan had a beautiful rapport as the father with Ruth Brill who was incandescent as the Mother. Her duet with the parka was incredibly moving, such beautiful choreography that kept it moving rather than becoming twee. I cannot deny that I had a tear in my eye at the end of the first act. The school room scenes used stillness very effectively as the children are being taught and as Laura Day starts becoming attracted to fellow pupil Max Maslen. In act 2 you see the children wrestling with their future. Lewis Turner was fabulous as he decided to go with his wolf side. Laura develops her human side with her relationship with Max (another delightful duet). For me, this production marks a significant move forward for Kit as a choreographer. I have particularly enjoyed some of his shorter pieces for BRB - Small Worlds, 9-5 and Quatrain - and now he has shown that he can develop and carry a narrative too. It's great to see these two choreographers developing their styles in such an engaging and enjoyable way. I can't wait to see Kenneth Tindall's Casanova next year!

I saw the first 3 performances at the Empire this week. I knew something of what to expect from the reviews after the premiere so I knew it was not going to be in any way, shape or form a traditional Swan Lake production. The set was basically a white box with some grey and was quite bland but not offensive. I thought the lighting was disappointingly static. I didn't notice much use of spotlights following the main dancers either. Effective lighting can really enhance a production but this lighting scheme did not help at all. It's just as well the choreography was fab! I absolutely loved the swirly choreography in the opening scenes and I really liked the costumes. The lovely floaty, draped dresses for the girls really enhanced the choreography (although I may have chosen slightly brighter colours myself). The men's costumes were simple black leggings (grey for Siegfried) and long sleeved t-shirt style tops. My one bug-bear about the men's tops was that those for Benno and Siegfried were respectively mustard and blue and oh boy did they show the sweat stains under the arms - it was quite off-putting. There was some great bromance choreography for Benno and Siegfried and the other men. I liked the plot concept that Benno was a party animal and Siegfried was his party-pooping friend who gets irritated by Benno constantly trying to match-make. As the party dances off to continue inside (it is mimed that it has started to rain) Siegfried stays outside and encounters the Swan-ladies. I loved the choreography and loathed the costumes. The lady who designed them has obviously never seen the Bridget Jones film with the large M&S knickers! Again the choreography had the swans in continual, swirling motion. The white swan adagio was absolutely exquisite and, on the first night, Sophie Martin was utterly sublime as the Swan. The dance to the cygnets music was quirky but I loved the big swans majestic dance. The party in act 2 had Benno trying even harder to match-make. Siegfried was immediately besotted when Odile turned up with 4 minders. (But why were the minders wearing masks). It was obvious that Odile was a gold-digging flirt who abandoned Siegfried when she had got the jewel, leading to his devastation and return to the swans who ultimately left him too as he had betrayed Odette. I was quite emotionally uninvolved on the first night but saw more in the production with each subsequent viewings. By last night I had a lump in my throat at the end! The cast that touched me the most was Constance Devernay, Andrew Peasgood and Victor Varallo (last night's cast) but I'm not sure if that was solely because I had become familiar with the nuances of the production. For me, it definitely worked seeing several performances and overall I really enjoyed the production. It has got a lot to offer. I would love to see it again!

Just catching up on this thread. I know I am taking it a bit O/T but Desire Samaii is one of my all time favourite dancers.

Don Q Fan was wearing hers last night in Liverpool. I forgot to put mine on but fortunately DQF and I already know each other!

And the official Press Release: Northern Ballet develops emerging talent with its Choreographic Laboratory Northern Ballet has commenced its second annual Choreographic Laboratory which brings together five emergingchoreographers for a three-week intensive to research and develop ideas for new narrative dance with Northern Ballet’s professional dancers. The Choreographic Laboratory culminates in Tell Tale Steps 2: Narrative in Ballet, a sharing at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Northern Ballet’s Leeds city-centre home on 16 June 2016. The Choreographic Laboratory was initiated in 2015 by Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director and celebrated creator of numerous narrative works, David Nixon OBE. With a standout reputation for creating narrative dance in the UK, Northern Ballet has a record of continuously commissioning new story ballets including most recently 1984 and Jane Eyre. Now in its second year, Northern Ballet’s Choreographic Laboratory, run in partnership with The Royal Ballet and curated by director and producer Jane Hackett, offers emerging choreographers the opportunity to work with Northern Ballet’s renowned dance actors to explore the creation of new narrative dance work. The Choreographic Laboratory is a unique commitment to nurturing choreographers and to developing talent. Following a national call out, Carlos Pons Guerra (independent choreographer), Charlotte Edmonds (Royal Ballet Young Choreographer), Lucia Solari (First Soloist at Northern Ballet), Morgann Runacre-Temple (independent choreographer and choreographer in residence at Ballet Ireland) and Tobias Batley (Premier Dancer at Northern Ballet), will spend three weeks in the studios at Northern Ballet’s HQ with their company dancers to explore narrative dance. The intensive also includes a programme of talks and mentorship from Sharon Watson, Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre, dramaturge Ruth Little, playwright Greg Mosse and dance writer Luke Jennings. David Nixon OBE said: ‘Following the success of last year’s inaugural Choreographic Laboratory I am delighted to once again offer emerging choreographers the opportunity to work with our professional dancers. As one of the UK’s largest ballet companies it is a privilege to be able to offer support and guidance to the choreographers of the future through a platform that is already paying dividends for its previous participants.’ Previous Choreographic Laboratory participant, Kenneth Tindall, who has since been commissioned by Northern Ballet to create its newly announced 2017 première Casanova, said: ‘Northern Ballet’s Choreographic Laboratory is an invaluable experience at any stage of your career. The wide range of mentorship and tools on offer are thought-provoking and challenging and it’s a wonderful learning curve full of curiosity and investigation. This is a process driven Laboratory where the journey and not the outcome is the most important part. The culmination of the Choreographic Laboratory is Tell Tale Steps 2: Narrative in Ballet a sharing of the process of experimentation and research during the choreographers’ three week residency where they will demonstrate, with dancers from Northern Ballet, how they have investigated the building blocks of narrative dance, created characters and a sense of place and drama. The programme also includes a panel of leading arts professionals discussing the delights and difficulties of creating narrative dance. Tickets for Tell Tale Steps 2: Narrative in Ballet are on sale now, priced at £12 adults and £6 concessions. Tickets can be booked online at theatreleeds.com or by calling the box office on 0113 220 8008. -ENDS- Notes to Editors Tell Tale Steps 2: Narrative in Ballet Leeds, Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre Thu 16 June 2015 6pm – 8pm Box Office 0113 220 8008 theatreleeds.com Choreographers Carlos Pons Guerra Carlos Pons Guerra is an independent choreographer who has created work for, and worked with, companies such as Rambert (for The Future Programme), the Young Ballet of the Dominican Republic, the National Dance Company of the Dominican Republic, Elmhurst School of Dance (associate school of Birmingham Royal Ballet) and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He was nominated for the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in the category of ‘Best Emerging Artist’ in 2015. Carlos also directs his own company, DeNada Dance Theatre, with which he has recently completed a UK national tour of his triple bill of narrative works, Ham and Passion, and is currently creating a new ballet for the company which will tour in 2017. Originally from Gran Canaria, Spain, where he trained at the Choreographic Centre of Las Palmas under direction of Carmen de Robles and Anatol Yanowsky, he completed his training at the Conservatoire for Dance of Madrid and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Charlotte Edmonds Charlotte Edmonds trained at The Royal Ballet School and, as a student, performed with The Royal Ballet in roles including Duck in Peter and the Wolf. She made her Royal Ballet choreographic debut in 2014 with the film The Indifferent Beak for Deloitte Ignite 14. At The Royal Ballet School she was a finalist in the Ninette de Valois Junior Choreographic Competition for three consecutive years and won the Kenneth MacMillan Senior Choreographic Competition in 2011 and 2012. She went on to study at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and completed a two-year foundation degree there in 2015. Charlotte was also Causeway Young Artist in Residence with Yorke Dance Project in 2013/14, where she created No Strings Attached, and she was the Commissioned Choreographer for the 2015 Genée International Ballet Competition. Other companies for which she has choreographed include Dutch National Ballet Junior Company, Opera Holland Park, Royal Ballet Upper School, Royal Ballet Draft Works, Yorke Dance Project and Emerging Young Dancer 2016. Lucia Solari Lucia Solari was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and grew up in Italy and Germany. She trained with Mme. Alla Osipenko, the Hamlyn Ballet School (Florence) where she graduated in the Cecchetti method and the School of the Hamburg Ballet. She received a scholarship from the 'Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation' and in 1998 she won the 'Premio Danza e Danza' as the Best Young Italian Dancer. Her first engagement was with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in 2001 under the direction of Yuri Vámos. She danced solo roles in his repertoire and leading roles in ballets from Uwe Scholz and John Neumeier. In 2005 she joined Hamburg Ballet and was promoted to Soloist in 2009. During her eight years with the Company she performed a large number of roles in John Neumeier's repertory and in ballets from Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine and Pierre Lacotte. She joined Northern Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2014. Since joining she has danced many roles and in 2015 David Nixon created on her and her partner a new version of The Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux. Morgann Runacre-Temple Morgann graduated from Central School of Ballet in 2004, winning the choreographic Award in 2002 and 2003. She is choreographer in residence at Ballet Ireland for whom she has created several full-length ballets including Cinderella(2009), Romeo and Juliet (2010), Scheherazade (2011), and Carmen (2013). Other credits include The Interview (2003) and Sidewinder (2005) for Ballet Central, Rumpelstiltskin (2011) for The London Children's Ballet, The Stargazer (2012) and Peter and the Wolf (2014) for Chance to Dance at The Royal Opera House. Tobias Batley Tobias was born in Manchester, England and trained at the Hammond School of Dance in Chester and the Royal Ballet School, London. After graduating from the Royal Ballet School, Tobias joined the Jeune Ballet de Cannes, in France before joining Northern Ballet, England in 2004. As well as dancing most of the leading roles during his career atNorthern Ballet he has had many roles created for him including Mark Antony in David Nixon and Claude Michel Schönberg's Cleopatra, Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, Prince Mikhail in Cinderella, Winston Smith in Jonathan Watkins’ 1984 and Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities. He was nominated for a UK National Dance Award in 2010, 2012 and 2015 for 'Best Male Dancer' and has been included in Dance Europe magazine’s list of outstanding dancers for the last 5 years. He has guested in galas in the UK and internationally including the USA and Europe, most recently at the Taglioni European Ballet Awards in Berlin. Northern Ballet For more details of Northern Ballet's tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson. Voted Best Company at the Taglioni European Ballet Awards and nominated for Best Company at the 2015 National Dance Awards, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets. Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 32 weeks of the year. The Company of 46 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK. Northern Ballet also tours widely with its specially created ballets for children, all of which have beenadapted for TV by CBeebies, and also performs a mixed programme showcasing the versatility of its dancers.

And the official Press Release: SCOTTISH BALLET ANNOUNCES DANCER PROMOTIONS AND NEW APPOINTMENTS Scottish Ballet is pleased to announce a series of dancer promotions and new appointments, made by Scottish Ballet CEO / Artistic Director Christopher Hampson. PROMOTIONS Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Constance Devernay have been promoted to Principal dancers. Bethany first joined Scottish Ballet in 2007 and was promoted to Soloist in 2013. Constance has been with Scottish Ballet since autumn 2008 as a guest artist, before joining the Company permanently in June 2009. She was promoted to Soloist in 2014. Marge Hendrick, Araminta Wraith, Jamiel Laurence and Nicholas Shoesmith have been promoted to Soloists. Claire Souet, Madeline Squire, Thomas Edwards, Evan Loudon and Rimbaud Patron have been promoted to First Artists. Scottish Ballet CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson: “Bethany and Constance have wowed critics and audiences alike with their performances over the past few years and I am thrilled to mark the development of their careers by appointing them Principal dancers with Scottish Ballet. Likewise, I am thrilled with all the promotions given this season. The dancers have earned these promotions through their consistent hard work and dedication.” NEW APPOINTMENTS Luke Schaufuss will be joining Scottish Ballet as a Soloist. Part of the Schaufuss ballet dynasty, Luke currently dances with Birmingham Royal Ballet and will join Scottish Ballet on 4 July. Mia Thompson and Roseanna Leney will join Scottish Ballet as Artists after the summer break. Grace Paulley, who joined the Company in February, will remain with Scottish Ballet on a permanent basis. NEW SPONSORSHIP Scottish Ballet is delighted to announce that Bailie Gifford is strengthening their partnership with the Company by sponsoring First Artist Madeline Squire in addition to their current sponsorship of First Artist Thomas Edwards. EDITORS’ NOTES: Bethany Kingsley-Garner biography Born in England, Bethany trained as a Bristol Junior Associate with the Royal Ballet School, before moving onto both the Lower and Upper Royal Ballet Schools. During this time, she danced in The Royal Ballet’s productions of The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Don Quixote, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as winning the April Oldrich Award for Most Dynamic Performer in 1994 and receiving First Commendation and Young British Dancer of the Year in 2006. Graduating with honours in 2007, Bethany received the Wyre Drawer company leavers’ prize. Bethany joined Scottish Ballet in 2007 and has danced in Page’s The Nutcracker (Bad Snowflake), The Sleeping Beauty (Pina, Fairy of Song/Lady Bluebird, Cinderella), Cinderella (Summer), Pennies From Heaven, Fearful Symmetries, Cheating, Lying, Stealing and Alice(Tweedledee, Bread and Butterfly), Ashton's Scènes de Ballet, Balanchine's Rubies, Forsythe's Workwithinwork, Spink's Petrushka, Brown’s For M.G.: The Movie, Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet and In Light and Shadow, Dean’s Träume, Alston's Carmen (Frasquita), Liburd's From Where, Meckler/Lopez Ochoa'sA Streetcar Named Desire, Martin Lawrance’s Run For It, Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire, Peter Darrell’s Five Ruckert Songs, Christopher Hampson’s Silhouette, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible (Abigail) and Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker.Bethany performed the role of Cinderella in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella and most recently performed the role of Odette/Odile in David Dawson’s Swan Lake. Bethany Kingsley-Garner is sponsored by the Daily Telegraph Constance Devernay biography Constance trained at the English National Ballet School. She appeared in the end of year performances in Lichine’s bal des cadets and Eagling’s Troppo Allegro and also in the annual show at Rosella Hightower School. Here she appeared in the schools productions of Giselle and Don Quixote. Constance joined Scottish Ballet as a guest artist in Autumn 2008, and joined the Company permanently in June 2009. She has danced in Page's Pennies From Heaven, Cinderella (Spring), The Nutcracker (Bad Snowflake), The Sleeping Beauty (Pina, Red Riding Hood), Fearful Symmetries and Cheating, Lying, Stealing, Forsythe's Workwithinwork, Balanchine's Rubies, Pastor's In Light and Shadow, Ashton's Scènes de Ballet, Alston's Carmen, MacMillan’s Song of the Earth, Meckler/Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire, Martin Lawrance’s Run For It, Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, James Cousins’ Still It Remains, Christopher Bruce’s Shift and Christopher Hampson’s Silhouette and The Rite of Spring, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, Christopher Bruce’s Ten Poems and Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker. Constance performed the role of Cinderella in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella and most recently performed the role of Odette/Odile in David Dawson’s Swan Lake. Araminta Wraith biography Araminta Wraith trained at Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet School, joining English National Ballet professionally in 2007. Araminta joined Scottish Ballet as a Coryphée in 2014 and has since performed in Helen Pickett’s The Crucible and Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker. Araminta performed the role of Blanche DuBois in Scottish Ballet’s A Streetcar Named Desire and performed the role of the Fairy Godmother in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella. Marge Hendrick biography Marge joined Scottish Ballet in 2012. Born in France, Marge trained at the Conservatory National Supérieur of Paris and Junior Ballet classique CNSMDP and with Royal Ballet. Marge danced solos in La Cigarette and Paquita with the Conservatory in Paris. Since joining Scottish Ballet, Marge has performed in Ashley Page’s The Nutcracker, Martin Lawrance’s Run For It, Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, Christopher Hampson’s The Rite of Spring, Helen Pickett’s Trace, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, Christopher Bruce’s Ten Poems, Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker and David Dawson’s Swan Lake. Marge performed the role of the Fairy Godmother in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella. Jamiel Laurence biography Born in London, Jamiel was trained from birth by his mother Janet Viola in many forms of dance and music including tap, ballet and jazz and contemporary, and went on to full time training in 2001 at The Arts Educational School Tring Park, as well as receiving two years of musical training in 2006/07 at the Trinity College of Music in Greenwich, with the Junior Conservatoire as a woodwind specialist. Jamiel went on to focus on Classical Ballet in the Christmas of 2007 at The Central School of Ballet in London where he received a strong training from a varied range of outstanding teachers, of both Classical and Contemporary dance forms. He toured with the schools graduate company Ballet Central in 2007/08 as a Foundation student, and in 2008/09 as a Degree Student where he was given great opportunities to dance roles in new works as well as in established repertoire from great choreographers including; Christopher Gable’s Five Lullabies, Richard Alston’s Brisk Singing, Matthew Hart’s Whodunit?, Matthew Bourne’s Cygnets and David Bintley Flowers of the Forest. Jamiel joined Scottish Ballet for the Company’s Winter Season after graduating from Central with a BA hons Degree in July 2009, and joined the Company permanently in August 2010. He has danced in Page's The Nutcracker (Soldiers, Chinese Divert), Pennies from Heaven, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty (Elfin Prince, Romanian Prince), and Alice (Humpty Dumpty), Val Caniparoli's Still Life, Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo and Juliet, Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth, Meckler/Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire, Martin Lawrance’s Run For It, Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, Kenneth MacMillan’s Sea of Troubles, Christopher Hampson’s Silhouette, Twyla Tharp’s The One Hundreds, Christopher Hampson’s The Rite of Spring and Hansel & Gretel (Hansel), Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, Christopher Bruce’s Ten Poems and Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker and Bryan Arias’ Motion of Displacement. Jamiel performed the role of the Grasshopper in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella. Nicholas Shoesmith biography Born in Cirencester, Nicholas trained at the Australian Ballet School. Nicholas' favourite roles to date include Sancho Panza in Don Quixote (Australian Ballet) and Puss in Boots in The Sleeping Beauty (Stanton Welsh). Nicholas joined Scottish Ballet in 2012. Since joining Scottish Ballet, Nicholas has performed in Martin Lawrance’s Run For It, Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, Kristen McNally’s Foibles, Christopher Hampson’s Silhouette, Peter Darrell’s Five Rückert Songs and Cheri, Sophie Laplane’s Oxymore, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible and Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker. Evan Loudon biography From Sydney Australia, Evan received his early classical training under Tanya Pearson at her Classical Training Academy in Sydney. He entered the MacDonalds Ballet Scholarship at the Sydney Opera House and won the Boys Scholarship as well as competing and progressing to the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix in New York where he received a three year (2010-2013) scholarship to the Royal Ballet Upper School in London from which he graduated in July 2013. In his graduate year, Evan represented the school dancing Frederick Ashton's Rhapsody pas de deux for the Paris Opera Ballet Tricentenary Gala at the Palais Garnier, as well as the Vaganova Academy 275 Year Anniversary Gala in St Petersburg. Evan joined Scottish Ballet in August 2013. Since joining Scottish Ballet, Evan has performed in Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker (Prince), Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella and David Dawson’s Swan Lake. Thomas Edwards biography Born in Worcester, Thomas trained at Harlequin Stage School and as a Junior and Mid Associate with Birmingham Royal Ballet, where he performed in Sir Peter Wright’s production of The Nutcracker (2004), before completing the associate programme in London as a Senior Associate with the Royal Ballet. Thomas continued his professional training at Central School of Ballet, graduating in 2013 with a BA (Hons) Degree. During his training, he was the recipient of the Central Friends Trust Award (2010), and was a finalist in both The Young British Dancer of the Year (2012) and The Prix De Lausanne (2013). Thomas performed at the 2012 Olympics with Central’s graduate company ‘Ballet Central’ as a Foundation student at the O2 Arena, ExCel Centre and the Olympic Park, and was selected to perform a solo at Wembley Arena. During his final year Thomas toured the UK and Europe with Ballet Central as a Degree student, creating roles in works by Kenneth Tindall and Resmi Malko, as well as performing in established repertoire such as the Florestan pas de trois from The Sleeping Beauty and Mapping #3 by Darshan Singh Bhuller. Prior to graduation Thomas worked with Kim Brandstrup in Britten’s Death In Venice with English National Opera, performing in London and Amsterdam. Thomas joined Scottish Ballet in August 2013 and has performed in Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel, Christopher Bruce’s Ten Poems, Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker and David Dawson’s Swan Lake. He performed the role of the Grasshopper in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella. Thomas Edwards is sponsored by Bailie Gifford. Rimbaud Patron biography Rimbaud Patron was born in Grenoble, France and trained at National Conservatory of Paris, Paris Opera Ballet School, Boulonge Conservatory Paris and English National Ballet School. With English National Ballet, he performed in The Nutcracker, Raymonda, Napoli, Solitaire and Coppelia as well as Christopher Hampson’s Strauss Gala in 2010. Patron joined Scottish Ballet in 2012 and has performed in Martin Lawrance's Run For It, Matthew Bourne's Highland Fling, Christopher Hampson's Silhouette, Twyla Tharp's The One Hundreds, Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopations, Christopher Hampson's Hansel & Gretel, Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo & Juliet, Helen Pickett's The Crucible, Peter Darrell's The Nutcracker, Nancy Meckler and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire, Christopher Hampson's Cinderella and David Dawson's Swan Lake. Claire Souet biography Claire Souet was born in Bordeaux, Fance and trained at English National Ballet School. Claire joined Scottish Ballet in 2013 and has since performed in Christopher Hampson's Silhouette, Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopatios, Christopher Hampson's Hansel & Gretel, Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo & Juliet, Peter Darrell's The Nutcracker, Nancy Meckler and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire, Sophie Laplane's Maze, Christopher Hampson's Cinderella and David Dawson's Swan Lake. Madeline Squire biography Madeline Squire was born in London, England and trained at English National Ballet School. Madeline joined Scottish Ballet in 2014 and has since performed in Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, Pickett’s The Crucible and Darrell’s The Nutcracker. Madeline also performed in Sophie Laplane’s Maze, Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella and David Dawson’s Swan Lake. Madeline also featured in the short dance film Maze, choreographed by Sophie Laplane and directed by Eve McConnachie, which was screened at the 2016 Glasgow Short Film Festival and premiered on Nowness. Madeline Squire is sponsored by Bailie Gifford. Luke Schaufuss biography Born in Camberley, Surrey, Luke Schaufuss trained at the Royal Danish Ballet and is the third generation of the well-known Schaufuss dance dynasty. Luke has performed around the world with the Royal Danish Ballet including at the Paris Opéra, the Kennedy Center in Washington and the New York State Theater. He was selected as the Rising Star of Dance by the Guardian and Observer in 2015. In his spare time he is a model for Established Models London. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in November 2013. He has performed in Frederick Ashton’s Les Rendezvous, Façade, Dante Sonata, La Fille mal gardée, George Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Theme and Variations, David Bintley’s The Prince of the Pagodas, Beauty and the Beast, Sylvia, The King Dances, John Cranko’s Card Game, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations and Alexander Whitley’s Kin. Luke has also performed in Peter Wright's production of The Nutcracker and Peter Wright and Galina Samsova's production of Swan Lake. Luke previously won the C.F.B Jacobsen Award, Copenhagen in 2010 and the Award for Exceptional Student the Royal Ballet Summer School in 2011. Luke has made guest appearances in the following works: Romeo in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Romeo & Juliet UK tour, 2013, James in La Sylphide at the sixth Bournonville Festival, Biarritz, France, 2014, Blue Bird in the world premiere of Los Angeles Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty, 2015, James in La Sylphide Queensland Ballet, Brisbane, Australia, 2015, James in La Sylphide London Coliseum, 2015. Luke also appeared on the BBC’s Darcey’s Ballet Heroes in 2015.

You get a miserly quota of articles per month. I was locked out on my laptop (apart from the first couple of paragraphs) but was able to access it from my phone.

I listed dancers I have seen a lot of. That is not the case (for me) with the three gentlemen you list.

Congratulations to all the promoters. It's a surprise that Luke Schaufuss is moving on from BRB.

In my opinion "dance-actor/actress" is a very high accolade for a dancer. Yes, dancers are expected to act, particularly in narrative works, and most can. To be a dance-actor/actress, for me, transcends that dancer who can act tag. Some of the dancers I have seen who have attained this status are: Trinidad Sevillano Koen Onzia Desire Samaii Marion Tait Martha Leebolt Toby Batley Robert Parker

This thread is to discuss performances of ENB's Swan Lake in the round 2016. Cavycapers had put a post on the News forum and I have moved it here to start this thread off.

I was at Sadller's Wells last week and saw the Thursday matinee and the final 3 performances of this run. There were no new castings - it was Jeremy Curnier/Antoinette Brooks-Daw/Mlindi Kulashe on Thursday matinee; Giuliano Containi/Dreda Blow/Ashley Dixon on Saturday afternoon and Toby Batley/Martha Leebolt/Javier Torres on Friday and Saturday evenings. 1984 is undoubtedly bleak, you see all the hope knocked out of Winston and Julia. As I have seen more performances I have thought over and over again how intelligent Jonathan Watkins has been in his interpretation of the book and I greatly admire and appreciate the production. It is quite hard to say that one has enjoyed such a downbeat story but I have enjoyed the quality of the performances I have seen. Saturday evening marked Martha and Toby's final performances as full-time members of the company. It was a remarkable performance with both dancers reaching even greater heights in their interpretations of the roles of Julia and Winston. The duet that ends act 1 was just glorious. They have become such an established partnership over the last 5 or 6 years that they dance as one and yet still find more nuances in the choreography. The end of the piece is as moving and thought provoking as ever. It was a great performance. Best wishes to Martha and Toby for the future.

The current Northern Ballet (45, including apprentices) shows 7 EU dancers and around 15 international dancers. The rest (23) are from the UK. Without having a huge knowledge of the dancers at ENB a quick perusal would indicate that more non-British dancers are international than EU. The current BRB roster shows 62 dancers of whom approximately 30 are from the UK, 25 are international and 7 are EU. On those sort of figures perhaps UK-born dancers benefit more from the opportunity to work in Europe than EU-born dancers coming to the UK? With BRB and NB it is around a 50% split between UK-born and others.

And here in Liverpool too, Fonty. It's cloudier today but still HOT!!!

OMG - I will never forgive myself!!!!! I will immediately amend my post!!!! Thanks Aileen.

Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Scottish Ballet Then you also have BTUK, Rambert (contemporary) and Matthew Bourne (not strictly a company as the company is raised per production) Or smaller companies such as Ballet Cymru and Ballet Black. Or smaller contemporary companies such as Phoenix, National Dance Company Wales, Scottish Dance Theatre. Vienna Festival Ballet is also based in this country.

Links - Wednesday 01 Jun, 2016 Review - Royal Ballet, Obsidian Tear, The Invitation, Within the Golden Hour, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Lyndsey Winship, Standard Philippa Newis, Bachtrack Neil Norman, Stage Reviews - Royal Ballet, Frankenstein, London: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Cinema review: Tessa Perkins, The Peak Review - American Ballet Theatre, Shostakovich Trilogy, New York: Barnett Serchuk, Broadway World Preview - National Ballet of Canada, Le Petit Prince, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review - Zurich Ballet, Der Sandmann, Zurich: Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack Review - Paul Taylor Dance Company, Arden Court, Beloved Renegade, Promethean Fire, Washington: Frances Steiner, Broadway World Review - The McOnie Company, Jekyll and Hyde, London: GJ Dowler, Classical Source Review - Queensland Ballet, Strictly Gershwin, Brisbane: Suzannah Conway, Arts Hub Review - Chunky Move, Lucid, Melbourne: Maxim Boon, Limelight Review - Robert Moses’ Kin, 21 Fully Realised Incomplete Thoughts, San Francisco: Rita Felciano, Danceview Times News - Septime Webre appointed AD of S&R Foundation: Sarah L Kaufman, Washington Post Review - dotdotdot dance, Peteneras, Tarantos, Guajira, London: Siobhan Murphy, DanceTabs Feature - Julian MacKay, American graduate of the Bolshoi Academy: Noor Brara, Teen Vogue Review - Dance Africa Senegal Festival, New York: Melanie Votaw, Broadway World Report - Society of Dance History Scholars, Contemporary Ballet: Exchanges, Connections, and Directions, New York: Melia Kraus-har, Broadway World

Christopher Wheeldon at NYCB too.

I think you may find that they do have some difficulties. One RBS graduate from Australia was several months late starting at BRB due to visa issues. I know of another dancer in another company who disappeared for a couple of months while sorting out renewal of visa issues.