Scheherezade Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 13 minutes ago, SheilaC said: It's an interesting time. Northern Ballet still hasn't announced who their new AD will be; an insider told me that the interviews had taken place in November, but still no news, and a rumour that David Nixon has been asked to carry on until Easter. It's too soon for Acosta to put his hat into the ring for ENB but I think that Christopher Hampson, currently at Scottish Ballet, would be a good choice. He has added some interesting ballets to the rep and done a lot on the digital front. He is a good choreographer and has history with ENB, both as a dancer and as a choreographer. Yes, he has. New works that entertain and give a nod to nostalgia for the past with a modern twist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 43 minutes ago, LinMM said: There’s one person I can think of who would be amazing I think but wonder whether she would want the job🤔 At least the classics would be safe!! Who are you thinking of, LinMM. Am I being dense in needing to ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 I daren’t say but will suggest age may be a problem but she did relocate to London from US if that gives you a clue lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 I suppose Irek Mukhamedov might be a possibility. He has had some management and choreographic experience and does he not work for ENB as a principal ballet master? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 30 minutes ago, jmhopton said: I suppose Irek Mukhamedov might be a possibility. He has had some management and choreographic experience and does he not work for ENB as a principal ballet master? Irek hasn’t occupied that role for several years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 What a loss to British ballet and ENB! I hope whoever takes her place continues Rojo’s direction (a healthy mix of classics and new works both contemporary and classical, with a unique identity to RB etc) but also naturally would bring their own stamp too the way Rojo has gone. I’d be quite happy with someone just continuing what she’s done, I don’t want the direction to change. I found it really impressive how ENB seemed to be able to make new, successful (financially not just creative) works whilst still retaining classical works and reviving works (thinking Le Corsaire and now Raymonda) and focusing on ensuring U.K. audiences saw things not in the repertoire of other companies. For me it was a great mix/balance and despite RB being the larger company with (I assume) more financial security and a rooted base, ENB often felt to me the more dynamic company, pushing themselves to constantly be better and do more without compromise. Rojo wasn’t afraid to try new things even if perhaps they were not obviously going to be financially successful. (Not intended to come across as criticism to RB/ROH and I know with covid especially it’s been difficult but the programming has seemed quite formulaic/predictable and less inspiring in some ways over recent years when compared with ENB and their ambitions. Still love ROH of course!) Congratulations to Rojo on her appointment - wonder if she will take Raymonda with her? I hope works she has worked to commission for ENB (including Raymonda) stay with the company and aren’t cast aside, although it would be natural for her to want to take some with her but hopefully this means both locations are able to show them not just one? Very sad news but I hope whoever comes in can be equally successful and continue the progression. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 1 hour ago, jmhopton said: I suppose Irek Mukhamedov might be a possibility. He has had some management and choreographic experience and does he not work for ENB as a principal ballet master? Irek is now ballet master at the Paris Opera Ballet. He did run a small company a few years ago, which had quite a good range of ballets. So it's an interesting suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdove Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 If she would be interested I'd like to see Viviana Durante take over from Tamara. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, SheilaC said: Even better!! Kobburg did such a brilliant job in Bucharest - both in terms of exciting and varied rep and a dramatically splendid and technically astute company of dancers. There are several current dancers in the ENB company - including one Olivier Award winner - who were members of that fine ensemble (and, here, of course, I exclude the radiant Cojocaru). Edited January 11, 2022 by Bruce Wall 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 The NYT interview linked above is interesting - it touches on the management problems of a few years ago and perhaps sheds some light on their resolution (hope this is OK to quote): 'Rojo said she would bring a “system of checks and balances” developed at English National — involving the wider artistic team in casting and dancer evaluations — to San Francisco Ballet. She added, “I like transparency in leadership. I think it’s important for dancers to understand how decisions are made”... '..."Tamara was not afraid to admit mistakes and find solutions,” Evers said.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 1 hour ago, JNC said: What a loss to British ballet and ENB! I hope whoever takes her place continues Rojo’s direction (a healthy mix of classics and new works both contemporary and classical, with a unique identity to RB etc) but also naturally would bring their own stamp too the way Rojo has gone. I’d be quite happy with someone just continuing what she’s done, I don’t want the direction to change. Not picking on you or anything, JNC, it was just that your post happened to be "nearest" to quote, but - apart from my stunned surprise - I've several times had a wry smile on my face this evening as I recall the disgruntlement with which her initial appointment was received by many How things appear to have changed since then! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) I’ll throw a few names in … Federico Bonelli … Clore leadership programme, now aged 44 Nehemiah Kish has done an arts and culture policy course I believe. Total speculation of course. I’ve no idea if they are interested. Or would be deemed capable. Daria Klimentova? What about other retired/near retiring ENB dancers? I wonder if Johan Kobborg is more interested in being independent. In that he’s experienced 5 years of personal freedom since leaving Bucharest. He’s produced new ballets each year for different companies (Russia, Japan and America) as well as for Sergei Polunin. Plus he was full time advisor to Ralph Fiennes on The White Crow. He seems busy to me, and more importantly on projects of his own choice. Having said all that, he would do a great job!! Edited January 12, 2022 by FionaE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 It was only a day or two ago that I was wondering in another thread whether some unsuccessful candidates for previous artistic directorships, on seeing what happened when Covid struck, might have thought they'd had a lucky escape. (Or, for that matter, have come up with some brilliant brainwaves on how to operate under the restrictions.) I'll be very interested to see who applies this time - or at least who is selected, given the usual hush-hush nature of these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromthebalcony Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 Two directors here in the states that I believe would be wonderful and have roots in British ballet: Ashley Wheater, who has done wonderful things with Joffrey Ballet, and Iain Webb, who despite a very small budget in Sarasota, has delighted audiences with Ashton and MacMillan's works. I really thought Wheater might have been a good pick for San Francisco since he had danced there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 What about Ethan Steifel and Gillian Murphy? and also has there been an announcement about who will be taking over from Kevin McKenzie at ABT? He is also retiring at the end of this 2022 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josette Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Ashley Wheater was also ballet master at SFB before he became director of Joffrey Ballet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosiesDream Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Very disappointed that Tamara is going. From my point of view, she's irreplaceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 I hope she brings a fresh perspective to SF Ballet. I was a season ticket holder early in the Helgi Tomasson regime, when he basically chucked out everything that Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin had done and proceeded to turn the company into the west-coast branch of NYCB. It basically became Balanchine/Forsythe/Balanchine/Forsythe with bits of seriously forgettable choreography of his own. Gave up our season tickets after a few years of that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 11 hours ago, fromthebalcony said: Two directors here in the states that I believe would be wonderful and have roots in British ballet: Ashley Wheater, who has done wonderful things with Joffrey Ballet, and Iain Webb, who despite a very small budget in Sarasota, has delighted audiences with Ashton and MacMillan's works. I really thought Wheater might have been a good pick for San Francisco since he had danced there. Would Iain Webb be on the mature side if ENB are looking longer term? I believe people commented on that when there was speculation that he might be interested in BRB when SDB retired in 2019. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 What about candidates from within ENB or with a significant relationship with ENB? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 5 hours ago, Melody said: I hope she brings a fresh perspective to SF Ballet. I was a season ticket holder early in the Helgi Tomasson regime, when he basically chucked out everything that Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin had done and proceeded to turn the company into the west-coast branch of NYCB. It basically became Balanchine/Forsythe/Balanchine/Forsythe with bits of seriously forgettable choreography of his own. Gave up our season tickets after a few years of that. I've sometimes wondered how people in the US feel about the Balanchine hegemony there. Or does it just go unquestioned, much as Petipa's centrality does in most major companies in Europe? (One major difference IMO is that the Petipa rep offers more scope for stylistic variety, as there are more gaps to fill and no Marius Petipa Trust to oversee every aspect.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromthebalcony Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 4 hours ago, Jan McNulty said: Would Iain Webb be on the mature side if ENB are looking longer term? I believe people commented on that when there was speculation that he might be interested in BRB when SDB retired in 2019. That could be. I believe he is in his early 60's. I do like what he has done in Sarasota. As far as San Fran rep goes, they do Balanchine and Forsythe, but their season always includes several full-length ballets and a very healthy dose of other choreographers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Another ‘name’ in the melt must surely be Cassa Pancho, the founder and AD of Ballet Black. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 6 minutes ago, capybara said: Another ‘name’ in the melt must surely be Cassa Pancho, the founder and AD of Ballet Black. Challenge here is classical credentials. To be honest, the only name in the Balletcoforum ring which has sparked my interest is the mention of Viviana Durante by @blackdove. The reason I think this is because she has danced the greats and with the greats, she leads the school which fuels (theoretically) the company so will be of the right mindset from that perspective and because of the projects she has undertaken with her eponymous company which demonstrates the value of exploring old works and the springboard this creates to produce new works. What she is doing within her company at the moment demonstrates her passion for ballet and dance and a similar lack of fear to Tamara Rojo. It would also ensure the continuity of diverse - in this case female -leadership within the top companies in the UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 With hubby Isaac Hernandez going too, there’s an opening for a lead principal at ENB. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 I think it's worth remembering that ENB really took a punt with Rojo - she was still "just" a dancer when they appointed her and as Alison alludes to above many had doubts. The ENB board might feel emboldened to take a similar risk when they go looking this time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 5 minutes ago, Blossom said: Challenge here is classical credentials. To be honest, the only name in the Balletcoforum ring which has sparked my interest is the mention of Viviana Durante by @blackdove. The reason I think this is because she has danced the greats and with the greats, she leads the school which fuels (theoretically) the company so will be of the right mindset from that perspective and because of the projects she has undertaken with her eponymous company which demonstrates the value of exploring old works and the springboard this creates to produce new works. What she is doing within her company at the moment demonstrates her passion for ballet and dance and a similar lack of fear to Tamara Rojo. It would also ensure the continuity of diverse - in this case female -leadership within the top companies in the UK. I understand the thinking, but I have to say that I find Durante puzzling. She often says 'we' when talking about her plans and activities, and my impression is that she tends to speak in rather bland generalisations. Maybe she's just not very good at vocalising her thoughts (but that's not great for an AD). Or maybe she has a good team around her that enables her to take plans forward (though her recent projects have been interesting but not problem-free). Either way I'd be a bit nervous if she was appointed to ENB. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 9 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: I think it's worth remembering that ENB really took a punt with Rojo - she was still "just" a dancer when they appointed her and as Alison alludes to above many had doubts. The ENB board might feel emboldened to take a similar risk when they go looking this time. I suspect they will - they won't want it to look like a regressive step and I think the profile of the candidate will be as important as their qualifications. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Allessandra Ferri coming to be kind as a worthy successor....????? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) I had thought of Daria Klimentova as well because of her past association. Now I could be controversial and suggest her jointly with Vadim Muntagirov!!! At least we wouldn’t lose Vadim and he could still dance as Tamara has done throughout her Directorship. The person I daren’t mention earlier in the thread was Alessandra Ferri as she does now live in London. But her age ...she is 58...may be against her as it’s a massive job to take on unless again she were to do it jointly with somebody. I think a joint Directorship could be okay if the two people were bringing different aspects of the job to the table. How about Kobborg and Cojocaru together? Edited January 12, 2022 by LinMM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 38 minutes ago, bridiem said: I suspect they will - they won't want it to look like a regressive step and I think the profile of the candidate will be as important as their qualifications. Yes. Rightly or wrongly, I suspect that having a "big name" again may be important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 5 minutes ago, LinMM said: I had thought of Daria Klimentova as well because of her past association. Now I could be controversial and suggest her jointly with Vadim Muntagirov!!! At least we wouldn’t lose Vadim and he could still dance as Tamara has done throughout her Directorship. The person I daren’t mention earlier in the thread was Alessandra Ferri as she does now live in London. But her age ...she is 58...may be against her as it’s a massive job to take on unless again she were to do it jointly with somebody. I think a joint Directorship could be okay if the two people were bringing different aspects of the job to the table. How about Kobborg and Cojocaru together? I very much hope that Muntagirov will remain wholly focussed on performing (preferably with the Royal Ballet) for a long time yet! (And he's only 31.) I don't know if Ferri would be interested, but I don't think her age should be a bar. 58 isn't that old! I think that joint directors tends to be problematic, but Kobborg/Cojocaru could be interesting! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 39 minutes ago, Peanut68 said: Allessandra Ferri coming to be kind as a worthy successor....????? Oh dear.... my phone actually changed my typing without me spotting too late to edit... Please read ‘coming to be kind as’ for what I meant ‘could be seen as’ 🙄Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts