Press Release: Ukrainian Ballet Gala - Sadler's Wells, 7th September

[Jan McNulty]

PUTROV PRODUCTIONS & I-DO LAB

present

UKRAINIAN BALLET GALA

TRADITION, INNOVATION, CELEBRATION

 

An evening of ballet classics featuring the world premiere of System A/I by choreographer Ludovic Ondiviela and dramaturg Olga Danylyuk at Sadler’s Wells Theatre 7pm on 7 September 2021.  UK-based Ukrainian dancer Ivan Putrov and British-Ukrainian theatre director Olga Danylyuk present Ukrainian ballet stars to Sadler's Wells Theatre in a one-off ballet gala at London's premiere dance house on September 7th 2021. The gala is a unique artistic collaboration bringing some of the best UK and Ukrainian dancers together on stage for the very first time. The evening also marks the inaugural performance from the Ukrainian National Ballet in the UK.

 

Ukrainian principal dancers currently performing around the world with American Ballet Theatre, Wiener Staatsballett, Lithuanian National Ballet and Toulouse Ballet du Capitole will join stars from The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet in a programme which spans the classics including The Dying Swan, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide and Grand pas Classique to System A/I, a world premiere from choreographer, Ludovic Ondiviela and dramaturg Olga Danylyuk. The evening will be accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Yevhenii Dehtiarov.

 

Dancers starring in the gala include principal dancers from The Royal Ballet: Matthew Ball, Mayara Magri and Cesar Corrales; Isaac Hernández, (Lead Principal, English National Ballet); Christine Shevchenko, (Principal, American Ballet Theatre); Denys Cherevychko, (Principal, Vienna State Ballet); Natalia de Froberville, (Principal, Ballet du Capitole, Toulouse) and Olesya Shaitanova, (Principal Soloist, Lithuanian National Ballet).

 

Former Royal Ballet Principal Ivan Putrov (Producer of acclaimed Men in Motion and Against the Stream) said:
“Ukraine’s long history of producing great dancers is alive and flourishing. I am thrilled to be able to introduce them to British audiences alongside some of our finest London-based dancers in this tremendously exciting gala celebrating the tradition and innovation of Ukrainian culture.”

 

Ludovic Ondiviela choreographer of System A/I said:

“System A/I began life as a short duet for Men in Motion and I have wanted to create a full length piece ever since. I’m fascinated about our growing use of A/I. I wanted to ponder the consequences of a scenario in which artificial intelligence has replaced human connection and what that could mean for our emotional lives. What value can a perfect rendering of human emotion have when it is produced by algorithms and what do we forfeit in this exchange?”

 

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London), Director of I-Do Lab and Dramaturg for System A/I said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase both the traditions and new directions of Ukrainian ballet. To see the classics performed by such a brilliant international cast of dancers alongside the premiere of System A/I - which has been created especially for the gala makes for a tremendously exciting evening.”

 

The full evening’s programming and further casting will be announced shortly. 

Notes to editors

 

Ukrainian Ballet Gala Programme

Accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Yevhenii Dehtiarov

 

PART I

World Premiere of System A/I choreographed by Ludovic Ondiviela Dramaturg Olga Danylyuk
Matthew Ball, Mayara Magri and Ivan Putrov (additional casting TBC)

 

INTERVAL

 

PART II

Grand pas Classique - Mayara Magri, Denys Cherevychko

Suite en blanc (Cigarette Solo) - Natalia de Froberville

Le Corsaire - Olesia Shaytanova, Matthew Ball

The Dying Swan - Christine Shevchenko

Forest Song - (Casting TBC)

Gopak - Andriy’s solo from Taras Bulba - (Casting TBC)

Five Tangos -Denys Cherevychko

Diana and Actaeon - Natalia de Froberville, Isaac Hernández

Don Quixote Suite - Christine Shevchenko, Cesar Corrales (additional casting TBC)
*casting and repertoire subject to change

 

Address: Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TN Performance Date: 7 September 2021 (7pm)
Tickets: £20-£95
Booking: www.sadlerswells.com

Telephone: 020 7863 8000

Ukrainian Ballet Gala is a collaboration between Putrov Productions and I-Do Lab. The evening is generously sponsored by FERREXPO PLC and ICU.

 

Ivan Putrov - Principal Dancer and Producer

Ivan Putrov was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to a ballet family. He trained at The Kyiv State Choreographic Institute and at the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation Sir Anthony Dowell invited him to join the Company, where he became a Principal after three seasons. His repertory includes Principal roles in all the classics and ballets by MacMillan, Ashton, Balanchine, Fokine, Nijinsky, Bourne, Tetley, Cranko, Bournonville, Robbins, De Valois, Zamuel, Tudor, Goleizovsky, McGregor, Forsythe, Kylián, Maliphant, De Frutos, Petit, Duato and more. International appearances include leading roles with the National Ballet Companies of Cuba, Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania, England, Mexico, Georgia, Vienna Staatsoper, Asami Maki Ballet Theatre and with The Royal Ballet in many of the world’s most renowned theatres. Awards include Premier Prix at the Prix de Lausanne, Gold Medal at the Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition, Gold Medal at the Nijinsky Festival, Critics’ Circle National Dance Award, Medal for Work and Achievement from the President of Ukraine and was made an Honorary Artist of Ukraine.

 

He has worked with Mario Testino, Johnnie Shand-Kidd, Philip Haas, Nick Knight, Gary Hume, Sam Taylor-Wood and the Pet Shop Boys on photographic, film and other creative projects. Ivan has performed at numerous special events and charities including at Buckingham Palace, the opening of Millennium Opera House, Cardiff and for the 101st birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother at the Royal Opera House. The Pet Shop Boys wrote The Most Incredible Thing for him which was first performed at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2011 and was filmed by the BBC. In 2012 Ivan conceived and produced 'Men in Motion', an exploration of the changing role of the male dancer over the last century. It premiered at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2012 and has had three more successful runs at the London Coliseum as well as presented in Italy, Russia, Poland and Ukraine. In 2019 Ivan’s new project ‘Against the Stream’ dedicated to masters of ballet who have changed its history premiered at the London Coliseum to critical acclaim from the dance and national press.

 

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London, MA, Central Saint Martins, Director of I-DO Lab) - Theatre Director and Producer

Olga Danylyuk started her theatre career on Broadway, NY as an assistant to the renowned designer Ann Hould-Ward upon graduating from the Lviv Art Academy. Since then, she has embarked on an international career as a theatre designer and director within a range of performance forms, including musicals, opera, ballet, physical theatre and drama. Her experience in theatre includes working with LaMama Theatre and Joyce Soho in New York, Camden People Theatre and Laban Contemporary Dance School in London, Mariinski Theatre and Theatre of Comedy and Drama in Moscow among others.

 

As a director Olga has focused on site-specific and large-scale promenade performances in Ukraine. The first production she produced and directed ‘When We Were Gods’ – was a performance based on Ukrainian mythology in collaboration between Ukrainian circus artists and Italian musicians. The performance enjoyed a successful run during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Later, Olga went on to found and direct the Theatre Lab at the Ukrainian flagship Institution Art Arsenal, where she started an International Programme of cultural exchange, introducing European artists to Ukrainian audiences. Among notable projects, the International Programme cooperated with Belgian virtual theatre collective CREW, the German Theatre of Research and David Edgar, a celebrated British playwright.

 

Olga completed her PhD using PaR methodology at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama under the title: ‘Virtually True’. Intermedial Strategies in the Staging of War Conflict in 2015. In her research on mediatized war, she explored the inter-determining relationship between art and politics. A turning point in Olga’s life has been the actual war in Ukraine, bringing her research topic into reality. In 2015 Olga went to the eastern Ukrainian warzone as a member of a Civil-Military Cooperation group and since then spent five years working with children in warzone. Together with teenagers from the warzone Olga produced, directed and co-wrote two major performances: ‘Letters to an Unknown Friend from New York’ and ‘Contact Line’.

Dr. Olga Danylyuk also works as a researcher and a curator. She is a Member of the Law and Theory Lab, at the University of Westminster and a Research Fellow at the Birkbeck School of Arts, London. In 2016-2018 Olga served as an adviser to the Minister of Culture of Ukraine working to promote international cooperation with prominent cultural institutions.

 

Ludovic Ondiviela – Choreographer

Ludovic Ondiviela was born in Perpignan, France. He trained in Marseille at Studio Ballet Colette Armand and in 2001 won a scholarship at the Prix de Lausanne to study at the Royal Ballet Upper School. In 2003 he joined The Royal Ballet Company and was promoted to soloist in 2007. His choreography regularly features in The Royal Ballet’s Draft Works, Young Choreographer’s evening, and across several galas around Europe. Ludovic created Dopamine (you make my levels go silly) for the 2013 Ballet Black season and Berlin for “Men in Motion”. Since leaving The Royal Ballet in October 2014, Ludovic created and directed his first full-length work Cassandra which opened at the ROH Linbury Theatre. Ludovic has continued to choreograph for numerous companies in the UK and Europe including the Gandini Company and Ballet Ireland; for Northern Ballet Choreographic lab and for various commercials and films. In 2016 Ludovic created “Sliver of Sky” for Amnesty International which was performed at Sadler’s Wells, London.

[FionaM]

This sounds different.  Bravo Ivan for broadening the gala format 👏

[capybara]

Over the years, firstly with Men in Motion and, more recently, with Against the Stream,  Ivan Putrov has sought to break the gala mould with his rather more innovative, thematic programming. Bravo, indeed.

 

[Jan McNulty]

Press release with updated details for the gala:

 

PUTROV PRODUCTIONS & I-DO LAB

present

UKRAINIAN BALLET GALA

TRADITION, INNOVATION, CELEBRATION

 

An evening of ballet classics featuring the world premiere of System A/I by choreographer Ludovic Ondiviela and dramaturg Olga Danylyuk at Sadler’s Wells Theatre 7pm on 7 September 2021.

 

UK-based Ukrainian dancer Ivan Putrov and British-Ukrainian theatre director Olga Danylyuk present Ukrainian ballet stars to Sadler's Wells Theatre in a one-off ballet gala at London's premiere dance house on September 7th 2021. The gala is a unique artistic collaboration bringing some of the best UK and Ukrainian dancers together on stage for the very first time. The evening also marks the inaugural performance from the Ukrainian National Ballet in the UK.

 

Ukrainian principal dancers currently performing around the world with American Ballet Theatre, Wiener Staatsballett, Lithuanian National Ballet and Toulouse Ballet du Capitole will join stars from The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet in a programme which spans the classics including The Dying Swan, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Diana and Actaeon and Grand Pas Classique to System A/I, a world premiere from choreographer, Ludovic Ondiviela and dramaturg Olga Danylyuk. The evening will be accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Yevhenii Dehtiarov.

 

Dancers starring in the gala include leading dancers from The Royal Ballet: Matthew Ball, Cesar Corrales, Leo Dixon, Mayara Magri and Fernando Montaño and Ivan Putrov (former Royal Ballet); Francesco Gabriele Frola, (Lead Principal, English National Ballet); Christine Shevchenko, (Principal, American Ballet Theatre); Denys Cherevychko, (Principal, Vienna State Ballet); Natalia de Froberville, (Etoile, Ballet du Capitole, Toulouse) and Olesya Shaitanova, (Principal Soloist, Lithuanian National Ballet).

 

Former Royal Ballet Principal Ivan Putrov (Producer of acclaimed Men in Motion and Against the Stream) said:
“Ukraine’s long history of producing great dancers is alive and flourishing. I am thrilled to be able to introduce them to British audiences alongside some of our finest London-based dancers in this tremendously exciting gala celebrating the tradition and innovation of Ukrainian culture.”

 

Ludovic Ondiviela choreographer of System A/I said:

“System A/I began life as a short duet for Men in Motion and I have wanted to create a full length piece ever since. I’m fascinated about our growing use of A/I. I wanted to ponder the consequences of a scenario in which artificial intelligence has replaced human connection and what that could mean for our emotional lives. What value can a perfect rendering of human emotion have when it is produced by algorithms and what do we forfeit in this exchange?”

 

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London), Director of I-Do Lab and Dramaturg for System A/I said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase both the traditions and new directions of Ukrainian ballet. To see the classics performed by such a brilliant international cast of dancers alongside the premiere of System A/I - which has been created especially for the gala makes for a tremendously exciting evening.”

 

 

Notes to editors

 

Ukrainian Ballet Gala Programme

Accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Alexander Ingram

 

PART I

World Premiere of System A/I choreographed by Ludovic Ondiviela Dramaturg Olga Danylyuk
Matthew Ball, Mayara Magri and Ivan Putrov

Yuliia Moskalenko, Ganna Muromtseva, Volodymyr Kutuzov, Maksym Bilokrynytskyi, Vladyslav Bosenko, Anna Bogatyr, Kateryna Dehtiarova, Anna Yelisieieva, Daniela Kipen, Daniil Silkin

 

INTERVAL

 

PART II

Grand Pas Classique - Mayara Magri, Denys Cherevychko

 

Suite en blanc (Cigarette Solo) - Natalia de Froberville

 

Le Corsaire - Olesia Shaytanova, Matthew Ball, Leo Dixon

 

The Dying Swan - Christine Shevchenko

 

Forest Song - Yuliia Moskalenko, Volodymyr Kutuzov

 

Gopak - Andriy’s solo from Taras Bulba - Daniil Silkin, Vladyslav Bosenko, Maksym Bilokrynytskyi

 

La Bayadère

Anna Muromtseva, Fernando Montaño

 

Five Tangos

Denys Cherevychko

 

Diana and Actaeon

Natalia de Froberville, Francesco Gabriele Frola

 

Don Quixote Suite
Christine Shevchenko, Cesar Corrales

Olesia Shaitanova, Volodymyr Kutuzov

and soloists of the Ukrainian National Ballet

 

*casting and repertoire subject to change

 

Address: Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TN Performance Date: 7 September 2021 (7pm)
Tickets: £20-£95
Booking: www.sadlerswells.com

Telephone: 020 7863 8000

Ukrainian Ballet Gala is a collaboration between Putrov Productions and I-Do Lab. The evening is generously sponsored by FERREXPO PLC.

 

 

Ivan Putrov - Principal Dancer and Producer

Ivan Putrov was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to a ballet family. He trained at The Kyiv State Choreographic Institute and at the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation Sir Anthony Dowell invited him to join the Company, where he became a Principal after three seasons. His repertory includes Principal roles in all the classics and ballets by MacMillan, Ashton, Balanchine, Fokine, Nijinsky, Bourne, Tetley, Cranko, Bournonville, Robbins, De Valois, Zamuel, Tudor, Goleizovsky, McGregor, Forsythe, Kylián, Maliphant, De Frutos, Petit, Duato and more. International appearances include leading roles with the National Ballet Companies of Cuba, Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania, England, Mexico, Georgia, Vienna Staatsoper, Asami Maki Ballet Theatre and with The Royal Ballet in many of the world’s most renowned theatres. Awards include Premier Prix at the Prix de Lausanne, Gold Medal at the Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition, Gold Medal at the Nijinsky Festival, Critics’ Circle National Dance Award, Medal for Work and Achievement from the President of Ukraine and was made an Honorary Artist of Ukraine.

 

He has worked with Mario Testino, Johnnie Shand-Kidd, Philip Haas, Nick Knight, Gary Hume, Sam Taylor-Wood and the Pet Shop Boys on photographic, film and other creative projects. Ivan has performed at numerous special events and charities including at Buckingham Palace, the opening of Millennium Opera House, Cardiff and for the 101st birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother at the Royal Opera House. The Pet Shop Boys wrote The Most Incredible Thing for him which was first performed at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2011 and was filmed by the BBC. In 2012 Ivan conceived and produced 'Men in Motion', an exploration of the changing role of the male dancer over the last century. It premiered at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2012 and has had three more successful runs at the London Coliseum as well as presented in Italy, Russia, Poland and Ukraine. In 2019 Ivan’s new project ‘Against the Stream’ dedicated to masters of ballet who have changed its history premiered at the London Coliseum to critical acclaim from the dance and national press.

 

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London, MA, Central Saint Martins, Director of I-DO Lab) - Theatre Director and Producer

Olga Danylyuk started her theatre career on Broadway, NY as an assistant to the renowned designer Ann Hould-Ward upon graduating from the Lviv Art Academy. Since then, she has embarked on an international career as a theatre designer and director within a range of performance forms, including musicals, opera, ballet, physical theatre and drama. Her experience in theatre includes working with LaMama Theatre and Joyce Soho in New York, Camden People Theatre and Laban Contemporary Dance School in London, Mariinski Theatre and Theatre of Comedy and Drama in Moscow among others.

 

As a director Olga has focused on site-specific and large-scale promenade performances in Ukraine. The first production she produced and directed ‘When We Were Gods’ – was a performance based on Ukrainian mythology in collaboration between Ukrainian circus artists and Italian musicians. The performance enjoyed a successful run during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Later, Olga went on to found and direct the Theatre Lab at the Ukrainian flagship Institution Art Arsenal, where she started an International Programme of cultural exchange, introducing European artists to Ukrainian audiences. Among notable projects, the International Programme cooperated with Belgian virtual theatre collective CREW, the German Theatre of Research and David Edgar, a celebrated British playwright.

 

Olga completed her PhD using PaR methodology at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama under the title: ‘Virtually True’. Intermedial Strategies in the Staging of War Conflict in 2015.

 

In her research on mediatized war, she explored the inter-determining relationship between art and politics. A turning point in Olga’s life has been the actual war in Ukraine, bringing her research topic into reality. In 2015 Olga went to the eastern Ukrainian warzone as a member of a Civil-Military Cooperation group and since then spent five years working with children in warzone. Together with teenagers from the warzone Olga produced, directed and co-wrote two major performances: ‘Letters to an Unknown Friend from New York’ and ‘Contact Line’.

 

Dr. Olga Danylyuk also works as a researcher and a curator. She is a Member of the Law and Theory Lab, at the University of Westminster and a Research Fellow at the Birkbeck School of Arts, London. In 2016-2018 Olga served as an adviser to the Minister of Culture of Ukraine working to promote international cooperation with prominent cultural institutions.

 

Ludovic Ondiviela – Choreographer

Ludovic Ondiviela was born in Perpignan, France. He trained in Marseille at Studio Ballet Colette Armand and in 2001 won a scholarship at the Prix de Lausanne to study at the Royal Ballet Upper School. In 2003 he joined The Royal Ballet Company and was promoted to soloist in 2007. His choreography regularly features in The Royal Ballet’s Draft Works, Young Choreographer’s evening, and across several galas around Europe. Ludovic created Dopamine (you make my levels go silly) for the 2013 Ballet Black season and Berlin for “Men in Motion”. Since leaving The Royal Ballet in October 2014, Ludovic created and directed his first full-length work Cassandra which opened at the ROH Linbury Theatre. Ludovic has continued to choreograph for numerous companies in the UK and Europe including the Gandini Company and Ballet Ireland; for Northern Ballet Choreographic lab and for various commercials and films. In 2016 Ludovic created “Sliver of Sky” for Amnesty International which was performed at Sadler’s Wells, London.

[San Perregrino]

Matty & Leo dancing excerpt from Corsaire. That alone makes it worth buying a ticket! 😀

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, prs59 said:

Matty & Leo dancing excerpt from Corsaire. That alone makes it worth buying a ticket! 😀

 

Who are Matty & Leo?

[Dawnstar]

29 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Who are Matty & Leo?

 

Did you not read the press release when you posted it yesterday? It gives the all casting including for the Corsaire pas de trois that @prs59 is referring to:

 

15 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Le Corsaire - Olesia Shaytanova, Matthew Ball, Leo Dixon

 

[Jan McNulty]

22 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Did you not read the press release when you posted it yesterday? It gives the all casting including for the Corsaire pas de trois that @prs59 is referring to:

 

 

 

Do not be so rude.

 

I think it polite in the first time of mentioning to give the full name of the dancer as not everyone is familiar with first or shortened names.  After that it is fine.

[Dawnstar]

12 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Do not be so rude.

 

I think it polite in the first time of mentioning to give the full name of the dancer as not everyone is familiar with first or shortened names.  After that it is fine.

 

I was asking a question. What is wrong with asking? For all I know maybe the moderators are too busy so just infodump without having read the press releases they post. Because the point is that the full names of the dancers had been mentioned already on the thread, by your own post of the press release. So, while I personally prefer to shorten to surnames rather than first names, prs59's shortening did not seem unreasonable or confusing in the context of your own previous post which I had read just before reading prs59's post & I didn't understand why you were querying who the dancers were, unless you hadn't read the information you had posted.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Dawnstar

[Jan McNulty]

5 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I was asking a question. For all I know maybe the moderators are too busy so just infodump without having read the press releases they post. Because the point is that the full names of the dancers had been mentioned already on the thread, by your own post of the press release. So, while I personally prefer to shorten to surnames rather than first names, prs59's shortening did not seem unreasonable or confusing in the context of your own previous post.

 

Just to let you know that the press releases are actually read, edited (where necessary) and formatted (where necessary).  This one took a fair amount of reformatting because the forum software did not accept the formatting from the provided press release

 

I was making the point (as a general observation has shown that actually people often seem to skim through posts) that not everyone is so familiar with dancers names to know who is being spoken about.

[Dawnstar]

6 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Just to let you know that the press releases are actually read, edited (where necessary) and formatted (where necessary).  This one took a fair amount of reformatting because the forum software did not accept the formatting from the provided press release

 

I was making the point (as a general observation has shown that actually people often seem to skim through posts) that not everyone is so familiar with dancers names to know who is being spoken about.

 

That was what I would have expected & was why I was confused that you were then asking who the dancers were. I took your question as to who they were literally. I did not realise that you were asking to make a point. I have Asperger's so I do not always pick up on when people are being sarcastic, facetious, etc. rather than literal.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Dawnstar

[Lizbie1]

I don't think Dawnstar meant to be rude, but it *is* annoying for many when first names or nicknames are used, as has been mentioned on many occasions.

 

I'm not generally keen on being prescriptive, but this has been brought up so often that maybe we need some clear guidelines (if there aren't any already?) about naming conventions for dancers.

[Dawnstar]

I didn't. I was just confused as to why Jan was asking a question that she herself seemed to have already provided the information to answer in the previous post.

 

In terms of naming conventions, I often refer to dancers by surnames only. I am now wondering, in the light of Jan's last but one post, whether I have been unwittingly annoying people by using surnames only rather than full names.

[Jan McNulty]

1 minute ago, Lizbie1 said:

I don't think Dawnstar meant to be rude, but it *is* annoying for many when first names or nicknames are used, as has been mentioned on many occasions.

 

I'm not generally keen on being prescriptive, but this has been brought up so often that maybe we need some clear guidelines (if there aren't any already?) about naming conventions for dancers.

 

I don't think there are any specific guidelines as such and I agree about not being too prescriptive.  

 

I'm not that familiar with the Royal Ballet and am completely out of touch with ENB's dancers these days.  Equally I am aware that many members are not familiar with Northern and BRB.

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I didn't. I was just confused as to why Jan was asking a question that she herself seemed to have already provided the information to answer in the previous post.

 

In terms of naming conventions, I often refer to dancers by surnames only. I am now wondering, in the light of Jan's last but one post, whether I have been unwittingly annoying people by using surnames only rather than full names.

 

Dawnstar - I actually prefer surnames because they tend to be definitive (unless there are 2 dancers with the same surname in a company).  

 

A few years ago there were 3 Matthews in NB, all called Matt!  Even for someone familiar with the company roster it was a nightmare if people just said Matt.

[Dawnstar]

2 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Dawnstar - I actually prefer surnames because they tend to be definitive (unless there are 2 dancers with the same surname in a company).  

 

A few years ago there were 3 Matthews in NB, all called Matt!  Even for someone familiar with the company roster it was a nightmare if people just said Matt.

 

The RB currently has 2 dancers with the same surname, Mariko Sasaki and Sumina Sasaki (does anyone know if they are sisters or is it a common surname in Japan?), so I suppose in their case using their full names would be necessary, though as neither is currently at a level where they're doing lead roles they don't get mentioned much so the issue doesn't seem to have yet arisen.

[Lizbie1]

9 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

In terms of naming conventions, I often refer to dancers by surnames only. I am now wondering, in the light of Jan's last but one post, whether I have been unwittingly annoying people by using surnames only rather than full names.

 

I *much* prefer surnames to first names. (I usually find first names on their own over-familiar in this context, though I've done it once or twice out of sheer enthusiasm after a show.)

[Jan McNulty]

9 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

The RB currently has 2 dancers with the same surname, Mariko Sasaki and Sumina Sasaki (does anyone know if they are sisters or is it a common surname in Japan?), so I suppose in their case using their full names would be necessary, though as neither is currently at a level where they're doing lead roles they don't get mentioned much so the issue doesn't seem to have yet arisen.

 

In BRB when I first started watching ballet there were 2 O'Hares who were brothers (Kevin and Michael!) and 2 Clarkes (Simone and Jessica) who were not related.

 

Imagine how confusing it was when identical twins Stefano and Maurizio Giannetti were dancing at ENB!!!  

[LinMM]

I’m going to this tomorrow so very much looking forward to it! Am pleased to see some Royals dancing as well like Matthew Ball Cesar Corrales and Mayara Magri and a couple of ENB dancers too. 
It is a great shame it’s only on for one night though as if it wasn’t for a friend I would have missed this so don’t think it’s been that well advertised. 

[Dawnstar]

36 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Imagine how confusing it was when identical twins Stefano and Maurizio Giannetti were dancing at ENB!!!  

 

I'm now thinking that if there's not a ballet adapatation of Comedy of Errors then someone missed a trick then!

[bangorballetboy]

4 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I'm now thinking that if there's not a ballet adapatation of Comedy of Errors then someone missed a trick then!

Sir David Bintley is making one for Sarasota, première on 25 March 2022.

[Dawnstar]

Presumably too late for the twins Jan mentioned though. Unless Sarasota also conveniently has some twins on their roster!

[capybara]

I think that one of the problems we have over names is that the dancers themselves shorten them on social media (e.g. maymagriofficial and matty_ball) and people get used to what they call themselves.

 

Until I saw that, I didn’t know that she was May and he was Matty.

 

Thank you for the work you do in relation to formatting the press releases, Jan.

 

As far as I can discern, the Putrov Gala has been publicised widely, including on social media. 

[LinMM]

I’m not on Instagram or twitter so wouldn’t know if it has been advertised there and I haven’t seen a hint of it on Facebook. 
Perhaps more recently some posters have been put up but haven’t been in London for a few weeks so could have missed these especially as I hardly ever use the tube now and there were often posters about theatre events advertised down there.

[Naomi M]

 

3 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

The RB currently has 2 dancers with the same surname, Mariko Sasaki and Sumina Sasaki (does anyone know if they are sisters or is it a common surname in Japan?), so I suppose in their case using their full names would be necessary, though as neither is currently at a level where they're doing lead roles they don't get mentioned much so the issue doesn't seem to have yet arisen.

 

 

Sasaki is a very common surname in Japan, and as far as I know, Sumina Sasaki and Mariko Sasaki are not in relation.

(Sumina Sasaki comes from a very famous ballet family in Osaka, Japan.  her father Dai Sasaki is a medalist at Varna, Jackson and Moscow and still a big star dancer in Japan, and her sister and brother are both professional ballet dancers)

[alison]

I've seen several on the tube, even given the limited amount I've been in town.  They're sufficiently striking to be noticeable, I think.

[alison]

Just now, Naomi M said:

 

 

 

Sasaki is a very common surname in Japan, and as far as I know, Sumina Sasaki and Mariko Sasaki are not in relation.

(Sumina Sasaki comes from a very famous ballet family in Osaka, Japan.  her father Dai Sasaki is a medalist at Varna, Jackson and Moscow and still a big star dancer in Japan, and her sister and brother are both professional ballet dancers)

 

And are either of them related to Yohei (formerly of the Royal Ballet)?

 

There are quite a few Takahashis around too, not all of whom are related to each other.

[Naomi M]

1 minute ago, alison said:

 

And are either of them related to Yohei (formerly of the Royal Ballet)?

 

There are quite a few Takahashis around too, not all of whom are related to each other.

 

I don't think both of them are related to Yohei Sasaki either.

 

Yes, there are quite a few Takahashis around (such as Erina Takahashi). Yoshida is another very common surname. 

[San Perregrino]

21 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Who are Matty & Leo?

Matthew Ball & Leo Dixon as listed in the press release as dancing the Corsaire excerpt. I was quick to express my absolute glee when I read the news. No confusion intended to anyone on the forum and no offence meant to any dancer.  

[San Perregrino]

19 hours ago, LinMM said:

I’m going to this tomorrow so very much looking forward to it! Am pleased to see some Royals dancing as well like Matthew Ball Cesar Corrales and Mayara Magri and a couple of ENB dancers too. 
It is a great shame it’s only on for one night though as if it wasn’t for a friend I would have missed this so don’t think it’s been that well advertised. 

I’ve seen several ads on the tube, been flyered at the Proms and targeted with multiple ads on both Facebook and Instagram for this enticing evening. Initial ticket sales were slow, but the campaign seems to have worked as there are less than 60 seats in the whole house remaining for sale today. 

[LinMM]

I’ve not seen anything on Facebook though. 
Im sure I’ve liked both the Colisseum and Sadlers wells and ROH pages so should get notifications from them. 
I definitely get quite a bit from ROH but perhaps better check the other two. 
Or have the notifications come from individual dancers? As I don’t follow any dancers. 

[capybara]

48 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I’ve not seen anything on Facebook though. 
Im sure I’ve liked both the Colisseum and Sadlers wells and ROH pages so should get notifications from them. 
I definitely get quite a bit from ROH but perhaps better check the other two. 
Or have the notifications come from individual dancers? As I don’t follow any dancers. 

 

Individual dancers' social media accounts, an advertising stream which comes up automatically on Instagram, on here, posters and, now, a photo in today's edition of The Times.

It's looking as if sales have gone well. So pleased for Ivan Putrov who was, after all, one of the numerous freelancers affected by the pandemic.

[LinMM]

Well it’s good to know it’s nearly sold out. 
I think when I first booked I didn’t realise it was more of a one off Gala...I thought it was the Ukrainian Company and did think it a bit odd it was for only one night! 
I just wanted to see some ballet at the time so now this is turning out to be much more exciting than I first realised....though don’t relish the thought of London today it’s already really hot here in Brighton and it’s usually even hotter in London!