Royal Ballet Winter season casting, 2022-23

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Sim said:

I have said it up-thread so I will say it again:  I wish it were James Hay dancing Florimund to Akane's Aurora.  As I've said ad infinitum, they were wonderful together in the last run and (unless they are scheduled together later in the upcoming run) I just don't see why they couldn't have been given one, just one, performance together.  Two would have been better, but I'd take one.  I think I might be speaking for others who are more subtle than I am...

Me too! (Or me eight, by the looks of things).

 

Not that I’m telling the RB artistic staff how to do their job, but my suggestions would have been:

I would have cast Takada & Hay (and they were the pairing I couldn’t see several years ago!) As that leaves the question of who Sambe partners, and a bit of a musical chairs left, I would have paired the others thus: 

O’Sullivan & Sambe

Lamb & McRae

Magri & Campbell

Hayward & Campbell

I would keep the pairings of  Nunez & Muntagirov, Kaneko & Bracewell.

 

Assuming there are other principals and soloists in the next run being paired up to do the roles but I think these pairings work with the various principals’ strengths, styles, and instincts. 

 

[Guest oncnp]

19 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Me too! (Or me eight, by the looks of things).

 

Not that I’m telling the RB artistic staff how to do their job, but my suggestions would have been:

I would have cast Takada & Hay (and they were the pairing I couldn’t see several years ago!) As that leaves the question of who Sambe partners, and a bit of a musical chairs left, I would have paired the others thus: 

O’Sullivan & Sambe

Lamb & McRae

Magri & Campbell

Hayward & Campbell

I would keep the pairings of  Nunez & Muntagirov, Kaneko & Bracewell.

 

Assuming there are other principals and soloists in the next run being paired up to do the roles but I think these pairings work with the various principals’ strengths, styles, and instincts. 

 

 

Kaneko and Muntagirov have been dancing Bolle and Friends and R&J with the Cape Town City Ballet this summer. I'd like a chance to see them together in this. 

[jmhopton]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

I have said it up-thread so I will say it again:  I wish it were James Hay dancing Florimund to Akane's Aurora.  As I've said ad infinitum, they were wonderful together in the last run and (unless they are scheduled together later in the upcoming run) I just don't see why they couldn't have been given one, just one, performance together.  Two would have been better, but I'd take one.  I think I might be speaking for others who are more subtle than I am...

Personally, I'd love to see James Hay dance Florimund with anyone!!! Perhaps Francesca or Anna Rose by choice in the second run. However, I'd also love just to see James Hay DANCE. He must be one of the most underused first soloists and it's such a shame when he's such a great dancer. He hardly ever gets any major roles; only supporting roles if he's lucky. I seem to remember Reece Clarke got leading roles when he was still a soloist and of course many more when he became first soloist. Why is James Hay so overlooked? I know he's not very tall which may limit his choice of partners but then neither is Sambe and it's never held him back. Same with Mcrae. Alex Campbell is another dancer who never gets as many roles as other principals. I know it's very difficult for Kevin with so many great dancers to choose from so he can never please everyone. Surely James will be the prince in Cinderella, there are so many performances, but I want to see him before then.

[Dawnstar]

Hay didn't have much luck in the last run of Sleeping Beauty either, as he missed one of his two scheduled performances, I believe due to illness rather than injury as he seemed fine when I saw the only performance he did do. I'm glad I did manage to see his one perofrmance as it's the only leading role I've managed to see him do thus far. He was off injured when I should have seen him as Hans-Peter the previous year & the other roles I've seen him do have been supporting rather than leading.

[capybara]

12 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

Kaneko and Muntagirov have been dancing Bolle and Friends and R&J with the Cape Town City Ballet this summer. I'd like a chance to see them together in this. 

Agreed. This is the sort of ‘mix and match’ Kevin needs to go for.

[annamk]

16 hours ago, Sim said:

I have said it up-thread so I will say it again:  I wish it were James Hay dancing Florimund to Akane's Aurora.  As I've said ad infinitum, they were wonderful together in the last run and (unless they are scheduled together later in the upcoming run) I just don't see why they couldn't have been given one, just one, performance together.  Two would have been better, but I'd take one.  I think I might be speaking for others who are more subtle than I am...

I couldn't agree more Sim. Poor James Hay, what does he have to do to get cast ? He turned in a simply brilliant performance. He and Akane danced as one, the grand pas was stunning - it was unexpectedly one of the most enjoyable, joyous, wonderful Sleeping Beauty performances for years and yet he is passed over. Unfathomable. 

[Emeralds]

14 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Me too! (Or me eight, by the looks of things).

 

Not that I’m telling the RB artistic staff how to do their job, but my suggestions would have been:

I would have cast Takada & Hay (and they were the pairing I couldn’t see several years ago!) As that leaves the question of who Sambe partners, and a bit of a musical chairs left, I would have paired the others thus: 

O’Sullivan & Sambe

Lamb & McRae

Magri & Campbell

Hayward & Campbell

I would keep the pairings of  Nunez & Muntagirov, Kaneko & Bracewell.

 

Assuming there are other principals and soloists in the next run being paired up to do the roles but I think these pairings work with the various principals’ strengths, styles, and instincts. 

 

Argh- I meant Hayward and Corrales.  Of course I wouldn’t have left Cesar out! I may need to change devices to post on this forum- this one can’t seem to cope with all the editing and surnames, and keeps trying to autocorrect names!

 

13 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Personally, I'd love to see James Hay dance Florimund with anyone!!! Perhaps Francesca or Anna Rose by choice in the second run. However, I'd also love just to see James Hay DANCE. He must be one of the most underused first soloists and it's such a shame when he's such a great dancer. He hardly ever gets any major roles; only supporting roles if he's lucky. I seem to remember Reece Clarke got leading roles when he was still a soloist and of course many more when he became first soloist. Why is James Hay so overlooked? I know he's not very tall which may limit his choice of partners but then neither is Sambe and it's never held him back. Same with Mcrae. Alex Campbell is another dancer who never gets as many roles as other principals. I know it's very difficult for Kevin with so many great dancers to choose from so he can never please everyone. Surely James will be the prince in Cinderella, there are so many performances, but I want to see him before then.

Agree totally with jmhopton. Some of the best performances for me in certain roles have been on the nights James danced those roles. There was this performance of A Month in the Country where he danced Kolya’s solo with such subtlety and virtuosity (the height and ballon in the jumps, and the mastery of his spins where he went really fast but then slowed down with such control that he was able to melt into the next move), and was able to end it with a mimed (or real?) chuckle which you could imagine a boy like Kolya doing. 

 

And a performance of the Two Pigeons where his remorse in the last scene and the love, gratitude and overwhelming emotion at being welcomed back by his girlfriend (danced by Yasmine Naghdi) was so moving that our whole group was teary eyed at the end. I really hope he’s cast as the Prince for Cinderella too- there are two pals and I who have decided to prioritise good seats to see him in it (or they aren’t coming!). 😆

Edited August 14, 2022 by Emeralds

[Sim]

21 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Me too! (Or me eight, by the looks of things).

 

Not that I’m telling the RB artistic staff how to do their job, but my suggestions would have been:

I would have cast Takada & Hay (and they were the pairing I couldn’t see several years ago!) As that leaves the question of who Sambe partners, and a bit of a musical chairs left, I would have paired the others thus: 

O’Sullivan & Sambe

Lamb & McRae

Magri & Campbell

Hayward & Campbell

I would keep the pairings of  Nunez & Muntagirov, Kaneko & Bracewell.

 

Assuming there are other principals and soloists in the next run being paired up to do the roles but I think these pairings work with the various principals’ strengths, styles, and instincts. 

 

And not forgetting the gorgeous Naghdi/Ball partnership in this ballet.  Her Aurora is sublime, and Ball makes a true danseur noble in this role.  

[zxDaveM]

14 minutes ago, Sim said:

And not forgetting the gorgeous Naghdi/Ball partnership in this ballet.  Her Aurora is sublime, and Ball makes a true danseur noble in this role.  

 

Naghdi + AN Other usually does the trick for me! 😉

[Fonty]

A headline today caught my eye:

"How costly was the Nunez nightmare?"  I was in a state of bewilderment.  What on earth had happened to Marianela? Had the Royal Ballet incurred some sort of financial debt? Had she gone down with a nasty contagious disease that meant the ROH would have to be closed? 

I was quite relieved to discover that it was, in fact, referring to a footballer with the same name. 🙂  That's ok then, nothing to worry about.  

Edited August 16, 2022 by Fonty

[Jan McNulty]

57 minutes ago, Fonty said:

A headline today caught my eye:

I was quite relieved to discover that it was, in fact, referring to a footballer with the same name. 🙂  That's ok then, nothing to worry about.  

 

Unless you happen to be a Liverpool supporter!!  I believe Mr Klopp was not amused.

[Sim]

Listening to Daphnis and Chloe being played at the Proms by the NYO.  I so wish we could see this ballet again.  

[BRS]

Does anyone have an idea as to when they will post the casting for Sleeping Beauty later in the season (spring dates)? 

[Emeralds]

On 19/08/2022 at 21:21, Sim said:

Listening to Daphnis and Chloe being played at the Proms by the NYO.  I so wish we could see this ballet again.  

They were great! I was there and thought the same thing. Incidentally, if the RB are worried about costs or space to fit in a chorus, they might be interested to hear that the NYO musicians did their own singing for both Daphnis and Chloe and the Danny Elfman piece- even the woodwind and brass players - when they were not playing their instruments.!  

 

The RB also has the option of the RBS or the school choirs they normally engage for Nutcracker and other ballets. The singing in Daphnis and Chloe would be simple enough and within the voice range of school choirs. There seems to be a lot of orchestras programming Daphnis this season after that NYO performance.....but still no revival from RB announced, sadly. Doing it as part of an Ashton Festival with a number of other seldom-seen Ashton works would be great for ticket sales, tourism, the dancers’ experience, and artistic interest. 

1 hour ago, BRS said:

Does anyone have an idea as to when they will post the casting for Sleeping Beauty later in the season (spring dates)? 

I don’t think there’s an official date or timescale, but I’ve seen spring casting before November  (a lot may have changed due to the pandemic interruptions).

Edited September 23, 2022 by Emeralds

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, BRS said:

Does anyone have an idea as to when they will post the casting for Sleeping Beauty later in the season (spring dates)? 

Hello BRS and welcome to the Forum!

[San Perregrino]

On 19/08/2022 at 21:21, Sim said:

Listening to Daphnis and Chloe being played at the Proms by the NYO.  I so wish we could see this ballet again.  

DAPHNIS AND CHLOE (1951) WITH ANTHONY DOWELL AND RONALD HYND

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

The Frederick Ashton Foundation presents an Ashton Rediscovered masterclass at the Royal Ballet Upper School, 46 Floral Street, WC2 on Sunday 16 October at 2.30 – 5.30pm (doors open 2.00pm) where Anthony Dowell and Ronald Hynd will coach dancers of The Royal Ballet in the Daphnis and Dorkon solos from Ashton’s 1951 ballet Daphnis and Chloe. The masterclass, which is filmed for educational and research purposes, is introduced by Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance at the V&A, and is followed by a drinks reception. 

Tickets are £65. For ticket application form, email ashtonevents@yahoo.com or leave a message on 020 7370 2520 (voicemail service)

[LinMM]

How annoying that’s the weekend we are away as this looks really interesting. 
Thanks for info anyway PeterS 

[BRS]

On 23/09/2022 at 15:51, Jan McNulty said:

Hello BRS and welcome to the Forum!

Thank you!  

 

On 23/09/2022 at 15:48, Emeralds said:

I don’t think there’s an official date or timescale, but I’ve seen spring casting before November  (a lot may have changed due to the pandemic interruptions).

Thank you for the info...we are planning a trip from the US as a graduation present for my daughter.  Really prefer to go in May, but she has her dreams set on seeing M. Nunez in Sleeping Beauty, and I am starting to get the feeling she may not be cast in Spring?!? I am a planner and worry about flights hotels etc. So, I am anxiously awaiting casting!

[capybara]

1 hour ago, BRS said:

Thank you!  

 

Thank you for the info...we are planning a trip from the US as a graduation present for my daughter.  Really prefer to go in May, but she has her dreams set on seeing M. Nunez in Sleeping Beauty, and I am starting to get the feeling she may not be cast in Spring?!? I am a planner and worry about flights hotels etc. So, I am anxiously awaiting casting!

 

Marianela Nunez is already shown as dancing Aurora on the 16the and 20th January and the 3rd February 2023.

[BRS]

3 hours ago, capybara said:

 

Marianela Nunez is already shown as dancing Aurora on the 16the and 20th January and the 3rd February 2023.

Thank you...sorry I wasn't very clear...we know that she is scheduled for January, we would really rather go in May, IF she is performing then. But thank you for making sure I knew about January

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, BRS said:

Thank you...sorry I wasn't very clear...we know that she is scheduled for January, we would really rather go in May, IF she is performing then. But thank you for making sure I knew about January

My guess is that judging by the way casting has been done this year and last year, unfortunately it doesn’t look like Marianela will be dancing it in May, as she has already been given 3 spots (maybe if she only had one or two, she might have had another in May). However, that might change if another ballerina scheduled for May is injured and Marianela is free- she might than step in to do it. I’d say if your daughter is really, really keen to see Marianela and it’s convenient for you all to come in January or early February, that would be better. If you are able to wait longer for the casting information, you can then find out who you’d get for May.

[alison]

On 23/09/2022 at 18:51, BRS said:

Does anyone have an idea as to when they will post the casting for Sleeping Beauty later in the season (spring dates)? 

 

Yes, it would be really useful to know if anyone was going to double up or if different combinations were to be used (the latter unlikely, I suspect).

[Dawnstar]

I do wish the Sleeping Beauty casting information also included the Lilac Fairy & Carabosse in addition to Aurora & the Prince. I booked today to see Mayara Magri's Aurora debut in January but I'd also like to see her as the Lilac Fairy, if she's also doing that role again this time. However with no Lilac Fairy advanced casting information it'll be pure luck if I happen to see her or not. In the last run I ended up seeing Claire Calvert once then Gina Storm-Jensen live twice & the cinecast. While I like Storm-Jensen, I would have preferred to see a greater variety of Lilac Fairies. I wonder why it is that for Mayerling the casting for 9 roles is announced in advance (has anyone booked Mayerling to see a particular Emperor Franz Joseph?!) yet for many ballets only the 2 main leads are announced.

[Guest oncnp]

The" New Pam Tanowitz" now has a name (from Gramilano)

 

SECRET THINGS – World Premiere

• Dancers: Hannah Grennell, Nadia Mullova-Barley, Annette Buvoli, Mica Bradbury, Liam Boswell, Giacomo Rovero, Brayden Gallucci, Francisco Serrano

DISPATCH DUET (FILM)

• Dancers: Anna Rose O’Sullivan and William Bracewell

 EVERYONE KEEPS ME

• Dancers: Isabel Lubach, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Amelia Townsend, Hannah Park, [Viola] Pantuso, Taisuke Nakao, Harrison Lee, Luc Foskett, Joonhyuk Jun

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by oncnp
Add Ms Pantuso's first name

[bangorballetboy]

Pam Tanowitz announced the name of the ballet at the recent “in rehearsal” event, which was very interesting (as they often are!).

[capybara]

Sarah Lamb replaces Akane Takada as Aurora on Saturday 11th (1.00pm matinee) alongside Marcelino Sambe.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by capybara

[Swan]

23 hours ago, capybara said:

Sarah Lamb replaces Akane Takada as Aurora on Saturday 11th (1.00pm matinee) alongside Marcelino Sambe.

 

 

 

 

Sad not to be seeing Akane Takada on Saturday, I’ve been so looking forward to seeing her dance again. 😢

[LinMM]

Poor Takada she must have some really annoying recurring injury I hope she can get back to full health soon as think she will be great in Cinderella. 

[San Perregrino]

9 hours ago, LinMM said:

Poor Takada she must have some really annoying recurring injury I hope she can get back to full health soon as think she will be great in Cinderella. 

 

a beautiful dancer definitely.  she has another Beauty with Sambé scheduled in March and then two with James Hay in May so hopefully will dance one or more of them 

[Richard LH]

9 hours ago, LinMM said:

Poor Takada she must have some really annoying recurring injury I hope she can get back to full health soon as think she will be great in Cinderella. 

I understand she does hope to be back in April for Cinderella 🙏

[LinMM]

Thankyou for that reassuring post Richard LH!! 
 

[Emeralds]

Wishing Akane a speedy recovery!

[art_enthusiast]

Curious to know about whether many or all of the current principal dancers will be appearing in Woolf Works? I’ve never seen it before and am really looking forward to the March performances.
 

I am curious about whether they’ll release any information about this beforehand, as I believe there’s a large cast in addition to the main dancers they’ve announced - Alessandra Ferri/Marianela Nunez/Natalia Osipova.