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Royal Ballet School matinee, 16th July 2022


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49 minutes ago, ChrisG said:

The programme actually said 'This afternoon's performance will be filmed for the School by BalletBoyz' and then named the couple who had sponsored the film. Whilst they might have engaged high profile film-makers like BalletBoyz simply to do a glossy internal promo, might it also be the case that they engaged them so that they might have something for some future public release. Just thinking aloud! I guess it all comes down to what 'for the School' means.

 

The cameras used used looked far smaller than those usually used for public release material

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4 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned her performance yesterday, but if I'm reading the programme correctly I thought her Raymonda variation was excellent - fizzing with character.

 

Sad to think that unless she is exceptionally fortunate and gets fast tracked, the chances of her dancing either that or something equally challenging in next few years are remote.

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3 hours ago, LinMM said:

Going back to those Raymonda variations we thought one of them was done with beautiful control and expression. The dancer was Japanese or Korean looking but don’t know now whether it was Frieda Kaden or Chaeyeon Kang who is younger.

 

 

I thought it was Kang?

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Isn’t there an element of child protection,  safeguarding and anonymity 

attached to the lack of detail and non-streaming for the RBS? It makes sense to me that there would be as most are minors. 
After all, an RB cast sheet only names the main characters, the bulk of the company are simply referred to as Artists of the Royal Ballet.  It can take quite a lot of patient sleuthing to identify and name artists. 

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Alison: I’m going to have to do Raymonda variations on YouTube because although I can hum the music to it I can’t remember whether it was the 2nd or 3rd variation…hopefully will find out later! 

BBB : okay thanks. But does it vary from year to year?   Right now I have in front of me the 2019 RBS Performance from Sunday July 14th and all the dancers who do solos, pas de deux pas de Trois etc are individually named and even the corps dancers are individually named not just “Year 11” students or “Upper school 2nd year” students as happened this year. 
It’s on two sheets of paper with RBS logo on. Whether this was in addition to the red booklet I don’t know but it doesn’t give graduate information. I’ve written this in hand on the back so must have got info from either an additional booklet or from the Forum or from RBS website not sure which!! 
Unfortunately I can’t access my other Ballet programmes just at the moment as the box they are all in is temporarily blocked by an unassembled wardrobe!! I happen to have this one out from a couple of months ago to give someone on the Forum some info. 

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16 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

The cameras used used looked far smaller than those usually used for public release material

Last year’s performance was filmed and then only parents were allowed access to it afterwards as it was a ‘Covid ‘year and only year 11 from WL appeared alongside the upper school . Perhaps the school wish to do the same this year ? 
 

Certainly at ENBS performance this year  was also filmed but only staff will be allowed to view. 

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3 hours ago, LinMM said:

BBB : okay thanks. But does it vary from year to year?   Right now I have in front of me the 2019 RBS Performance from Sunday July 14th and all the dancers who do solos, pas de deux pas de Trois etc are individually named and even the corps dancers are individually named not just “Year 11” students or “Upper school 2nd year” students as happened this year. 

 

I'm not sure what you're looking at, Lin, and I didn't go to that performance, but this year's cast list credited all the dancers, just mentioning for information which years were involved at the top of each piece.  I think that's been the case the previous few times I've been, too.

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Yes the casting on RB website did but not in the red Programme booklet bought on the day which just generalised casting to Year groups. 
I suspect that as 2019 was a pre Covid year they did do printed cast lists separately from the Programme booklet  just as they did for the main Company shows back then. 
So perhaps that is my confusion. 
Perhaps the red booklets have never had casting in its always been printed separately but of course this year the casting is only online as with main Company. 
This year The ROH casting for this show doesn’t give info about the music used but the red booklet does so between the two managed to get all info needed….except exactly which Companies the graduates will be joining… I’m probably imagining it but thought this was more detailed in the red booklet in previous years but as can’t access them at the moment don’t know for sure. 

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Well what else to do with the temp outside at 33 degrees than be in a coolish  room looking at Raymonda videos to sort out which music goes with variation 2 and which with 3 to decide who danced which variation at RBS show!!! 
The slower variation music is variation 3 ….so this was Chaeyeon Kang you were right Alison! 
You’d be surprised though that these variations are not always in the same order or even the same music used with other companies but in the process caught a fabulous Raymonda main variation from Lopatkina that I’ve not seen before and the gorgeous “dream variation” in Act one from Smirnova and Khoreva which has some similar choreography to variation 3 in Act 3 and that lovely music of course. 
Anyway I would have saved myself a lot of time if I had just googled the two dancers as it was obviously Kang whose variation I had particularly liked on Saturday. 
She went to the Royal Ballet school after winning a prize at the 2020 Prix de Lausanne….she was only 15 then so only 17 possibly just 18 now. 
Definitely one of those to watch for the future though so much talent in this years graduates too and at least ten of them staying in UK. 
Hopefully will find out where the others are going soon too …I wonder if any have joined ENB this year? 

Postie …you may be correct as on my 2019 cast list only individual names are listed for White Lodge years 10 and 11 and then the Upper School students. 
I suppose year 10 might only be 15 but names are mentioned in the piece “Bottega”

But where years 7 8 and 9 are concerned names are not mentioned. 

 

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1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Well what else to do with the temp outside at 33 degrees than be in a coolish  room looking at Raymonda videos to sort out which music goes with variation 2 and which with 3 to decide who danced which variation at RBS show!!! 
The slower variation music is variation 3 ….so this was Chaeyeon Kang you were right Alison! 
You’d be surprised though that these variations are not always in the same order or even the same music used with other companies but in the process caught a fabulous Raymonda main variation from Lopatkina that I’ve not seen before and the gorgeous “dream variation” in Act one from Smirnova and Khoreva which has some similar choreography to variation 3 in Act 3 and that lovely music of course. 
Anyway I would have saved myself a lot of time if I had just googled the two dancers as it was obviously Kang whose variation I had particularly liked on Saturday. 
She went to the Royal Ballet school after winning a prize at the 2020 Prix de Lausanne….she was only 15 then so only 17 possibly just 18 now. 
Definitely one of those to watch for the future though so much talent in this years graduates too and at least ten of them staying in UK. 
Hopefully will find out where the others are going soon too …I wonder if any have joined ENB this year? 

Postie …you may be correct as on my 2019 cast list only individual names are listed for White Lodge years 10 and 11 and then the Upper School students. 
I suppose year 10 might only be 15 but names are mentioned in the piece “Bottega”

But where years 7 8 and 9 are concerned names are not mentioned. 

 

Chaeyeon Kang has just completed second year at the school so won’t graduate till next year. We saw her dance at opera Holland Park and she definitely caught our eyes 

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4 hours ago, FionaE said:

 

I find it interesting that neither of the two Rayonda leads are joining the RB. I didn't attend the performance so I don't know how big the roles in the various contemporary works were but my assumption from looking at the online cast sheet was be that the 2 leading roles in Raymonda would be the plum roles out of the entire performance. Therefore I'd expect those roles to go to the "best" dancers & that they would be 2 of the 4 or 5 dancers picked by the RB for their next year's intake. Evidently my assumptions are wrong.

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Just now, Dawnstar said:

 

I find it interesting that neither of the two Rayonda leads are joining the RB. I didn't attend the performance so I don't know how big the roles in the various contemporary works were but my assumption from looking at the online cast sheet was be that the 2 leading roles in Raymonda would be the plum roles out of the entire performance. Therefore I'd expect those roles to go to the "best" dancers & that they would be 2 of the 4 or 5 dancers picked by the RB for their next year's intake. Evidently my assumptions are wrong.


Maybe I’m naive but perhaps they didn’t want to join RB?

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1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:


Maybe I’m naive but perhaps they didn’t want to join RB?

 

indeed lots of reasons to join other companies … different rep, better offers, such as more chance of soloist roles earlier.  

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5 hours ago, FionaE said:

 

indeed lots of reasons to join other companies … different rep, better offers, such as more chance of soloist roles earlier.  

 

But I wonder how many RBS students have turned down a contract offer from the RB?

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There’s no guarantee that an Aub Jensen contract will lead to full artist contract… in these hard times as graduate  if you have the choice between full artist and an apprentice - you def choose the artist contract … especially if the choice is between RB and BRB. 

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Also bear in mind that the school AD chooses the casting for school performances and the company AD Selects  for a spot in the company, so may have different tastes or opinions. Plus companies may choose a certain type of dancer to fit the company. 
There are many reasons not least the choice  of the student as other people have said, who may prefer a definite place as an artist of another company where they may get more opportunities sooner at another company than royal.

I think I recall Tamara Rojo saying after graduating she deliberately chose a spot in a smaller company first as she thought she was more likely to get a chance to dance soloist roles and get promotion sooner.

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IIRC Joseph Aumeer chose the equivalent of an ‘apprenticeship’ with POB over an Aud Jebsen place with the RB. In the event, he joined the RB two years later and, 4 years subsequently , is heading for Denmark.

 

A few further examples -  there are many more……..Leticia Dias went to a full contract in Birmingham and moved to the RB after a year. Connie Vowles joined ENB but is now with Dutch National. Hannah Grennell was with Dutch National before joining the RB.

 

So there are many different routes which a dancer can take. And there must, surely, be conversations involving the school as well as the ADs and the students as to which ‘placements’ are in the best interests of all concerned.

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Even at graduation level some dancers  are slightly more developed than others so some taking places in Junior Companies or Apprenticeship contracts might suit them better just at this point whilst others may be suited to being taken on as artists  in a main but smaller Company already. 
AD’s of schools and Companies can definitely see dancers differently. I know of at least one dancer where the AD of the main Company was keen (at a major competition) but the School AD of that Company then didn’t seem to be so sure. This dancer is now dancing all the main ballet roles with a completely different Company….so yes many different routes to eventually find one’s niche and fulfil one’s dreams. 
Isabella Gasparini is another example of not choosing or being offered a contract with the RB immediately but is now some years later becoming a shining star there. 
I don’t know where Aud Jebsen dancers go if not on to Royal would have to research but I’m sure would be offered contracts at other Companies down the line.  

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12 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:


Maybe I’m naive but perhaps they didn’t want to join RB?

 

I suppose I was assuming that any dancer who chooses to go to the RBS would also ideally want to join the RB, but clearly not.

 

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

So where do dancers that have been Aud Jebsen dancers but not taken on by the RB go?

 

Have there been many dancers who haven't been taken on? In the last 2 or 3 years everyone seems to have either been taken on after a year or given a second year in the programme. Were there many before that who were let go after a year of the programme?

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26 minutes ago, LinMM said:


Isabella Gasparini is another example of not choosing or being offered a contract with the RB immediately but is now some years later becoming a shining star there. 

 

Isabella graduated from NBoC's school and joined Northern Ballet in 2007.  She did not go to RBS.

 

https://northernballet.com/biography/isabella-gasparini

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/people/isabella-gasparini

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1 hour ago, Rob S said:

So where do dancers that have been Aud Jebsen dancers but not taken on by the RB go?

 

Grace Horler was an Aud Jebsen apprentice in the 2014/15 season (as was Ashley Dean). This was the first year of the scheme. On leaving the Royal Ballet Grace joined Scottish Ballet and is now a soloist in that company.

https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/profile/grace-horler/biography

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36 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I suppose I was assuming that any dancer who chooses to go to the RBS would also ideally want to join the RB, but clearly not.

 

 

Have there been many dancers who haven't been taken on? In the last 2 or 3 years everyone seems to have either been taken on after a year or given a second year in the programme. Were there many before that who were let go after a year of the programme?

 

I don't go that far back so I can only think of Lania Atkins who went to Norwegian National Ballet 

 

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I’ve just been doing research and it does seem most are eventually taken into the Company but of those since 2014 who didn’t join Royal afterwards these are the Companies they went to and it seems ALL did get other contracts though not naming names:  National Ballet of Portugal, Scottish Ballet, Estonian Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Ballett am Rhein, Bayerische’s Staatsballet ( Munich) and Norwegian Ballet. 
This info gleaned from looking at leavers and joiners of RB since 2015 with a couple of individual Google’s!! 
 

Really sorry Jan I was sure she went to RBS!! Anyway her story shows even more that there are many pathways to eventual success though I’m sure Northern were sorry to lose her!! 

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14 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

I don't go that far back so I can only think of Lania Atkins who went to Norwegian National Ballet 

 


But I don’t think that Lania was at the RBS, was she?

There was another Ashley who came into the Aud Jebsen scheme from ENBS alongside Ashley Dean (Scott back then) but I’m not sure of her name - maybe Ashley McKimmie? - or where she went subsequently.

Arianna Maldini actually went to Munich as a Soloist after her Aud Jebsen year.

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