Yasmine Naghdi - Article in Culture Magazine

[fashionista]

Has anyone read this article?  I saw Yasmine's post on FB but it was not downloadable.  If anyone has the link or downloadble version, would love to read.

 

Many thanks

Amanda

[Jan McNulty]

Assuming you mean the Sunday Times Culture Magazine the links were posted yesterday in our Links forum:

 

 

If you haven't already, you will have to register with the Times but it is a free service.  It is restricted to 2 free articles per week.

[Jan McNulty]

You may find this thread useful for future reference.  People mention when they have seen articles that are usually behind paywalls:

 

 

[Nina G.]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/yasmine-naghdi-interview-the-british-ballerina-on-her-stellar-rise-at-the-royal-ballet-hpbhmlqmt?shareToken=7045bb496c5cf9ecedb4badfbbcbd577

[MAB]

You wait decades for an outstanding British ballerina to emerge and two arrive together, bit like waiting for a bus.

[Tony Newcombe]

And there is probably another one waiting in the wings

[SwissBalletFan]

29 minutes ago, MAB said:

You wait decades for an outstanding British ballerina to emerge and two arrive together, bit like waiting for a bus.

I am not sure why there is the fascination if they are 'British'.

 

I would hope that the British public, look equally as inclusive and kindly on a child born in the U.K. of refugees to be unquestionably British. As much as they do of rich immigrants that have a child in your country.

Edited December 18, 2017 by SwissBalletFan

[Pas de Quatre]

I don't think it is so much the actual nationality, but the fact that the dancers have been brought up in UK and had all their training here, which naturally is of interest.

[MAB]

22 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

I am not sure why there is the fascination if they are 'British'.

 

I would hope that the British public, look equally as inclusive and kindly on a child born in the U.K. of refugees to be unquestionably British. As much as they do of rich immigrants that have a child in your country.

 

Because so very few dancers at principal level have been British, which for some of us has called into question the calibre of UK teaching.  There is also the much admired "English style", based on the choreography of Frederick Ashton, that has been dying a death of late, Francesca Hayward in  particular is an outstanding exponent of Ashtonian style.

 

As to your second paragraph I find it offensive to comment spitefully on an artist's class.  All sections of the British theatre world regard their artists with total equality whether they were born in a palace or a slum.

[Fiz]

Well said, MAB! 

 

 

[SwissBalletFan]

Well, it is a bit clearer to me now, that the intention is to mean British-trained, or British-style, rather than simply 'British' as the nationality. Or at least one might hope.

 

MAB for anyone following the political developments in the U.K. of late, (as well if those in the 60s&70s) the fact that the U.K. still grants a british passport to most children born there, has caused issues about 'being British' and what that means.

 

In these uncertain times, I find it personally a problem to say people have been waiting for great British dancers, as if those dancing at Royal that weren't British (even many trained at British schools) is some kind of second prize. It's great to celebrate wonderful dancers in the company (which they certainly are) without mentioning nationality.

 

So if Thiago Soares and Marienella Nunez had a child in the U.K., that child could be the next wonderful British Ballet dancer? Even though his/her parents were not celebrated as that? As is the case here?

 

edited to add: even many of the 'foreigners' at Royal have been trained at British schools.

Edited December 18, 2017 by SwissBalletFan

[Nina G.]

49 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

I am not sure why there is the fascination if they are 'British'.

 

I would hope that the British public, look equally as inclusive and kindly on a child born in the U.K. of refugees to be unquestionably British. As much as they do of rich immigrants that have a child in your country.

 

For years the British Press have questioned UK training, wondered why so very few Principals are British, and had their training in Britain. Thus, when two exceptional ones recently came along British ballet fans were/are naturally delighted! We have Lauren Cuthbertson and Edward Watson as British Principals at the RB but now Naghdi and Hayward have joined the Principal rank.

 

I find your last statement truly puzzling and particularly provocative.

[MAB]

 

14 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

 

In these uncertain times, I find it personally a problem to say people have been waiting for great British dancers, as if those dancing at Royal that weren't British (even many trained at British schools) is some kind of second prize. It's great to celebrate wonderful dancers in the company (which they certainly are) without mentioning nationality.

 

To you perhaps but certainly not to the RB regulars

 

So if Thiago Soares and Marienella Nunez had a child in the U.K., that child could be the next wonderful British Ballet dancer? Even though his/her parents were not celebrated as that? As is the case here?

 

Highly unlikely occurrence, they are no longer a couple

 

 

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

 

edited to add: even many of the 'foreigners' at Royal have been trained at British schools

 

Yes, but usually as older students, they won't have begun their basic training here

 

 

[Nina G.]

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/25/will-they-make-royal-ballet

 

SwissBalletFan:  perhaps this article by Luke Jennings will explain it all...

[SwissBalletFan]

Thank you Nina for the link. I understand more about the issue at White Lodge, but I still am puzzled about the terminology used regarding 'British'. Even Like Jennings uses the term 'British Born and trained' which would not include Francesca Hayward (not geographically anyway).

 

I understand how tough it is for any boy or girl trying to get to a principal level, and which is why, I wondered how Alina or Marianela would take MABs message: 'you wait decades for an outstanding British ballerina'. 

 

Well you have one in Marienela Nunez, she has the passport and was trained at white lodge. 

 

My 'spiteful' last comment about wealthy immigrants, highlights the issues raised in Mr Jennings' article about how money is a big factor in being able to study ballet from a young age.

 

I feel that it is great, that after some period of instability that royal Ballet has an amazing array of talent at principal level and it is definitely something to celebrate. 

 

Could we we just drop the British point?

 

In time of brexit, talk of refugees, immigrants etc.. I find this particular case being described as a British Ballerina, interesting as she probably holds other passports too from her non British parentage. 

 

Mo Farah has openly talked about the issues he has faced about being seen as a British athlete.

 

[Nina G.]

27 minutes ago, Nina G. said:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/25/will-they-make-royal-ballet

 

SwissBalletFan:  perhaps this article by Luke Jennings will explain it all...

 

...and "Jane Hackett, a former director of the English National Ballet School and the Central School of Ballet, now co-director of creative learning for Sadler's Wells Theatre, is concerned by the figures. "It's inexplicable, when you look at the amount of money invested in British ballet, that such a very small percentage of British dancers are graduating and progressing through companies."

 

...and British tax-payers are rightfully pleased to see that some of their tax invested in British ballet schools are not a waste of money, I hasten to add.

[Nina G.]

4 minutes ago, SwissBalletFan said:

 

 

Well you have one in Marienela Nunez, she has the passport and was trained at white lodge. 

 

 

 

Marianella Nunez was not trained at White Lodge (Lower School of the RBS).

 

She went only for 1 year to the RBS Upper School because she was just 1 year too young to start working at The Royal Ballet.

[Nina G.]

My 'spiteful' last comment about wealthy immigrants, highlights the issues raised in Mr Jennings' article about how money is a big factor in being able to study ballet from a young age.

 

Well that's also a wrong statement!

Just look up the RBS Fees Policy. It states that no child is turned away from training at the School and as far as I have been led to believe the fees are solely based on the parents' earnings. The rich pay in full, the less well off will pay next to nothing, parents who are jobless pay nothing for their child's training. Can it get any better...?

[SwissBalletFan]

5 minutes ago, Nina G. said:

 

...and "Jane Hackett, a former director of the English National Ballet School and the Central School of Ballet, now co-director of creative learning for Sadler's Wells Theatre, is concerned by the figures. "It's inexplicable, when you look at the amount of money invested in British ballet, that such a very small percentage of British dancers are graduating and progressing through companies."

 

...and British tax-payers are rightfully pleased to see that some of their tax invested in British ballet schools are not a waste of money, I hasten to add.

 

I don't think anyone has a problem with thinking British ballet schools are not a waste of money. They are  some of the best institutions, which is why they attract and nurture such wonderful talent as Sergei Polunin etc.

 

Unless you think British ballet schools are aiming only to nurture the best British ballet dancers?

 

A large amount of British tax payers are not British as a nationality.

 

 

[Sim]

1 hour ago, SwissBalletFan said:

Well, it is a bit clearer to me now, that the intention is to mean British-trained, or British-style, rather than simply 'British' as the nationality. Or at least one might hope.

 

MAB for anyone following the political developments in the U.K. of late, (as well if those in the 60s&70s) the fact that the U.K. still grants a british passport to most children born there, has caused issues about 'being British' and what that means.

 

In these uncertain times, I find it personally a problem to say people have been waiting for great British dancers, as if those dancing at Royal that weren't British (even many trained at British schools) is some kind of second prize. It's great to celebrate wonderful dancers in the company (which they certainly are) without mentioning nationality.

 

So if Thiago Soares and Marienella Nunez had a child in the U.K., that child could be the next wonderful British Ballet dancer? Even though his/her parents were not celebrated as that? As is the case here?

 

edited to add: even many of the 'foreigners' at Royal have been trained at British schools.

I know it may be un-PC these days, but there is nothing wrong AT ALL with being proud of your country and its high achievers, and its people in general.  We are in Britain, the RB is a British company, so when the top levels are graced by wonderful talent, it is totally natural that we are going to praise them and commend them, just like every other country does its high achievers.  

 

As far as your barbed comments about hoping that the British would accept the children of poor refugees as much as rich ones as fellow Brits....well how about this:  Mo Farah, who last night won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, came to this country from Somalia as a young Muslim boy.  His family were poor.  But hey, he considers himself as British, we consider him as British.....he actually IS British.   And yes, if Marianela and Thiago were to have a child (which they most probably won't) that was born here, of COURSE that child would be British, and considered so.  If someone is born here, gets a passport, then is taken to live somewhere else and never comes back, I would say they had British nationality, but not that they are British.  It depends what you mean by British.

 

The Premier League is nowadays almost entirely foreign;  the nationalities of the players and the managers are mentioned all the time.  What's wrong with that?  It is a large part of what makes you who you are.  

 

Finally, there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't mention the nationalities of the dancers at the RB.  They are proud of who they are, and so are we.  

[Nina G.]

In time of brexit, talk of refugees, immigrants etc.. I find this particular case being described as a British Ballerina, interesting as she probably holds other passports too from her non British parentage. 

 

...and your point is? 

 

Sorry, with all due respect but I am bowing out of this discussion.

[Sim]

Yes, I think it stops here.  I am locking it.  I won't have any dancer insulted on this forum.