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Note: I’m just sharing what was said in the Instagram post to get this news out there asap. Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’hare today announces promotions, new joiners and leavers for The Royal Ballet's 2023/24 Season! We are delighted to announce that: @Gasparini.Isabella is promoted to First Soloist. @micabradbury, @hannahjayneg, @sae_maeda, @joon_is_joon and @taisuke_ 29 are promoted to Soloist. @bomin kim, Nadia Mullova-Barley, @katharina_nikelski, @ameliatownsend_ @yuhang_999, @harrisbell, @liamboz, @daichi_ikarashi, @harrison_lee13, @marco_masciari_ and @aiden_ob are promoted to First Artist. @oliviaafindlay, @_scarlett_harvey_, @ellanewtonsevergnini, @martindiiaz. and @lucfoskett02 are now promoted to Artists. Congratulations to all!

Hi, first time posting👍🏻 My dd is auditioning next Saturday at NBS Manchester. Travelling down from Scotland. We didn’t manage to go to any of the open days so not got a feel for it. What’s the audition like ? My dd enjoys all styles of dance. She’s doing a lyrical solo for the audition. We have had 3 auditions so far and 2 offers, waiting for the result of RCS. Any insights would be great. This whole audition season is exhausting 🙈🙈for parents too. Thx 😊

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Your donations are doubled with The Big Give! You can double your donation to support the restoration of Sir Peter Wright’s The Sleeping Beauty through this year’s Big Give Campaign. All donations made from 28 November to 5 December will be doubled through The Big Give, up to £49,000. Your support will help us restore the wonderful costumes of Sir Peter Wright’s beautiful production of The Sleeping Beauty – a jewel in the crown of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s repertoire. The costumes are nearly 40 years old – and are in urgent need of repair, restoration or in some cases, to be completely re-made. Find out how to donate, how the match-funding works and more about our Sleeping Beauty refurbishment on our website via the button below. The campaign opens at 12 noon on Tuesday 28 November. The Big Give Christmas Challenge starts Tuesday Any others?

I’ve already commented on the Jill Ogai/ Marcus Morelli performance that preceded their on stage promotions. https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/28711-jill-ogai-and-marcus-morelli-promoted-to-principal-dancers-of-australian-ballet-onstage/?do=findComment&comment=425468 I was lucky enough to see most of the other casts. Two of the principals who danced Odette/Odile impressed me enormously. One was Benedicte Bemet who, during the Company’s London visit, drew a lot of attention when she danced with Joe Caley in Diamonds and in the Don Q pas de deux. In these performances of Swan Lake her Odette/Odile was truly lovely. Her Odette was sublime and her Odile cunningly sensual. Another who impressed was Sharni Spencer. Her Odette, in particular, was beautifully danced and very moving. However the performance that stood out from all the others was the one I saw a few days ago. Rina Nemoto, a senior artist (equivalent to first soloist), who was a Lausanne apprentice at the Royal Ballet some years ago, was partnered by ex Mariinsky dancer, Misha Barkidjija. Misha really lived the role of Siegfried and I found his performance intensely moving. This didn't just come from his facial expressions. He was acting through his dancing, something I find quite rare and have experienced with very few male dancers. His partnership with Rina was electric. They were completely in tune with each other and their pas de deux, especially in the white acts. were absolutely beautiful and very moving. Throughout the performances, the dancers in the corps de ballet were exemplary. Laura Day, who is now the corps de ballet repetiteur, can be very proud of them. As a footnote, one interesting difference to the Royal Ballet is that the female soloist roles, in the performances I saw, were most often taken by members of the corps de ballet and coryphées (and an occasional soloist). Although senior artists sometimes took the soloist roles, on occasion, a senior artist was cast as a cygnet while lower ranks danced the soloist roles. In fact, despite having been promoted to principal dancer on the 16th, on the 19th Jill Ogai was a cygnet!

DD would like to apply for RBS Summer but I get no further than the first personal details page before it asks for a confirmation login. The only one I have is from our Spring application but we were asked at the time whether we were applying for summer- which week/ boarding etc so is it just one application for both intensives or am I doing something wrong? DD had a yes for Spring so I don’t want to modify the application if it affects our Spring course bookings. We were hoping to update photos for summer too. Hopefully someone can help!

The Australian Ballet has announced its 2023 season will once again be "livestreamed". Happily the model has changed and we now have 14 days from the start of each stream to watch, on "any" device. Cost is $100AUD for all four, or $29/26AUD separately. Sadly the mixed première bill Identity featuring new work by Alice Topp and Daniel Riley is not included. The four shows are Don Quixote, Jewels, Swan Lake and The Dream/Marguerite and Armand. All start at 7:15pm Australian east coast time. The dates are Friday 24 March (Don Quixote) Thursday 6 July (Jewels) Friday 29 September (Swan Lake) Tuesday 21 November (Ashton bill) Casting is usually available a week or so before each season starts, with Melbourne Don Quixote casts here (Ako Kondo as Kitri, Chengwu Guo as Basilio, and about-to-retire Adam Bull as the Don). Here is the Ballet TV page with details.

https://content.app-us1.com/vz2oy/2023/06/01/d047b00c-036d-4666-ba45-63d493b9e5f0.pdf?id=21609568&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Friends++E-News:+An+exclusive+Il+trovatore+offer&utm_campaign=230602_membership_enews_friend At work so fingers crossed this works

Watching a bit of the replay of Australian Ballets live stream, and from what I’ve seen this morning I’ve quite enjoyed. It includes a Swan Lake Cygnets rehearsal, The Dream Fairies rehearsal and A Marguerite and Armand pas de duex Rehearsal. Wish we were seeing as much Ashton here in the uk but it’s still good to see. I think there were some Ashton stagers there including Christopher Carr. A great start and I am very excited to see RB, Sf Ballet’s and as many other companies that I can watch Streams.

ROH announcing date on IG https://www.instagram.com/p/CvhMeHptb3N/ Join The Royal Ballet, @Ausballet and @sfballet on 1 November, a day of livestreamed rehearsals and insights World Ballet Day

There are some performances of Manon in Stockholm over the next few weeks and I am wondering if anyone who reads this forum has plans to go and if so maybe they could post some words about it. I actually don't know the company at all, it came to my attention because Friedemann Vogel is guesting there as Des Grieux for 3 performances. His Manon is Sarah Erin Keaveney who is British and joined from the Royal Ballet School in 2018, so she is young. She's currently only a second soloist and this is a debut for her.

Post deleted as the Press Release has arrived with Jan and will be a more complete source of info.

It's that time of year when our season comes to an end and the dancers get their well-deserved summer break. What a fantastic few months, with sell-out shows of The Great Gatsby and Ugly Duckling, new work showcased in Sketches and the big announcement of Federico Bonelli's first full season. We're pleased to announce the following promotions for our dancers: Joseph Taylor will be promoted to Premier Dancer, Jonathan Hanks, Saeka Shirai and Dominique Larose to Leading Soloist and Alessandra Bramante and Harris Beattie to Coryphée. We're also excited to have Aaron Kok join the company as a Dancer, Mayuko Iwanaga and Yu Wakizuka joining as Apprentices and Itsuki Amemiya also as an Apprentice until December. Of course, it is always sad to wave goodbye to some of our much-loved dancers who have moved onto new ventures. Mackenzie Jacob now dances for Scottish Ballet, Katharine Lee for San Francisco Ballet and Sean Bates for Zurich Ballet. Gavin McCaig has retired from performing and joins the Young Dancers Academy in London as Director of Business Operations, and Wesley Branch has also left the company. The last few weeks have been spent learning new work from Benjamin Ella and Tiler Peck as well as David Nixon CBE's Beauty & the Beast. We've got a fantastic season waiting for you in the autumn, we hope you'll join us.

PRESS RELEASE Monday 19 June 2023 BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS, JOINERS AND LEAVERS FOR 2023/24 SEASON Carlos Acosta, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, has today announced promotions within the Company and new joiners for the 2023/24 season saying: ‘It has been a whirlwind year so far for everyone involved in Birmingham Royal Ballet. As the 2022-23 Season draws to an end I know everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved break and to returning in August with renewed energy for the exciting season ahead. We will continue to balance classical favourites with new work specially commissioned for the company and, after a hugely successful first year, we bring a new cohort to our BRB2 company for another national tour. I want to say a very special thank you in particular to Marion Tait who has been a constant inspiration to everyone here and in the world of ballet. Also Carmen Piqueras and Brandon Lawrence whose glittering careers I know will continue to flourish.’ Promotions Announced on stage by Carlos Acosta during the run of Swan Lake at Birmingham Hippodrome, Lachlan Monaghan and Max Maslen were promoted to Principal. The following promotions have also now been made within the Company: Gabriel Anderson, Rosanna Ely, Sofia Liñares and Lucy Waine have been promoted to First Artist. Audiences have enjoyed performances by these artists in everything from Swan Lake to BRB2. Gabriel joined BRB in 2016, Rosanna in 2014, Sofia and Lucy in 2020. Joiners Joining the company we have: Olivia Chang Clarke - Artist (previously Apprentice) and Yasiel Hodelin Bello (Cuban National Ballet School) - Soloist. Joining the 2023/24 season BRB2 company as Artists we have Nasrullah Abdur-Rahman (USA / Boston Ballet School), Ariana Allen (UK / Royal Ballet School), Alisa Garkavenko (Ukraine / Princess Grace Academy), Thomas Hazelby (UK / Royal Ballet School), Rosa Lidia-Nuesi (Dominican Republic / Acosta Danza), Alexandra Manuel(USA / Royal Ballet School) and Alfie Shacklock (UK/Australia / Royal Ballet School). They will join the cohort of the first year of BRB2, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg (UK), Mason King (UK/New Zealand), Frieda Kaden (Germany), Mailene Katoch (France) and Jack Easton (USA). Ballet Staff Appointments include: Patricia Tierney - Répétiteur and Samara Downs - who will transition to the role of Assistant Répétiteur in the coming season. Leaving the company at the end of the season are Marion Tait - Rehearsal Director and Coach; Carmen Piqueras - Répétiteur and Brandon Lawrence - Principal Dancer will take up a new position at Zürich Ballet. He ended his time at BRB by performing in all three pieces in the final performance of the summer triple bill: Apollo, Interlinked and ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café. Born in London, Marion Tait joined the Royal Ballet School at 15, graduating to The Royal Ballet’s touring company. She danced the ballerina roles in all the classics and in Romeo and Juliet, Elite Syncopations, Las Hermanas, The Invitation, Hobson’s Choice, The Dream, The Burrow, Fall River Legend (Lizzie Borden) and Pillar of Fire (Hagar). She created many roles in ballets by MacMillan and Bintley, and appeared as a guest worldwide. She was given an OBE in 1992 and made a CBE in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours. She has been nominated for two Olivier Awards, won the Evening Standard Ballet Award and was named Dancer of the Year 1994. Marion assisted Desmond Kelly in Ballet Changed My Life – Ballet Hoo!, the education project documented on Channel 4 in 2006, for which she was presented with the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2008. In more recent years she was the Company’s Ballet Mistress and then succeeded Desmond Kelly as Assistant Director, a role she stood down from in early 2021. In February 2020, Marion was awarded the De Valois Award for outstanding contribution to dance at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Born in Murcia, Spain, Carmen Piqueras trained with Jose Antonio Robles and then with the Carmina Ocaña Ballet School in Madrid. She has danced in several European companies including Ballet Victor Ullate, European Ballet, Zürich Ballet, English National Ballet and joined the Semperoper Ballett, Dresden, in 2006 where she was then promoted to a Soloist. She has danced a wide variety of repertoire from classical to contemporary. Since 2008 Carmen has been a guest ballet teacher in many different dance companies throughout Europe. She was Ballet Master with the Semperoper Ballett (2016-21), responsible for the choreographies of MacMillan, Balanchine, Forsythe, Asthon, Dawson, Watkin, Celis, Peck, Inger, Bausch, among others. She joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2021. Samara Downs joined BRB in 2003 and was made Principal in 2016. As a nine-year old ballet student, Samara danced in BRB’s The Nutcracker party scene. Since then she has danced in more than 300 performances of that production. She has created roles for many ballets including, David Bintley’s Cinderella, Ruth Brill’s Rhapsody in Blueand Alexander Whitley’s Kin. Her repertory roles include everything from Frederick Ashton’s Enigma Variations to Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake taking in Balanchine, Cranko, MacMillan and numerous other important 20th Century choreographer’s work in her award-winning career. Brandon Lawrence joined BRB from the Royal Ballet School in 2011. He was promoted to Soloist in 2016 and First Soloist in 2018. He was made a Principal in 2019. Awards: National Dance Awards nominee for Best Male Classical Performance (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) and Best Male Dancer, Classical (2019), RAD Phyllis Bedells Award (2008). Created roles: Principal role in George Williamson’s Embrace, Pan in Ruth Brill’s Arcadia, La Grâce in David Bintley’s The King Dances, Alexander Whitley’s Kin., Red Couple in Juanjo Arqués’s Ignite, and roles in Didy Veldman’s Sense of Time, Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces and Wink, Jack Lister's A Brief Nostalgia, Miguel Altunaga’s City of a Thousand Trades and Juliano Nunes's Interlinked. Guest performances: International Ballet Festival of Miami, 2018; Move It 2019 (Headline on main stage); Guest Artist with Cape Town City Ballet- Maina Gielgud's Giselle (Albrecht); Frederick Ashton's Les Patineur (White couple) and Veronica Paeper’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo). Brandon has helped with the LEAP Department’s Ballet? What’s That? events aimed at those completely new to the world of ballet. Notes to Editors: Birmingham Royal Ballet Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future. The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta. Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs 175 shows a year nationally and internationally. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra, it is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and La Scala Ballet.

Well sort of.... ballet-bp4-casting-2223.pdf (wordfly.com)

Hey how long does it take to hear back about my daughter she had her audition Monday? And does a call back mean they have got a place? Thank you all x

Opening this thread for fellow members who went (I know a good number had tickets 😀) as we’re very curious to hear how it all went! I can’t find a thread with reviews/reports.

(Note- there will be spoilers of the plot, just in case anyone wants to avoid them) Yesterday I saw the matinee performance of Northern Ballet's The Great Gatsby at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre. The cast was led by: Jonathan Hanks- Jay Gatsby Sarah Chun- Daisy Buchanan Filippo di Vilio- Nick Carraway Harry Skoupas- Tom Buchanan Alessandra Bramante- Jordan Baker Rachael Gillespie- Myrtle Wilson Harris Beattie- George Wilson Archie Sherman- Young Gatsby Julie Nunès- Young Daisy I thought the performance was absolutely brilliant! I hadn't seen this ballet before, but I know the book well and I was excited to see how they adapted it. I thought they captured the era very effectively, and I liked the merging of traditional ballet steps with the 1920s jazz moves. The cast were all amazing, and the versatility of the company dances is always amazing. I thought Hanks did really well at getting across the emotion of Jay Gatsby; it must be quite difficult to express it just through dance, especially as in the book Nick in the narrator, and that's not something that can really be done in a wordless art form. I liked their utilisation of Nick in relation to his role in the book. He's there more often than not, but he's not as much of a major focus in scenes as Daisy, Gatsby or Tom. When I read the book I felt his character was there, but was often not a driving force. Fillipo di Vilio was wonderful in his role. Sarah Chun as Daisy was equally wonderful. Daisy's such an interesting character, and I think Chun captured how stuck Daisy is between Gatsby, her old love, and Tom, her husband. Chun and Hanks were a really good partnership, and they portrayed the reunion of their characters really well. Harry Skoupas as Tom showed the harshness of the character, and the double standards in his beliefs: he has an affair and that's fine, but he intervenes every time Daisy gravitates towards Gatsby and even Nick. One of my favourite moments was when Tom and Daisy's daughter comes in in the Second Act, and Tom picks her up and just looks at Gatsby as if to say- 'I've won'. I thought Rachael Gillespie as Myrtle was an absolute standout. In the party scenes in the 1st Act she had the free and loose way of dancing that almost defines the Roaring 1920s. This was immediately contrasted with how weak she feels after Tom hits her in front of their guests. As the mechanic George Harris Beattie was really good. The anger he showed in the Second Act, when he finds a fancy bracelet and realises his wife is having an affair, was as strong as the sorrow when he found Myrtle had been hit by a car. The costumes were amazing, and I think my favourite had to be Jordan's. Jordan's a bit more of a 'New Woman' compared to Daisy, and I liked the fact that her costumes, always slightly different from the rest of the women, reflected that. Alessandra Bramante was really fun in the role, with Jordan being one of the only main characters to not go through a lot of hardship during the events. Sherman and Nunès, as Young Gatsby and Daisy, had just as strong of a partnership as Hanks and Chun. In the First Act I thought the way Hanks and Sherman moved in the same way was really moving, and then was very happy when Act 2 features the older and younger pairs in sync. The ending scene, with Gatsby and the two Daisy, was absolutely beautiful, and so effective that everyone in the audience was astounded at the final gunshot. The orchestra was strong, especially the piano playing. The conductor was Lauren Wasynczuk, and she led the orchestra really well, and stayed when someone's phone went off in the front row TWICE! in the first Act (I wasn't chuffed with them, but luckily it was at loud moments). I thought the whole ensemble together were on the best of forms, and the ballet as a whole was really really good.

The much anticipated new production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella opens tonight at the Royal Opera House. All discussion and reports on the performances here please.

Hello My DD has accepted her place at Rambert School. It would be great to make contact with parents who also have dancers starting in September. Perhaps set up a WhatsApp group?

Just to say that I had a very smooth booking experience this morning; after so many problems in the past, it feels like worth recording that!

This started last night, so I'm starting a thread in case anyone's been to see it.

Prix de Lausanne 2023 selected candidates The list of successful candidates has been published. Sadly although there were 6 applications, no candidates have been selected from from UK.

English National Ballet Creature by Akram Khan Sadler’s Wells, London 23 March – 1 April 2023 www.ballet.org.uk/creature ★★★★★ “Superb… a tight-wound drama that never lets up. [Khan] piles up themes and imagery into a monumental whole, with terrific performances from his cast.” The Independent This spring, English National Ballet presents the return of Akram Khan’s powerful ballet Creature at Sadler’s Wells from the 23 March – 1 April 2023, following performances in London and Chicago. Set in a dilapidated former Artic research station, the Creature has been conscripted by a military brigade to a bold new experimental programme. Here he is tested for his mental and physical ability to adapt to extreme environments, isolation and homesickness; vital qualities in mankind’s proposed colonisation of the ‘final frontiers’ on earth and beyond. Creature is an unearthly tale of exploitation and humanity, inspired by Georg Büchner’s expressionist classic Woyzeck, with shadows of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Drawing on themes of abandonment, loneliness and the fragility of the mind, Creature tells the story of an outsider and the search for belonging. For Creature, Guest Artist and former Lead Principal of English National Ballet, Jeffrey Cirio returns in the title role, a performance which saw him win the Critics Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Male Classical Performance and included as one of Pointe Magazine’s standout performances of 2022. Following the pivotal impact of Dust and Giselle, Creature is Akram Khan’s third collaboration with English National Ballet and sees him reunited with his renowned creative team including Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip, lighting designer Michael Hulls, Composer Vincenzo Lamanga and dramaturg Ruth Little. Ahead of its performances at Sadler’s Wells, a filmed adaptation of Creature directed by Academy Award-winner Asif Kapadia (Senna, Amy, The Warrior), opens in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from the 24 February. For further information see www.ballet.org.uk/creature-film. Of Creature Akram Khan said: “I am excited to bring Creature back to Sadler’s Wells this spring. To have many of the original cast members return to perform this work only deepens the experience for both the performer and audience. I’m equally thrilled to collaborate with director Asif Kapadia on making a feature film of Creature, which has been an incredible experience, not just for me, but also for all those involved with the production and will give audiences across the country the opportunity to see the work on the big screen.” Notes to Editors A Co-Production between English National Ballet and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (OBV) Co-Producer: Sadler’s Wells, London Production Partner: The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater Production Sponsor: Cunard English National Ballet is a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England. Ballymore is Principal Building Partner of English National Ballet. About English National Ballet English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has been at the forefront of ballet’s growth and evolution ever since. English National Ballet brings world class ballet to the widest possible audience through performances across the UK and on eminent international stages; its distinguished orchestra, English National Ballet Philharmonic; its digital platforms Ballet on Demand and BalletActive; being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as Dance for Parkinson’s; and through talent development initiatives including Ballet Futures which looks to create a more diverse and inclusive future for the artform. English National Ballet continues to add ground-breaking new works to its repertoire whilst celebrating the tradition of great classical ballet, gaining acclaim for artistic excellence and creativity. 2019 saw the Company enter a new chapter in its history with a move to a purpose-built state-of-the-art home in east London, allowing a renewed commitment to creativity, ambition, and connection to more people, near and far, than ever before.

I thought that was a truly splendid evening. Never a dull moment. A smorgasbord of delights, a treasure trove of sparkling performers and performances from both home and away. Congratulations to everyone involved on a memorable evening.

Such an enjoyable way to spend a winter Sunday afternoon, a super gala marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Prix de Lausanne. Fun to see some of our familiar faces paired with stars I’ve seen only on YouTube such as Vogel and Badenes, her long limbs beautifully complementing Vadim’s. Magri’s joy and personality as always a pleasure to see. What astonishing charisma and confidence from the real youngsters, Casalinho, already a virtuoso, and Fernandes - how lucky are the German companies to have such obvious potential superstars, as well as the proven greats. That this piece from Diana and Actaeon (is the whole ballet just as exciting?) was followed by the subtlety and sincerity of Ueno who had competed here 30 years ago made a testament to the continuity of the art form. Madison Young impressed as much as she did in the recent Cinderella broadcast, and good to see the two male fauns. Wonderful to see that McRae’s tap dancing skills are as remarkable as ever with an extra dimension supplied by his coming timing! Other joys too numerous to mention but the sheer extravagance of Smirnova’s dancing in the finale from the Nut Cracker brought home to us what we are missing in the absence of the Bolshoi streaming. Has she ever danced with Vadim? Now that would be something to see!