Nao Sakuma, Chi Cao & Jenna Roberts final performances with BRB

[Ryo]

Their last performance with Birmingham Royal Ballet will be Romeo & Juliet on 30/06 Evening at Birmingham Hippodrome.

 

 

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Ryo, has this been officially announced now?

[Jan McNulty]

There doesn't seem to have been an official company announcement yet.

[Two Pigeons]

Two tremendous servants of the company retiring after very distinguished careers.

[John Mallinson]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

Hello Ryo, has this been officially announced now?

 

Nao announced it on her Facebook page two days ago.

 

[Bruce Wall]

I wonder if they will get a final R&J paired performance at Sadler's so those based in London might bid them a most fond (and well deserved) celebratory farewell from the Company's ranks.  There are at the moment still a lot of tickets available to the three performances of this BRB outing.  

Edited April 26, 2018 by Bruce Wall

[Jan McNulty]

It's no secret that Chi has been my favourite male dancer in BRB since he joined the Company and full stop once another favourite dancer retired from another company.  Nao has long since also been one of my favourite lady dancers.

 

They shared a very special on stage partnership but they also danced successfully with many other partners over the years.  They have both been renowned for their interpretations of the classics but actually showed they had great versatility throughout BRB's extensive rep.  On quite a few occasions they provided the closing fireworks at the Evening of Music and Dance.  I particularly remember their Don Q gpdd, Le Corsaire and Diana and Actaeon.  

 

We could always rely on them in the classics so it was nice to see them "out of their comfort zone" from time to time.  Who would have thought that Nao could give such a blistering performance as Katarina in Taming of the Shrew a couple of years ago.  One of my favourite performances (and one that reduced me and many others in the audience to sobbing out loud) happened some years ago at a Saturday matinee in Birmingham - Two Pigeons with Robert Parker.  Since her return from maternity leave she proved over and over again that she was Wonder Woman - not only dancing in her scheduled performances but standing in last minute in several performances of Swan Lake with different partners.  There was also a very memorable R&J with Tyrone Singleton where they danced together at very short notice and they rehearsed the balcony scene 10 minutes before the performance started and the bedroom scene during the interval - and boy was that one unforgettable performance!  This year in Sleeping Beauty she was not only glorious as Aurora but also glamorously evil as Carabosse and showed her virtuosity as Bluebird with 3 different partners during the run.  What a glorious career she has had and how lucky we have been as fans of BRB that she chose to spend her career delighting us over and over again.

 

Chi has always been a virtuoso classical dancer who ticked all the right boxes.  It has been a joy and a privilege to watch his career.  I had actually noticed him with the school contingent dancing at Sir Peter Wright's retirement gala and I was thrilled when he joined the company.  He has developed into a very fine actor over the years and has excelled in the likes of Upper Room too.  I saw his debut (with Nao) as Romeo in Sunderland and I have got my ticket for their final performance.  I loved his partnership with Ambra Vallo - they gave a landmark performance in Coppelia together at the Lowry in January 2003 which still stands as the best performance of that ballet I have ever seen!  They were also heartbreaking together in Two Pigeons.  He was a magnificent Albrecht, usually with Ambra.  I cherish the memory of him performing Beenstock in David Bintley's Hobson's Choice - he really got under the skin of the character and certainly enjoyed the wedding cake at every performance I saw him in!  I remember seeing Chi and Ambra in R&J at Sadler's Wells.  The lady I was sat next to and I were sobbing out loud and clutching each other for comfort by the end.  I saw Ambra in the foyer the following day and just had to go over and say how much I had enjoyed and been affected by the performance.  She told me that in the crypt scene she had had to try and hide Chi's face from view because he started sobbing as her tears flowed over him!  One of my favourite moments was seeing him in the leading role in Paquita where he did his party trick of 8 double tours in alternating directions!  More recently he was utterly magnificent as Aminta with (in the first run) Nao as his Sylvia and more recently Miki Mizutani in David Bintley's magnificent production.  And only this year he was sublime as Florimund with Yaoqian Shang as his Aurora.

 

Both these dancers have been glorious ambassadors for BRB in their 23 years with the Company.  I, and I know many others, will miss them tremendously.  I would like to send them both very best wishes for the future.

 

 

[Lizbie1]

To Janet's lovely tribute I'd just like to add that I was lucky enough to see Nao Sakuma as Pineapple Poll last year and she was terrific at comedy as well.

[Sim]

What a wonderful tribute to two lovely dancers, Jan!

[jack.b]

Well over 10 years ago I had a conversation with Chi and commented how he had become so much more emotional and sincere in his performances , he told me it was always difficult for him to release his emotions on stage ,but with the help of his coach at BRB ( who had worked with him and Nao from their first Nutcracker at the Lyceum in London ) he found the way to be the artist he is today . I was appalled that BRB did not make a huge to do about his film "Mao's last dancer " not only did he act wonderfully his dancing was supreme .

Nao Sakuma was always a joy to watch a supremely confident dancer with a technique to match . 

I wish them both the very best in their new adventures 

 

[Sophoife]

Well of course Chi Cao is best known down here for exactly Mao's Last Dancer, he came down and did Nutcracker Prince with Madeleine Eastoe possibly 8-9 years ago now, and I was lucky enough that almost exactly this time last year both BRB and I were in Cheltenham and I saw him with Cesar Morales, Samara Downs and Yvette Knight in Moor's Pavane. Those of you, like Jan, who have seen him over many years will I am sure miss him very much.

[Jan McNulty]

Chi has also guested with Queensland Ballet in the more recent past.

[Sophoife]

39 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Chi has also guested with Queensland Ballet in the more recent past.

Yes but Brisbane is almost as expensive to get to as Europe from where I am! 😮

[Ian Macmillan]

Big place, Australia - as I discovered on my first visit in June1971, one that involved flying coast to coast and back in one crew-duty day, having started earlier in Auckland.  A very long day.

[Sophoife]

Ew, Ian, eww! 😀 That east-west-east would be a real killer. 

 

I can get a return economy ticket to London for around AUD900. To fly to Brisbane last July for Winter's Tale, Albury-Sydney-Brisbane-Sydney-Albury, cost me AUD985.

[capybara]

I see on Facebook that Jenna Roberts' final performance will be Romeo and Juliet at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 29 June, 7.30pm. Did we know that she is leaving or is this new news?

 

Soloist Feargus Campbell, Artist Anna Monleon, and artist Brogan McKelvey are also leaving the Company at the end of the 2017/18 season.

 

 

[Lizbie1]

6 minutes ago, capybara said:

I see on Facebook that Jenna Roberts' final performance will be Romeo and Juliet at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 29 June, 7.30pm

 

Oh no

[alison]

With her new husband having already moved London-wards, it wasn't unpredictable, I guess.

[Jan McNulty]

And the official press release:

 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer departures for the 2017/18 season Principals Nao Sakuma, Chi Cao and Jenna Roberts give their final performances in June 2018

Nao Sakuma as Princess Aurora and Chi Cao as Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty; photo: Bill Cooper

Birmingham Royal Ballet says farewell to six dancers at the end of the 2017/18 season, including principals Nao Sakuma, Chi Cao and Jenna Roberts who give their final performances in June 2018 following long successful careers. After joining the Company together in 1995, Nao Sakuma and Chi Cao have led Birmingham Royal Ballet in the classical repertoire for 23 years. Both renowned for their refined, virtuoso technique and sensitive dramatic interpretations, the pair have enjoyed a beautifully matched partnership. Together, they have produced outstanding performances throughout their careers, shining particularly in the 19th century classics of Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.  Chi Cao’s final performance will be with Nao Sakuma in Romeo and Juliet at Birmingham Hippodrome on Saturday 30 June 7.30pm; an opportunity to celebrate the end of a career-long partnership. Nao Sakuma’s final performance will be La Fille mal gardée at The Bristol Hippodrome on Friday 6 July, 7.30pm.  Jenna Roberts joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2003 and progressed rapidly through the Company, becoming a Principal in 2012. Jenna has danced, with great versatility, the leading roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Daphnis and Chloë and Cinderella. A favourite with audiences in Birmingham and the Company’s touring venues, she is particularly celebrated for her moving portrayal of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, she has created roles in Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces, Alexander Whitley’s Kin., Michael Corder’s Le Baiser de la fée and David Bintley’s The Tempest. Alongside her impressive repertory, Jenna also danced Juliet in the Ballet Hoo! Ballet Changed My Life television series and has worked extensively with Freefall Dance Company – Birmingham Royal Ballet’s associate company for dancers with severe learning disabilities. Jenna Roberts’s final performance will be Romeo and Juliet at Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 29 June, 7.30pm. Soloist Feargus Campbell leaves Birmingham Royal Ballet after 13 years, during which time he has proved a highly valuable and popular member of the Company. His varied repertory includes Paris in Romeo and Juliet, Bottom in The Dream, Benno in Swan Lake, Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room and roles in David Bintley’s Carmina Burana, Fasterand The Prince of the Pagodas. Artist Anna Monleon leaves the Company after six years. Her performances include the White Cat in The Sleeping Beauty, Mrs Dimple in Pineapple Poll, Lead Czárdás and Mazurka in Coppélia and the Spanish Dance in The Nutcracker. Artist Brogan McKelvey also leaves the Company at the end of the 2017/18 season to pursue choreographic and production opportunities across the country.   Full details of new, departing and promoted dancers will be announced at the end of the season.

LISTINGS DETAILS: Proximity and Polarity mixed programme Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 4TN; 020 7863 8000 sadlerswells.com Friday 15 – Saturday 17 June Birmingham Hippodrome Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com Wednesday 20 – Saturday 23 June FREE pre-performance talk – Friday 22 June 6.30pm Romeo and Juliet Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 4TN; 020 7863 8000 sadlerswells.com Tuesday 12 – Wednesday 13 June Birmingham Hippodrome Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 June FREE pre-performance talk: Friday 29 June 6.30pm Touch tour & audio described performance: Saturday 30 June 10.30am Company class on stage (£10): Saturday 30 June 11:45am FREE audience open day: Saturday 30 June 12pm La Fille mal gardée The Bristol Hippodrome St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ; 0844 871 7627 atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome Wednesday 4 - Saturday 7 July First Steps: A Child’s First Ballet – Friday 6 July 1.30pm Free pre-performance talk – Friday 6 July 6.30pm Company class on stage (£10) – Saturday 7 July 11.45am NOTES TO EDITORS: Birmingham Royal Ballet  Based at Birmingham Hippodrome since 1990, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading classical ballet touring 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. In the 2016/17 season, Birmingham Royal Ballet toured to 13 different venues, including 9 weeks at its home venue Birmingham Hippodrome, and performed 8 different productions to over 185,000 people. The company’s Director is the award-winning David Bintley, CBE, Interim Chief Executive Officer is Caroline Miller, OBE, and Music Director is Koen Kessels. Birmingham Royal Ballet performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas.    The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Britain's busiest ballet orchestra, playing for Birmingham Royal Ballet's wide-ranging programme in the UK and abroad. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and many of the world's other leading ballet companies, including regular performances with: The Royal Ballet, 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.

[Jan McNulty]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

I see on Facebook that Jenna Roberts' final performance will be Romeo and Juliet at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 29 June, 7.30pm. Did we know that she is leaving or is this new news?

 

 

It hadn't been announced.  It was Nao Sakuma who revealed that she and Chi were retiring via a public post on her FB page.

 

Apart from the 3 principals I shall also miss Fergus Campbell tremendously.  IIRC he joined at the same time as Joe Caley and Alex Campbell.  While he did not immediately spring to the fore as they did he has gradually come deservedly to more prominence and had become one of my "ones to watch".  I think he's a terrific Paris.  Anna Monleon is another dancer whose performances I have always enjoyed.

[Ryo]

The date & time of Nao Sakuma's final performance with the company has been changed.

It will be on Saturday the 7th of July afternoon in Bristol.

[Tony Newcombe]

Nice. Have a ticket for that performance

[alison]

Where did it say that Chi Cao wouldn't be dancing Romeo tomorrow?  I'd assumed it was on this page.

[Two Pigeons]

Janet will be devastated.  I think we all know how it feels when you get very excited about a special performance and then the main reason for going changes.  

[RuthE]

48 minutes ago, alison said:

Where did it say that Chi Cao wouldn't be dancing Romeo tomorrow?  I'd assumed it was on this page.

 

It was on the BRB Casting thread.

[Jan McNulty]

9 minutes ago, Two Pigeons said:

Janet will be devastated.  I think we all know how it feels when you get very excited about a special performance and then the main reason for going changes.  

 

Hopefully he will be dancing in Birmingham on 30th.

 

I’m sure tomorrow afternoon will be very special anyway with Yasuo Atsuji making his debut.