capybara Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 (edited) The Royal Ballet School opened at Holland Park last night with a terrific display of talent, especially on the part of the young men. The programme was focused on performances from the Upper School students and comprised: Les Patineurs (Ashton) with Harrison Lee (2015 Prix de Lausanne Winner) outstanding as the Blue Boy Spring Time (Bintley) Allegro Jeunesse (Scarlett) danced by White Lodge students with Daichi Ikarashi drawing the eye as he did last year Concerto Grosso (Tomasson) a wonderful vehicle for displaying the talents of five the 3rd year Upper School men including Joseph Sissons, Joseph Aumeer and Giacomo Rovero who are all heading towards the Royal Ballet Mistake Waltz (Robbins) – a great fun way to start the second half Vertigo Maze (Stijn Celis) Candere (Charlotte Edmunds) specially choreographed for the 2nd Year Upper School Two Pigeons Gypsy Dance (Ashton) Soirees Musicales (MacMillan) with Rovero, Sissens and Aumeer shining alongside Kaho Yanagisawa Congratulations to all the performers. I hope that you managed to keep yourselves warm in such a cold and windy venue. You certainly heated up your enthusiastic audience. The programme (which was difficult to obtain because of the crush) contains additional details of student contracts for 2016. I will list those in the Doing Dance section. Edited July 1, 2016 by capybara 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 I should have mentioned that David Bintley's Springtime was also newly choreographed on the students - the 3rd Year in this instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Cannot make any of these performances ....am really gutted as there is so much talent in the Upper school at the moment and last chance to see some probably! Glad to see Harrison thriving then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos73 Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 The Royal Ballet School opened at Holland Park last night with a terrific display of talent, especially on the part of the young men. The programme was focused on performances from the Upper School students and comprised: Les Patineurs (Ashton) with Harrison Lee (2015 Prix de Lausanne Winner) outstanding as the Blue Boy Spring Time (Bintley) Allegro Jeunesse (Scarlett) danced by White Lodge students with Daichi Ikarashi drawing the eye as he did last year Concerto Grosso (Tomasson) a wonderful vehicle for displaying the talents of five the 3rd year Upper School men including Joseph Sissons, Joseph Aumeer and Giacomo Rovero who are all heading towards the Royal Ballet Mistake Waltz (Robbins) – a great fun way to start the second half Vertigo Maze (Stijn Celis) Candere (Charlotte Edmunds) specially choreographed for the 2nd Year Upper School Two Pigeons Gypsy Dance (Ashton) Soirees Musicales (MacMillan) with Rovero, Sissens and Aumeer shining alongside Kaho Yanagisawa Congratulations to all the performers. I hope that you managed to keep yourselves warm in such a cold and windy venue. You certainly heated up your enthusiastic audience. The programme (which was difficult to obtain because of the crush) contains additional details of student contracts for 2016. I will list those in the Doing Dance section. I was there with DD and we both also thought there was some really outstanding male talent there. Harrison Lee was phenomenal! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Joseph Aumer has a busy week as he was today in Paris for the audition where he finished 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 (edited) Joseph Aumer has a busy week as he was today in Paris for the audition where he finished 3rd. Which audition, Max. Do tell us more, please......... Edited to say that the answer is on the thread about RB promotions. Paris Opera Ballet. Edited July 7, 2016 by capybara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 (edited) Yesterday was the exam for the graduating students of the Paris Opera Ballet School, one girl and two boys got permanent contracts with the company. Today was the "concours de recrutement externe" for any dancer between 16 and 26 years old. Two boys got the two remaining permanent contracts and J. Aumer was just behind them which means Aurélie Dupont will certainly/probably propose him a short term contract with the company. Edited July 7, 2016 by MAX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Just home from seeing the Annual Main Stage Gala - in short it was just fabulous. As was the RB Sinfonia under the baton of Paul Murphy. What a lot of wonderful talent there is coming up through the school. Harrison Lee was amazing as Blue Boy. My other stand out was Kaho Yanagisawa who is off to Royal Ballet Sweden - our loss I'm afraid! She was fabulous. Even though I was way up in the Amphi it was delight to behold these youngsters and I can only congratulate the school on its students. Bravo. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitingmum Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Completely agree Don Q Fan - they really stood out for me too. It was an amazing showcase of talent all the way from Year 7 upwards - hard to believe the age of these kids and the professional standard they achieve. Some definite stars in the making! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Could not agree more with Don Q Fan. I thought this the best show I have seen, quality wise, particularly the boys. The five who danced the Concerto grosso are very good, assuming the cast list is correct, Simone Acri, Joseph Aumeer, Aitor Galende Brizuela, Giacomo Rovero and Lorenzo Trosello nailed it. I also loved the Mistake Waltz by Jerome Robbins, great fun from the ladies. But the two DQF mentioned; Kaho danced beautifully, shame she isn't coming to the RB; and Harrison Lee, amazing for someone who is only 15. It appears that after winning the Prix de Lausanne he had the choice of many schools, world wide, to continue his training and has chosen the RBS. I see great things for him. I absolutely love the Grand Defile, what a fantastic end it gives to the show, but I think I saw something a bit different this year. Following the whole school flying on to the stage in rows of boy/girl/boy/girl etc. during the cheering and applause the stage lights went out for just a moment and when they came back on the order had changed so all the girls were on one side and all the boys on the other. Is this normal or am I having a senior moment? Anyway, wonderful performance from some very, very talented young people. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barton22 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 My other stand out was Kaho Yanagisawa who is off to Royal Ballet Sweden - our loss I'm afraid! She was fabulous. Completely agree and I can't understand how O'Hare, Bintley and Rojo can all have passed on her (especially when so very many places were made available at the Royal Ballet for this year's graduates). Beautiful dancer with great technique and stage presence and she was so good at capturing the Ashton style in the lead in Les Rendezvous last year. I hope she does well and is happy in Stockholm, but I can't see their rep making anything like the most of her gifts. I think she is the outstanding female graduate this year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barton22 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I absolutely love the Grand Defile, what a fantastic end it gives to the show, but I think I saw something a bit different this year. Following the whole school flying on to the stage in rows of boy/girl/boy/girl etc. during the cheering and applause the stage lights went out for just a moment and when they came back on the order had changed so all the girls were on one side and all the boys on the other. Is this normal or am I having a senior moment? I think it all happens so fast it can trick the eye. They always come on women on the (auditorium) left and men on the right decreasing in class year from the centre and did so this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 (edited) I think she is the outstanding female graduate this year. Agreed According to the RBS website, Kaho received 2 prizes, one for the graduate who has made most progress in classical training and one for being (one of) the outstanding graduates of the year: http://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2016/07/the-royal-ballet-school-graduating-class-2016/ Maybe one of the problems is that the contracts with the Royal Ballet seem to be settled upon very early in the final year. Maybe some graduates simply want to go elsewhere (on a permanent contract). Who knows....... Edited July 10, 2016 by capybara 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I get the impression that the RBS students audition with the UK companies before Christmas, so quite early in the third year. Some might well improve a lot in the six months leading up to the end of their school career. As you say, capybara, perhaps a full contract is preferable to a 'training contract' under the Aud Jebsen scheme with no guarantee of a contract with the RB at the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 That makes sense. But maybe someone could prefer elsewhere? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 The RBS, while a wonderful company, will not be everyone's first choice. Some will prefer a smaller company. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 (edited) I think that we need to remember that the RB is not the only company in the world and although it is a company with an extensive repertory that repertory is not to every dancer's taste. Given the number of talented women in the company who are clearly moving their way up through its ranks it might be a sensible career choice to start your working life in Stockholm. I think that Kevin O'Hare is going to have his job cut out for him to provide all the talented young female dancers in the company with opportunities which allow them to develop as artists.While you may think that he has enough talented young men to satisfy the company's needs for years to come I think that he may be more anxious to secure the services of Harrison Lee than anyone else in the next year or two Yesterday's RBS main stage show was outstanding. It was cleverly devised and well balanced. It certainly gave the students an opportunity to show what they could do. Doting parents and proud teachers will have enjoyed and appreciated what they saw on stage.It was very nice to see an example of MacMillan the classical choreographer for a change.The choice of repertory set me thinking that Mr O'Hare would do himself and his younger dancers a great favour if he commissioned Liam Scarlett to create at least one new classically based ballet each year for the junior ranks of the company if only for the development opportunities it provides. One of the best things that can happen to dancers is to have a ballet or ballets created on them. Dancers develop as artists as a result of being involved in the creative process. Choreographers often see things in dancers that are not obvious to those who work with them day in day out, it may be a side of their character that largely goes unnoticed; an afffinity with a particular style of movement or even an ability that others have largely ignored. Once it is revealed the dancer's opportunities are usually greatly enhanced. It is something that a director choreographer or resident classical choreographer would be doing anyway. It is certainly one of the most important things that David Bintley does for his BRB dancers. Finally am I the only one who thinks it strange that the company has not scheduled either Les Patineurs or Les Rendezvous for some years as they are both perfect vehicles for the company to develop a coherent company style for the classics and to give its junior dancers an opportunity to perform in their own right rather than merely as members of the corps.. Edited July 10, 2016 by FLOSS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 An absolutely great show on Saturday. What a delight! It was pure joy from start to finish. Usually I see the performances in the Linbury, but I didn’t make it to Holland Park, so missed seeing the additional works not performed at ROH. This meant that I was disappointed to see so little of 1st and 2nd year upper school. Out of 29 2nd years there were only about 11 dancing, and out of 30 1st years only 5 dancing, plus a few men involved in the Mistake Waltz as carries. I realize that those not dancing on Saturday will presumably have danced at Holland Park, but it is sad that so many missed out of dancing on the main stage at ROH. Yes, their turn will come, but it seemed strange that there was time for virtually every member of lower school to dance, several even in two items, yet no space for showcasing, even briefly, the majority of 1st and 2nd year upper school students. Also it would be disappointing for parents and families who attended. However, as I said initially, it was a most enjoyable performance, and congratulations to students, teachers, and all those involved behind the scenes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambleton Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Could not agree more with Don Q Fan. I thought this the best show I have seen, quality wise, particularly the boys. The five who danced the Concerto grosso are very good, assuming the cast list is correct, Simone Acri, Joseph Aumeer, Aitor Galende Brizuela, Giacomo Rovero and Lorenzo Trosello nailed it. I also loved the Mistake Waltz by Jerome Robbins, great fun from the ladies. But the two DQF mentioned; Kaho danced beautifully, shame she isn't coming to the RB; and Harrison Lee, amazing for someone who is only 15. It appears that after winning the Prix de Lausanne he had the choice of many schools, world wide, to continue his training and has chosen the RBS. I see great things for him. I absolutely love the Grand Defile, what a fantastic end it gives to the show, but I think I saw something a bit different this year. Following the whole school flying on to the stage in rows of boy/girl/boy/girl etc. during the cheering and applause the stage lights went out for just a moment and when they came back on the order had changed so all the girls were on one side and all the boys on the other. Is this normal or am I having a senior moment? Anyway, wonderful performance from some very, very talented young people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambleton Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Really agree with you on your comments. Just to say Harrison Lee is now 17 ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabitha Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I agree, having two White Lodge pieces that were overly long and included every member of the lower school in one or both was strange. Technically it is supposed to be a graduate (3rd year) performance so 1st and 2nd years have never been fully represented, but with fewer, longer pieces than normal, even many of the graduates struggled to feature much this year which was a real shame. Overall I enjoyed the performance but for me I think some recent previous years have had better and more varied pieces which have shown off the full range of graduate talents, rather than confining to just a few. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I too felt the balance was rather off: several long pieces in the first half made it rather indigestible, and I enjoyed the second half rather more. Not being particularly au fait with the students, and keeping my cast sheet (which - curses - I appear to have lost now anyway ) only really as a record, I hadn't registered the lack of US students, but yes, I did register that there were quite a few pieces featuring the younger students. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the extract from Two Pigeons, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadielou Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I also thought that having the two lower school pieces was totally unnecessary even though I had a DC performing in one of the pieces. The lack of 1st and 2nd year students involved overall was really worrying, especially for those making their way to the US next year, there is little enough opportunity as it is to learn the art of performance. Although I thought all the featured students, danced beautifully, I thought it was great shame that they couldn't have showcased some of the other Grads. I think a good Director is one that can see the talent in front of him and arrange a programme of pieces that showcases as many as possible at their best, not just the few, who immediately stand out. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 I seem to have heard somewhere that some of the second year Upper School students went to Japan with the RB. So this might have taken them out during rehearsal time for the shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Yes, I think you could be right there, capybara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Technically it is supposed to be a graduate (3rd year) performance Balderdash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Only four students went to Japan. Let me just say that as a parent of an upper school DC it is very disappointing when their piece does not get shown on main house stage. My DC was in a lovely piece at Opera Holland Park....so thankfully we got to see it there. There are some stunning dancers who did not get to dance at OH. It is a real shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabitha Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Balderdash How rude! That is what parents and pupils have been told previously when questioning why 1st and 2nd years are not featured as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) I think we need to remember that the main stage performance is not devised for entertain ballet goers who may be interested in the school and its students but have no direct connection with them or the institution. It's for the students, their families, their sponsors and their teachers and has to be judged on that basis rather than as a ballet performance devised to please those who have no connection with the students. Years ago the main stage RBS matinee used to consist of White Lodge students doing indigenous national dancing in the first part, usually followed by the performance of a ballet starring the graduate year such as Two Pigeons or Coppelia and,on at least one occasion, Giselle. I was told that the reason that this format changed was because the school had an increasing number of fee paying students and their sponsors expected to see their proteges perform.I don't recall precisely when that change occurred but it was, I think, during Merle Park's directorship. This may help explain why the graduate year does not dominate the main stage performance as it once did.I imagine that the fact that some of the most interesting young dancers, now in the company,entered it before they graduated makes it difficult for the school to be certain that its "star" pupils will actually be available for the "graduation performance".There are years when injury, rather than premature recruitment, plays havoc with the planned performance. It's not that long ago that the RBS had to call on the services of Jpseph Caley, who had graduated a couplr of years earlier, to dance Oberon as the selected dancer and the understudies were injured. At the end of the day I imagine it is virtually impossible to please all of the interest groups in the audience.I have always assumed that the RBS did its best to do so but it would appear that my faith may have been misplaced. Perhaps the main stage matinee should revert to its original format that way, at least, expectations would not be raised unnecessarily. Edited July 11, 2016 by FLOSS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Bangorballetboy I would just like to say that as you are a moderator perhaps you could be a bit more careful with your language!! Okay sometimes people may get it a bit wrong but you can enlighten them without being quite so rude I think. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsay Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I would like to agree with LinMM. It seems to me that Bangorballetboy's only substantive contributions here are to defend both the RB and the RBS against any criticism, real or imagined, in the most terse and aggressive fashion. Those wondering why this board no longer sees the level of discussion it did back in the balletco days might like to note this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 With all due respect, Lindsay, bangorballetboy does far more for this forum, both in front of and behind the scenes, than regular members are ever likely to know. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I'm absolutely sure he does and we are all indeed very grateful. However it does not give him the right to be so rude to a posting member .....in my books anyway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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