Roberta

'Dance School Gala' 17th April https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-23-24/ballet/gala-des-ecole-de-danse Synopsis For the space of one evening, the “Gala des Écoles de danse du XXIe siècle” will allow students from several international institutions to perform on the Palais Garnier stage. On this occasion, the Paris Opera Ballet School is inviting: The Canada’s National Ballet School / L’École nationale de ballet du Canada (Toronto), The Dutch National Ballet Academy (Amsterdam), La Fondazione Accademia Teatro alla Scala (Milan), The School of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier (Hamburg), The San Francisco Ballet School, The Royal Ballet School (London), The Royal Danish Ballet School (Copenhagen).

It remains online so if not all is not lost!

Bumping this thread up as a reminder of this evening's Winter's Tale insight. The YouTube link is above. This four minute short from 2018 is a brief introduction to the ballet.

Daytime screenings are great for oldies, evening ones are way past bedtime. 💤 Bus passes are useful too. 🚏 Not so weird really daytime cinema.

How lovely! And this public class is a nice way to give talented students exposure and stage experience as well as those 'networking' opportunities. Hope all goes well at Dutch National. Do let us all know.

How sad, hope it isn't anything serious for Reece and of course I'm sure we wish him well. Only thing to do given the special nature of this ballet is to swap all leads. Also, the 'other' cast are total troopers, especially Marcelino Sambe who has danced non stop this week or so it seems! The joys of running a ballet company... Kevin OH must be exhausted too!

Well yes. We lost our own 'freedom of movement' post Brexit. It hasn't really hit home with many people yet. UK companies have always employed dancers from other countries. Dame Ninette de Valois was Irish. Monica Mason is South African. British dancers have always danced in companies abroad. They still do, though if a company has more paperwork & has to spend money to employ a UK passport holder and an equally as talented dancer with an EU passport and residency rights and ability to tour with the company without the problems can be hired, I suspect they will go for the easy option.

This one? https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/21/axing-of-cambridge-mixed-choir-regressive-move-for-women-say-supporters

This morning from Twitter

Also coming to the UK, to ENB, Martinho Lima Santos from Portugal

Airi Kobayashi from Japan joins the Royal Ballet as its PdL apprentice. Classical https://youtu.be/Ax-lSJ0s9BI?si=zZuSPC1eEQAr-BLG Contemporary https://youtu.be/lpq_oY5UiEQ?si=cnXfPFhbgZzGzROU

The Royal Ballet will welcome Airi Kobayashi from Japan as its PdL apprentice.

Perhaps here is the place to mention GradPRO, a newish initiative to help showcase UK trained dancers & help them find work. https://www.gradpro.co.uk/ https://www.tlbc.org.uk/articles/gradpro-2024 https://www.tlbc.org.uk/resources/julie-bowers-in-conversation

There is some information about Viola Pantuso's early training here. https://www.balletnews.co.uk/from-student-to-star-viola-pantuso-the-royal-ballet/ From nine to twelve, Joffrey then two years of Vaganova here https://www.ellisonballet.org/professionaltrainingprogram.html After that White Lodge.

From Feb 2022, interesting read. SHALE WAGMAN & ANTÓNIO CASALINHO "IN CONVERSATION" An interview with Shale Wagman and António Casalinho who are soloists at Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich and recent Prix de Lausanne winners. https://www.tlbc.org.uk/resources/in-conversation-with-shale-wagman-antonio-casalinho

UK passport holders no longer have the automatic right to work, live and travel in EU countries. (EU passport holders don't have the same rights here any longer either.) Companies take the easy option. US does employ UK dancers, Sarasota Ballet does, though it's probably far more difficult and expensive to travel for auditions and relocate from the UK to the US.

The London Ballet Circle Caspar Lench In Conversation with Christopher Marney March 11, 2024 https://www.tlbc.org.uk/resources/caspar-lench-in-conversation

Rights owners: - Frederick Ashton Foundation Les Patineurs, Les Rendezvous Sir Anthony Dowell CBE The Dream http://www.frederickashton.org.uk/owners.html Francesca Hayward the new 'Ambassador' https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2024/03/11/francesca-hayward-announced-as-lead-ambassador-of-the-royal-ballet-schools-affiliate-programme/ Co-incidentally I was reading this today from 2014. It's a fascinating read. Although Francesca Hayward won a silver medal in the RAD Genee, her training at the Royal Ballet Schools, White Lodge and Upper School was mainly by highly regarded Cecchetti teachers which is why, perhaps, she is regarded as one of the best Ashton dancers currently in the company? https://balletassociation.co.uk/pages/reports-2014-francesca-hayward

Yes. That exactly. Add also the fact there are now many beautiful and beautifully trained dancers from the 'Far East' seeking jobs which didn't used to be the case. Again, more dancers for scarce jobs. Dancers are dancing longer. Injuries can be healed where in the past they were career ending. Many women would dance for a few years then marry and leave to have children and not return, so many reasons why there is less 'turnover' really.

This is absolutely the case. The Royal Ballet was begun by an Irishwoman.

No, but I do think the 'big business' of training and mega money spending aspect has altered the situation. This is not as it used to be.

Not only vocational schools, look at how what basically began as examining bodies to improve dance training like the RAD have expanded, grand new premises, promotion, all part of the bigger and bigger ballet and dance business, exams expand into yet more exams, the RAD is now including contemporary work, teacher training programmes expand and those teachers all need work too. Former dancers train to teach. The dance jobs market grows! Apart from for the end product of all this. Then there are the access schemes, of course bigger and better local dance schools, the Associates etc. Weekend courses, what used to be summer schools of a week are now expanding into 'intensives' every school holiday week. Competitions & festivals have always been around but are expanding and changing focus. A massive pyramid really, with a handful of young dancers each year surviving and thriving, the rest? Problem is that kids get the bug and talented ones want to dance professionally. Childhoods are sacrificed, family life revolves round the dancer, and yes the financial cost! It isn't a matter either I feel of the really great will survive, the rest tough luck, I'm sure many young people, given the chance, would develop in a company into assets, but it's a lottery. Too many talented, highly trained dancers from many countries and it's worth repeating... not enough jobs. And the government has decided to cut funding for creative / performance degrees at 18 plus, which was a route into an arts related career for a number of people. The excited posts daily here from proud parents whose children are just beginning the 'journey', the dream, how can you tell them the reality of the situation? Of course some will succeed, it's one helluva gamble though.

I think so, the limit is 23 I think. I watched the comp live and again the next morning and the Royal Ballet pair were lovely and looked so young. Daichi's leap on stage drew gasps from the audience! They have also done a gala together.

No announcement that I have seen as yet, possibly too early.

If there is an apprentice who chooses the Royal Ballet as his or her prize then the year runs from September. The current PdL apprentice is still named on the RB site as Julie Ann Joyner. https://www.prixdelausanne.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ang-rules-and-regulations-pdl2024.pdf