Jan McNulty

The story of (Sylvia and) Aminta is based on the poem Aminta by the poet Torquato Tasso*. It was presented as a play at the court of Ferrara and all the actors and audience were of the nobility. The Wiki entry describes Sylvia as a Nymph who likes hunting! I think David Bintley has been very clever with his current scenario but more of my thoughts on that later when I have seen the final performance of the season tonight. *Torquato Tasso was born in Sorrento. The main square is named after him and there is a hotel called the Aminta!

It's by David Biney, so no!

Two fabulous performances yesterday! Currently stuck on M6 - serious accident ahead - coming up to 3 hours...

It does not seem to be a biopic as such but according to the Guardian is about a major incident in Nureyev's life. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/23/ralph-fiennes-to-direct-but-not-star-in-rudolf-nureyev-drama I expect the choice of dancer/actor to play him will depend on what his age was at the time of the incident. It will be interesting to see who is cast. Thanks for starting the thread SBF.

Northern Ballet has announced a couple of extra Adult Ballet classes for August: http://northernballet.com/?q=blogs/academy/15-06-23/adult-summer-courses-2015

Oh how dreadfully sad! I too remember him in Western Symphony. I was only fortunate to see him dance a handful of times; he was such a vivid dancer. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Links - Tuesday, June 23 2015 Reviews – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The King Dances, Carmina Burana, Birmingham: Gerald Dowler, FT Neil Norman, Express Reviews – English National Ballet, Choreographics Evening 2015, London: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Graham Watts, London Dance Feature – Julie Kent farewell: Alex Heigl, People Review – Merce Cunningham, Crises, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Feature – Arthur Pita: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Trisha Brown Company, In Plain Site, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – New York Theatre Ballet, Legends and Visionaries, New York: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal News – Ralph Fiennes to direct Rudolf Nureyev film drama: Ben Child, Guardian News – John Neumeier wins Kyoto prize: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Q&A – Marcelo Gomes: DanceTabs Review – Polish National Ballet, Adagio and Scherzo, Moving Rooms, Rite of Spring, New York: Barnett Serchuk, Broadway World Review - New York Theatre Ballet, Capriol Suite, Two Timing, Cat’s Cradle, Such Longing, Dark Elegies, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Review – Ate9, Velocity, Seattle: Alice Kaderlan, Seattle Times Review – Rachel Tess, Souvenir Undone, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Feature – Gavin McCaig (Northern Ballet), Get fit the ballet way: Paul Szabo, The Gay UK Preview – Jonathan Beamish, burrow, Vancouver: Mark Robbins, Daily Xtra

For all Nancy Osbaldeston fans who may want a more far flung holiday: http://bernews.com/2015/06/dd-nancy-osbaldeston-dance-summer-selections/

Here's a really nice interview with Gavin McCaig of Northern Ballet with lots of useful tips: http://www.thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/FITNESS-Real-Men-Do-Ballet-Get-Fit-The-Ballet-Way/9878121

Dreadfully sad news Angela. Sincere condolences to Bogdan's family and friends.

Links - Monday, June 22 2015 Obituary – Colette Marchand: Anna Kisselgoff, NY Times Review – American Ballet Theatre, Romeo and Juliet (3 performances), New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Features – Julie Kent retirement performance: Michael Cooper, NY Times Dominique Mosbergen, Huffington Post Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The King Dances, Carmina Burana, Birmingham: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Reviews – Australian Ballet, Cinderella, Melbourne: Stephanie Glickman, Herald Sun Melinda Oliver, Daily Review Review – Twyla Tharp, The One Hundreds, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Feature – Misty Copeland’s possible promotion at ABT is the talk of dance world: Pia Catton, Wall Street Journal Review – Independent Ballet, mixed programme, Glasgow: Mary Brennan, Herald Scotland Exhibition Review – 24 Frames Per Second, Sydney: Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald Review – St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, Swan Lake, Melbourne: Stephanie Glickman, Herald Sun Review – New Orleans Ballet, Summer Solstice programme, New Orleans: Chris Waddington, The Times-Picayune Gallery – National Festival of Morris Dancing, Evesham: Darren Staples, Guardian via Reuters Review – Mary John Frank, Debutant, New York: Alexis Soloski, NY Times Feature – Malpaso Dance (Cuba): Martha Schabas, Toronto Globe and Mail

I saw three performances of The King Dances/Carmina Burana last week and enjoyed them all! I loved The King Dances from the moment the curtain rose on 8 courtiers encircling 8 free-standing torches. I thought the work was a visual and aural feast. I felt the movements of the courtiers were much enhanced by the swirling of the skirts of their frock coats. The set is basically a black box from which dancers appear and disappear. The movement was much as I had envisaged it may be given the subject matter - ie a series of courtly gavottes, which gradually showed more virtuoso steps, although never going as far as today's pyrotechnics. In the second section I loved the duet for the King and the Moon Goddess - the fabulous William Bracewell and the serenely beautiful Yijing Zhang. Iain Mackay used his enormous stage presence to great effect as Mazaron. While the set was very dark I thought the lighting was very clever and highlighted the dancers well. I loved the costumes apart from the Devil's in the third section which looked cheap and tacky compared to the other magnificent costumes - it could have come from a high street fancy dress shop! The Sun King costume is a rather bright lurex where I would have preferred brocade but I expect brocade may not have given the final effect with the lighting where the Sun King had a kind of after glow as the stage went dark just before the curtain fell. William Bracewell was magnificent as The King, moving from the teenager led by Mazaron to the King taking control. He was incredibly regal at the curtain calls! As a friend said you don't have to push it to look beautiful; simple steps provide their own beauty. The alternative cast of Lewis Turner, Tyrone Singleton and Yvette Knight was equally compelling. I've loved Carmina Burana since I saw the premiere just on 20 years ago. The three performances I saw were tremendous. The first cast was led by the sublime Celine Gittens with Jamie Bond, Mathias Dingman and Tyrone Singleton as the seminarians, Elisha Willis as Lover Girl and Daria Stanciulescu as the Roast Swan. The alternative cast was led by the magnificent Samara Downs - all too believable as the Empress of the World defeating men! William Bracewell gave another outstanding performance as the first seminarian, Joe Caley as second and Brandon Lawrence making his debut as 3rd. Momoko Hirata was a delight as Lover Girl and Yijing Zhang was just gorgeous as Roast Swan. Unlike Two Pigeons I felt that there was a terrific rapport between Samara and Brandon but it was very different from the sheer sensuality of Celine and Tyrone. You could see that Brandon was totally awestruck by Fortuna but did not understand why or what was happening. Samara was triumphant in his defeat, Brandon (of course) danced the role brilliantly but for me there was much more to his performance than that. You could see him being gradually drawn into Fortuna's web, not quite understanding what was happening but then finally giving in to his sensuality and then his terror at her transformation. For me, this was one of the most exciting performances of Carmina that I can remember seeing. Personally I thought that the two works complemented each other.

Well it's lucky that Calderdale offered NB a place in Halifax as that company would have undoubtedly folded as Manchester funding was being withdrawn. And thanks too to Leeds for offering them a home there when the need arose.

Here's a link to the Amazon page with more detail: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brickbats-Tutus-John-Plimmer/dp/1784552151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434885179&sr=8-1&keywords=brickbats+and+tutus Thanks for the heads up Tulip.

I know the event was filmed. It may be worth keeping an eye out on the NB website: http://northernballet.com/

Links - Sunday, June 21 2015 Preview – Royal Ballet returns to New York after more than a decade: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Review – Dutch National Ballet, Empire Noir, Concerto Concordia, Chroma, Amsterdam: Isabella Zijp, Bachtrack Review – National Ballet of Canada, Sleeping Beauty, Toronto: Denise Sum, Danceview Times Feature – Julie Kent, retiring from ABT: Alexandra Villarreal, Huffington Post Review – Australian Ballet, Cinderella, Melbourne: Chloe Smethurst, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The King Dances, Carmina Burana, Birmingham: Jeffrey Taylor, Express Review – English National Ballet, Choreographics Evening 2015, London: Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Vikki Jane Vile, London Theatre1 Gallery - Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Feature – Olafur Eliasson, visual concept artist for Tree of Codes: Rachel Cooke, Guardian Feature – Misty Copeland: Jane Mulkerrins, Telegraph Review – Monica Bill Barnes & Co and Ira Glass, Three Acts, Two Dancers and a Radio Host, New York: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Interview – Melody Mennite, Houston Ballet: Katricia Lang, Broadway World Q&A – Jaquelin Harris, Alvin Ailey: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – Go Live: various artists, London: Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide Review – Charlotte Cooper and Kay Hyatt, Fun Home, London: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Yehuda Hymans, Mar Vista, New York: Barnett Serchuk, Broadway World

I spent a fascinating day in Leeds today, ending with a choreographic sharing from the four choreographers involved in the laboratory. The day started watching company class. This was then followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Mike Dixon of Dance Europe. The panel members were Christopher Hampson (AD Scottish Ballet), Mary Brennan (Scottish Herald), Louise Levene (FT), Toby Batley (NB), Dreda Blow (NB), Graham Watts (DanceTabs et al). The discussion revolved around what critics expect to see from a narrative dance work, how choreographers prepare for a new work and how dancers prepare for a role. All the critics expressed huge enthusiasm and knowledge. After the break each of the four choreographers showed us some of the ideas they had developed during the laboratory and explained their thought processes and how the mentors had encouraged them to think in different ways. They used dancers from Northern Ballet to demonstrate some of the pieces they were working on. It was really interesting to watch. I am very glad I got up at the crack of dawn to go to Leeds for a most enjoyable day!

This work is being shown as part of the Manchester International Festival. Here is some information.

A review from Redbrick

It is a collaboration between Wayne McGregor's company and some POB dancers.

Hello RfC and welcome to the Forum! I do hope you will continue to post.

TICKETS FOR SCOTTISH BALLET’S SWAN LAKE TO GO ON SALE Tickets are going on sale for Scottish Ballet’s new visionary production of Swan Lake, which receives its world premiere in spring 2016. Created by the award-winning choreographer David Dawson, this imaginative re-telling of the iconic story will be performed for audiences in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. This innovative new version of Swan Lake marks Scottish Ballet’s first re-imagining of this classic ballet since 1995. Our new production ensures that a new generation will be engrossed by the timeless story of Swan Lake and Scottish Ballet will have a definitive contemporary version of the ballet to add to their repertoire. David Dawson is renowned for his visceral and daring work and always pushes dancers to their limits. His critically acclaimed work has been performed to audiences in more than 25 countries around the world. Set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score, Dawson’s new interpretation of Swan Lake will feature costumes designed by Yumiko Takeshima and set designs by John Otto. Scottish Ballet’s Swan Lake will be performed at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Eden Court, Inverness and the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh in April and May 2016. The creation of Swan Lake marks the culmination of an incredibly prolific two years of choreographic creativity at Scottish Ballet, with 9 new works staged by the company and a further 12 added to the repertoire. “David always looks to push the boundaries of classical ballet. I know that his production of this iconic story will be a thoughtful, fresh and very bold addition to our repertoire." Scottish Ballet Artistic Director Christopher Hampson Swan Lake credits: Choreography: David Dawson Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Set Design: John Otto Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen NOTES FOR EDITORS About David Dawson David Dawson is a British choreographer and graduate of the Royal Ballet School. He joined the English National Ballet in 1994 as a soloist, and a year later moved to Amsterdam to perform with Dutch National Ballet. Dawson choreographed his first ballet in 1997 at the annual choreographic workshop while with the Dutch National Ballet. This experience resulted in Dawson's first major creation for the main company, A Million Kisses to my Skin, in 2000. Subsequently, he joined Ballett Frankfurt, where he worked with William Forsythe and performed for two more years before deciding to devote his time to creating his own new works. Between 2004 and 2012 David Dawson was Resident Choreographer for the Dutch National Ballet, the Semperoper Ballet and the Royal Ballet of Flanders. His creations have been introduced to the repertoires of many ballet companies including Boston Ballet, Ballet National de Marseilles, Het (Dutch) Nationale Ballet, Semperoper Ballet, English National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Hungarian National Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, West Australian Ballet, Aalto Ballet Theatre Essen, Slovenian National Ballet, Ballet du Capitole, Vienna State Opera Ballet. Dawson has created numerous ballets internationally, including his full-length Giselle, which had its world premiere at the Semperoper (Opera House in Dresden). Other significant works include day4, On the Nature of Daylight, The World According to Us, Morning Ground, A Sweet Spell of Oblivion, dancingmadlybackwards, and his highly acclaimedtimelapse/(Mnemosyne) and The Third Light. Dawson was honoured with the Prix Benois de la Danse Award for choreography and nominated for the UK Critics' Circle National Dance Award as Best Classical Choreographer for The Grey Area. He also created Reverence for the Mariinsky Ballet, for which he was awarded Russia's highest theatre prize for visual art, the Golden Mask Award, as Best Choreographer, and became the first British choreographer to create a ballet for this legendary company. He received the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography for The Gentle Chapters and was nominated for The Golden Swan Award, as Best Choreographer for Overture and 00:00. For his re-imagining of Faun(e), created for the English National Ballet's Ballets Russes Festival at the Sadler's Wells in London, Dawson has been nominated as Best Classical Choreographer for the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award and the Prix Benois de la Danse Choreography Award. SWAN LAKE LISTINGS MARCH-APRIL 2016 Theatre Royal, Glasgow Tue 19 – Sat 23 Apr 2016 Evenings 19-23 Apr – 7.30pm Matinee 23 Apr – 2pm Tickets from £11.00-£35.00. Box office 0844 412 4300 (bkg fee) Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Thu 21 Apr with Artistic staff and Fri 22 with Music staff. Insight: a behind the scenes look at Swan Lake, including watching the dancers take class on stage and a Q&A session with one of the dancers. Sat 23 Apr at 11am. Tickets £5.50 / £3.50 conc Tickets go on sale on Mon 29 June His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Wed 27 – Sat 30 Apr 2016 Evenings 27-30 Apr – 7.30pm Matinee 30 Apr – 2pm Tickets from £16.50-£40.50. Box office 0844 412 4300 (bkg fee) Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Thu 28 Apr with Artistic staff and Fri 29 with Music staff. Insight: a behind the scenes look at Swan Lake, including watching the dancers take class on stage and a Q&A session with one of the dancers. Sat 30 Apr at 11am. Tickets £5.50 / £3.50 conc Tickets go on sale on Fri 25 June Eden Court, Inverness Wed 4 - Sat 7 May 2016 Evenings 4-7 May – 7.30pm Matinee 7 May – 2pm Tickets from £14.00-£31.00. Box office 01463 234 234 (bkg fee) Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Thu 5 May with Artistic staff and Fri 6 with Music staff. Insight: a behind the scenes look at Swan Lake, including watching the dancers take class on stage and a Q&A session with one of the dancers. Sat 7 May at 11am. Tickets £5.50 / £3.50 conc Tickets go on sale on Mon 22 June Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Wed 25 – Sat 28 May 2016 Evenings 25-28 May – 7.30pm Matinees 26 & 28 May – 2.00pm Tickets from £13.50-£39.50. Box office 0131 529 6000 (bkg fee) Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Thu 26 May with Artistic staff and Fri 27 with Music staff. Insight: a behind the scenes look at Swan Lake, including watching the dancers take class on stage and a Q&A session with one of the dancers. Sat 28 May at 11am. Tickets £5.50 / £3.50 conc Tickets go on sale on Wed 1 July

SCOTTISH BALLET AUTUMN SEASON 2015 ANNOUNCEMENT Scottish Ballet is pleased to announce that Maze, a new work created by Company dancer Sophie Laplane, will be added to the bill for the upcoming Autumn Season. Scottish Ballet is committed to helping develop new choreographers and offers regular opportunities for dancers who wish to grow their choreographic skills. Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director, has worked closely with Laplane over the past few years, nurturing her remarkable natural choreographic talent and giving her platforms to show her work. Sophie Laplane’s Oxymore was showcased at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2013 as part of Scottish Ballet’s Dance Odysseys, was included in Scottish Ballet’s Up Close tour in 2014 and most recently was performed at the TEDx Glasgow event. Laplane created Sink In for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014 and will debut a new work on Friday at the Independent:BALLET event as part of the Cottier Dance Project. Maze has developed from being part of the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works programme for emerging choreographers and this will be Laplane’s first work to be performed in a large scale theatre. It will appear as part of Scottish Ballet’s exciting Autumn Season alongside Elsa Canasta by Javier de Frutos and Motion of Displacement, a world premiere from Bryan Arias. “Sophie has been consistently developing her choreographic style and is ready for the next step. Ensuring that new work is developed for Scottish Ballet’s repertoire is essential to our growth and I’m delighted that we’re able to showcase a choreographer from within the Company alongside emerging choreographer, Bryan Arias and a master in his field, Javier de Frutos.” Scottish Ballet Artistic Director and Acting Chief Executive Christopher Hampson “I am so excited that my new work Maze is being included in Scottish Ballet’s Autumn Season. It is amazing news and I am just really thankful to Scottish Ballet for the opportunity to showcase my work.” Scottish Ballet dancer Sophie Laplane Elsa Canasta, Motion of Displacement and Maze will be performed at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, Eden Court in Inverness and His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen in September and October 2015. EDITORS NOTES: Sophie Laplane Biography Sophie Laplane trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, winning the Prize of the CNSMDP Mention Bien. Prior to this, she trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School. She danced with Le Ballet de Lorraine from 2003 to 2004 and was a member of The Junior Ballet Classique du Conservatoire de Paris between 2002 and 2003. She joined Scottish Ballet in winter 2004, and was promoted to Coryphée in July 2011. Significant roles have included playing Stella in Lopez’s Ochoa A Streetcar Named Desire and Juliet’s friend in Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet as well as performing in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Reviews for previous work Oxymore "Company member Sophie Laplane reveals a sharp, sussed instinct for eye-catching movement in Oxymore - so cool, it's hot." The Herald, 2013 "If Darrell represented where Scottish Ballet started, then Sophie Laplane‘s duet, Oxymore, shows the cutting edge of a new generation within the company. (…) Electronic, repetitive, catchy are the sounds and so is the dance – dance of4AM Ibiza rather than ballet or contemporary (…). A chic 6-minute piece and where Laplane goes from here should be interesting." Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs, 2013 LISTINGS Scottish Ballet presents Elsa Canasta, Motion of Displacement and Maze Theatre Royal, Glasgow Thu 24 – Sat 26 Sep 2015 - 7.30pm Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Fri 25 Sep with Artistic staff and Sat 26 with Music staff. Free post-show talk on Fri 25 Sep at 9.30pm. Tickets from £14-£24. Box office 0844 412 4300 (bkg fee) Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Tue 29 – Wed 30 Sep 2015 – 7.30pm Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Tue 29 Sep with Artistic staff and Wed 30 with Music staff. Free post-show talk on Tue29 at 9.30pm. Tickets from £14.25-£27.25. Box office 0131 529 6000 (bkg fee) Eden Court Theatre, Inverness Fri 2 – Sat 3 Oct 2015 – 7.30pm Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Fri 2 Oct and free post-show talk on Fri 2 Oct at 9.30pm. Tickets £22. Box office 01463 234 234 (bkg fee) His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Fri 9 – Sat 10 Oct - 7.30pm Free pre-show talks at 6.30pm on Fri 9 Oct and free post-show talk on Fri 9 Oct at 9.30pm. Tickets from £17-£23. Box office 0844 412 4300 (bkg fee)

English National Ballet Lest We Forget Sadler’s Wells, EC1R Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 September 2015 Performances at 7.30pm (mat at 2.30pm) Tickets: £12 - £45 Tickets from: www.ballet.org.uk/lestweforget or 0844 412 4300 “A brave and brilliant move from director Tamara Rojo” Evening Standard After moving audiences and critics alike at its premiere in 2014, English National Ballet’s poignant reflection on the First World War, Lest We Forget returns to London this autumn at Sadler’s Wells from Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 September. Winner of this year’s South Bank Sky Arts Award for Dance, Lest We Forget features three works expressing the experiences of those who fought in the war and those who stayed behind, from three of the most sought-after British choreographers working today; Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Liam Scarlett. Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet said; "When Lest We Forget premiered last year, it was one of my proudest moments as Artistic Director so far. To create new works with three of today's most celebrated choreographers was a great privilege. And needless to say, the reaction from critics and our audiences has been both humbling and incredibly moving. I couldn't be happier that we are able to bring this programme back this year.” Winner of Best Modern Choreography at the 2014 Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards, Akram Khan’s Dust is “full of pain and power” (The Independent). Featuring 24 dancers, Dust is accompanied by a pounding soundtrack by Jocelyn Pook. Upon invitation, English National Ballet became the first ballet company to perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, when it presented Dust to an audience of 30,000 in 2014. A “devastatingly effective” (Daily Telegraph) piece, 20 dancers tilt and sway in semi-darkness - conjured by Michael Hulls’ lighting design, rising and falling, in Second Breath, by Russell Maliphant. Featuring recorded voices of survivors, Andy Cowton’s score is performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic. In May 2014Second Breath was performed at Imperial War Museum North and streamed live on BBC Arts as part of Museums at Night festival. Featuring 14 dancers, seven male and seven female, Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land evokes the entwined destinies of the women working in munition factories at home and the men fighting in the trenches, culminating in an emotional pas de deux set to a score by Franz Liszt performed live on piano. Part of English National Ballet’s National Autumn tour, see below for details. English National Ballet is an Associate Company of Sadler’s Wells For further information about English National Ballet and to book tickets visit www.ballet.org.uk. Please note performance details are subject to change. Notes to Editors: Lest We Forget Credit Information Second Breath Choreographer: Russell Maliphant Lighting Designer: Michael Hulls Composer: Andy Cowton Orchestrator: Ben Foskett Costume Designer: Stevie Stewart Collaborative Assistant: Dana Fouras Assistant: Carys Staton No Man's Land Choreographer: Liam Scarlett Music/Composer: Excerpts from Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses by Franz Liszt, arranged and orchestrated by Gavin Sutherland Designs; Jon Bausor Lighting Designer: Paul Keogan Dust Choreographer: Akram Khan Composer: Jocelyn Pook Dramturg; Ruth Little Costume Design: Kimie Nakano Lighting Design: Fabiana Piccioli Set Design: Sander Loonen Rehearsal Director: Jose Agudo and Andrej Petrovic English National Ballet National Autumn Tour dates Lest We Forget Sadler’s Wells, London 8 – 12 September 2015 Box Office: 0844 412 4300 or www.ballet.org.uk/lestweforget Tickets: £12 - £45 Romeo & Juliet Bristol Hippodrome 14 – 17 October 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 3012 or www.ballet.org.uk/romeoandjuliet Tickets: £9 - £45 Lest We Forget Milton Keynes Theatre 20 October 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 7652 or www.ballet.org.uk/lestweforget Tickets: £9 - £35 Romeo & Juliet Milton Keynes Theatre 22 – 24 October 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 7652 or www.ballet.org.uk/romeoandjuliet Tickets: £9 - £45 Romeo & Juliet The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 28 - 31 October 2015 Box Office: 023 8071 1811 or www.ballet.org.uk/romeoandjuliet Tickets: £10.75 - £48.50 Le Corsaire Liverpool Empire 18 – 21 November 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 3017 or www.ballet.org.uk/lecorsaire Tickets: £9 - £40 Lest We Forget Palace Theatre, Manchester 24 November 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 3019 or www.ballet.org.uk/lestweforget Tickets: £9 - £35 Romeo & Juliet Palace Theatre, Manchester 26 – 28 November 2015 Box Office: 0844 871 3019 or www.ballet.org.uk/romeoandjuliet Tickets: £9 - £40 Winner of Outstanding Company at Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards 2014 Choreographics opens on 19 Jun until 20 June at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells. You can also watch Choreographics live online on 20 June 2015 from 2.15pm at www.ballet.org.uk/choreographicslive. For further details, our forthcoming season, casting and to book visit www.ballet.org.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/enballet [@ENBallet], Instagram at www.instagram.com/englishnationalballet, Facebook atwww.facebook.com/EnglishNationalBallet and YouTube at www.youtube.com/enballet

SADLER’S WELLS PLAYS LATITUDE FESTIVAL 2015 Since 2008 Sadler’s Wells has presented dance at Latitude Festival to audiences in excess of 45,000 people across the years. This summer, the UK’s leading dance house, returns for an eighth consecutive year presenting a diverse programme of world-class dance in all its forms on the Waterfront Stage from Thursday 16 – Sunday 19 July 2014. This year’s highlights include five of the BBC Young Dancer Grand Finalists performing together for the first time since the Grand Final which was held at Sadler’s Wells and broadcast on BBC Two on Saturday 9 May 2015; and Titanium, an unprecedented fusion between flamenco, hip-hop and breakdance, by award-winning flamenco duo Ángel Rojas and Carlos Rodríguez, co-founders of the flamenco dance company Nuevo Ballet Español. Sadler’s Wells’ Chief Executive & Artistic Director Alistair Spalding says: “We are delighted to be returning to the beautiful setting of the Waterfront Stage for our eighth year and to be part of Latitude’s 10th anniversary. Latitude continues to provide us with a platform to present dance to new audiences, many of whom are seeing the art form for the first time. This year’s programme will be an exciting showcase of some of the work on offer at Sadler’s Wells and the many projects we support.” Opening Sadler’s Wells’ programme and the inaugural performance on the Waterfront Stage for 2015 is Titanium by Rojas & Rodríguez onThursday 16 July at 8.30pm. This high-energy show sees an all-male cast of nine dancers bring together three dance styles - flamenco, hip-hop and breakdance - which all share a history of improvised movement, dance battles, live music and community spirit. Titanium is one of the most ambitious incarnations of urban flamenco, earning critical acclaim across a European tour, and winning a National Dance Award in Spain. Joining the multi-talented cast of three flamenco dancers, three hip hop dancers and three b-boys on stage is a live band mixing flamenco with urban beats, offering audiences a new perspective on the commonality between different dance traditions. The company perform again on Friday 17 July at 2.30pm. On Saturday 19 July at 3.20pm Sadler’s Wells presents one of the UK’s leading dance companies Rambert. Featuring some of the most distinctive and creative dancers working in Britain today, the company return to Latitude with Christopher Bruce’s iconic production Rooster, a celebration of the swinging Sixties set to music by the Rolling Stones. A series of virtuoso courtship dances performed by sharp-suited, snake-hipped men and strong sassy women are accompanied by some of the Stones’ most famous tunes, including Not Fade Away, Paint It Black, As Tears Go By, Sympathy for the Devil and, naturally, Little Red Rooster. First created for Rambert in 1991, this hugely popular work is a firmly established modern classic. On Sunday 20 July at 1pm Sadler’s Wells’ showcases the creativity of young people, opening with performances from the Grand Finalists of the first ever BBC Young Dancer Award. The final saw six young dancers aged 16-20 from the fields of ballet, contemporary, hip hop and South Asian dance compete on the Sadler’s Wells stage live on BBC Two earlier this year, following four programmes on BBC Four that provided an introduction to each dance form and followed the dancers’ journeys to the Grand Final. The title was won by contemporary dancer Connor Scott who will present one of his winning dances on the Waterfront Stage alongside performances by four other Grand Finalists - Harry Barnes, Kieran Lai, Jacob O’Connell and Vidya Patel. This BBC Young Dancer showcase will provide Latitude audiences with a taste of the best of British young dance talent capturing the energy and electricity of a hip hop solo, the versatility of contemporary dance and the grace and fine detail of a South Asian dance duet. Jan Younghusband, BBC Head of Music Television Commissioning said: “The BBC is committed to helping new young talent find their way. We are delighted to work with Sadler’s Wells again to help our Young Dancers continue their journey and development by taking them to the cultural audiences at Latitude festival. I hope the festival goers enjoy seeing the dancers live on stage, we’re certainly excited to follow and support their progress in the oncoming months and years.” Completing Sunday’s double bill and closing Sadler’s Wells’ programme on the Waterfront Stage is the National Youth Dance Company(NYDC) at 2.30pm, a dynamic cohort of 38 talented young dancers (aged 15-19) selected from all over the country. The company performs a new dance work called Frame[d] created by internationally renowned contemporary dance choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.Cherkaoui’s unique choreographic process, combined with the fresh talent of NYDC dancers, illustrates the influence and creativity that emerging dance artists can bring to a professional dance collaboration. About to go into its fourth year, NYDC has established a reputation for innovative, high quality work that produces dancers that are open-minded, curious and brave. Founded in 2012 and hosted by Sadler’s Wells, the NYDC aims to create and perform innovative and influential dance, drawing together some of the brightest young talent from across the country. Each year, 30 dancers aged 16 - 19 are selected from across England to form a new cohort within the Company and can stay with NYDC for up to three years. One of Sadler’s Wells’ internationally renowned Associate Artists or visiting company directors is appointed Guest Artistic Director for each cohort, giving the members the opportunity to learn, create, rehearse and perform new and existing work for the theatre’s main stage and aUK tour, which Latitude is part of. For more information on NYDC and the national tour visit http://www.sadlerswells.com/national-youth-dance-company/ Notes to Editor About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through its National Youth Dance Company, Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England. About Latitude Festival The UK’s finest multi-arts festival returns for its tenth edition, taking place from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th July 2015 in the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk. Boasting the biggest names in comedy, theatre, dance, film, cabaret, literature and performance, Latitude is unrivalled for the breadth, depth and quality of its arts programming. 2015 is no different, offering a spectacular choice of major shows, star acts and ground-breaking commissioned works in celebration of the 10th edition of the festival which was started in 2006. Staged across the lush green acres of Henham Park and only a few miles from Suffolk’s stunning coast line, Latitude is surrounded by peaceful woodland and set around a beautiful wild lake. With award winning green credentials, Latitude is the perfect weekend getaway for anyone wanting to chill out while listening to music and being enriched by award winning arts performances. For full details head to www.latitudefestival.co.uk TICKET INFORMATION Weekend adult tickets: £192.50 face value + £8.00 booking fee per ticket Accompanied teen ticket (13-15 years): £132.50 face value + £8.00 booking fee per ticket Weekend child ticket (5-12 years): £8.00 (no booking fee) Day adult ticket: £77.50 + £7.00 booking fee per ticket Day child ticket: £5.00 (no booking fee) Campervan Permit: £40.00/£60.00/£80.00 (depending on size) / Lockers £16.00 Tickets available from www.seetickets.com/tour/latitude-festival-2015 Terms & Conditions apply.