Aaron S. Watkin New AD of English National Ballet

[MaddieRose]

English National Ballet have announced that Aaron S. Watkin will become their new Artistic Director. Watkin previously served as Artistic Director of the Semperopera Ballett in Dresden, Germany (since 2006) and has danced with ENB in the past. 
 

https://www.ballet.org.uk/blog-detail/aaron-s-watkin-new-artistic-director-english-national-ballet

 

Today, we announce that Aaron S. Watkin has been appointed as our new Artistic Director, taking up the position in August 2023.

Aaron comes to English National Ballet from the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, Germany, where he has served as Artistic Director since 2006. During his tenure, he has built an internationally respected reputation for the company, known for the diversity of its artists and repertoire. He has presented works by some of the world’s most renowned choreographers, from George Balanchine to Pina Bausch, William Forsythe to Martha Graham.

Aaron’s appointment as Artistic Director sees him return to English National Ballet having previously danced with the Company thirty years ago. Born in Canada, his stage career also saw him dance with National Ballet of Canada, Dutch National Ballet and Ballett Frankfurt, before becoming a Choreographic Assistant to William Forsythe, staging his works throughout the world.

[Sim]

Well that’s surprised me.  

[capybara]

Very surprising and someone who was not (I think) on the extensive list assembled on BCF. He will not start until summer 2023!!!

 

Aaron graduated from the NBS of Canada in 1988, which makes him aged 52 or thereabouts.

 

Edited to add that, having now read more about the new AD, it does rather appear that ENB wanted someone with not dissimilar thinking to Tamara’s and the kind of connections which will maintain that direction.

Edited August 24, 2022 by capybara

[LinMM]

Well I have to be honest and say I’d never heard of him until this morning. 
I do know somebody who danced with the National Ballet of Canada though so will ask him if he danced at a similar time to Mr. Watkin which I’d hedge a guess he did! But it’s probably the people living in Germany who support this Forum who may have more insite into the realities of his leadership in Dresden which initially appears to be good. 

[bridiem]

I'll be interested to hear the reactions of those who have any knowledge of Mr Watkin, which I'm afraid I don't (though I have now looked him up). I have to say that I'm not encouraged by his 'manifesto' on the Dresden website: 'My artistic vision for Semperoper Ballett is based upon removing the borders that traditionally exist between classical and contemporary dance styles and redefining dance as the culmination of both. Simply movement in time and space. A broader perspective of dance. A journey towards opening peoples minds in search of a greater art, and that being my primary goal.' That isn't the road I want ENB to go (any further) down, but it seems to be the only road that's currently deemed acceptable even for classical ballet companies. As far as I'm concerned, classical ballet is very much not 'simply movement in time and space'; it's much, much more than that. So I'll await his approach to ENB with some trepidation.

 

P.S. I see that Mr Watkin cites his support of ENB's founding principle to bring 'world class dance' to the widest possible audience. In fact, ENB's founding principle was, and still is, to bring 'world class ballet' to the widest possible audience. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by bridiem
Paragraph added

[LinMM]

As long as ALL NEW works are not going to be Contemporary ones and the classical Rep is still kept healthy with some new revivals as well as established pieces etc then I won’t mind too much. 

[FionaM]

Will there will be no AD for the best part of a year?  
 

I realise Tamara is currently doing two AD jobs (!), and with regards to ENB has already set the programme for the upcoming year.  I’m guessing Aaron will be increasingly involved before his official start in one year’s time.

[LACAD]

I’m quite happy with this appointment!
 

Aaron has managed to make quite the company out of the Semperoper ballet, and I’ve always admired their rep.

 

Excited about what’s to come.

[Jan McNulty]

And the official press release (would have been published sooner but I've been walking the dog):

 

English National Ballet announces Aaron S. Watkin as new Artistic Director

 

Today, English National Ballet announces Aaron S. Watkin has been appointed as its new Artistic Director.  He will take up the position in August 2023.

 

Aaron comes to English National Ballet from the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, Germany, where he has served as Artistic Director since 2006. During his tenure, he has built an internationally respected reputation for the company, known for the diversity of its artists and repertoire. He has presented works by some of the world’s most renowned choreographers, from George Balanchine to Pina Bausch, William Forsythe to Martha Graham.

Aaron’s appointment as Artistic Director sees him return to English National Ballet having previously danced with the Company thirty years ago. Born in Canada, his stage career also saw him dance with National Ballet of Canada, Dutch National Ballet and Ballett Frankfurt, before becoming a Choreographic Assistant to William Forsythe, staging his works throughout the world.

Of his appointment, Aaron S. Watkin said: “I am delighted to be returning to English National Ballet to lead the company forward as Artistic Director. I have a great appreciation for all of Tamara’s achievements in developing and diversifying the company over the past 10 years. ENB has established itself as a creative force and it is an honour to be entrusted to continue to build on this.

“It is my ambition to further develop the Company’s unique identity at the forefront of dance: embracing tradition and forging innovation. I want to lead a truly open and inclusive organisation that continues its founding principle to bring world class dance to the widest possible audience.

“Over the last 17 years at Semperoper Ballett, I have built a creative, nurturing environment for all to thrive in, both on and off the stage. I look forward to continuing this with English National Ballet, working alongside the Company’s exceptional dancers, creatives and staff to create a vibrant future.”

Patrick Harrison, Executive Director of English National Ballet said: “I am thrilled that Aaron will be joining English National Ballet as Artistic Director. With his extensive experience, passion for the artform and vision for the company, I look forward to working together as we enter our next chapter. I would like to thank the Search Committee who have overseen the extensive and highly competitive search for our new Artistic Director, and also Tamara, whose leadership leaves a lasting legacy on which to build.”

Sir Roger Carr, Chair of English National Ballet added: “On behalf of the Board of Trustees I would like to say how delighted we are that Aaron will be joining English National Ballet. His wealth of experience and impressive leadership will ensure the company is best placed to continue its outstanding work and remain a key player in the creative industries well into the future.”

Aaron’s appointment sees him become English National Ballet’s 11^th Artistic Director. For over 70 years English National Ballet has been at the forefront of ballet’s growth and evolution. 2019 saw English National Ballet move into the Mulryan Centre for Dance, its purpose-built, state-of-the-art home in east London, bringing a renewed commitment to creativity, ambition, and connection to more people than ever before. The Company’s creative learning and engagement practice is renowned across the UK, alongside flagship talent development programmes such as Dance Leaders of the Future and Ballet Futures, a children’s training programme which aims to diversify the talent pipeline. This year saw English National Ballet win ‘Outstanding Company’ at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards.

The appointment follows January’s announcement that Tamara Rojo CBE will step down in late 2022, to take up the position of Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet.

English National Ballet’s outgoing Artistic Director, Tamara Rojo commented: “I would like to congratulate Aaron on his appointment as Artistic Director. Leading English National Ballet for the last ten years has been a great honour. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together, but my admiration and support do not end here. I will remain invested in the company’s continued success and look forward to seeing it continue to evolve and inspire audiences across the UK and around the world.”

Aaron’s appointment follows an extensive international search for the new Artistic Director. The process was overseen by the Search Committee of Trustees, chaired by English National Ballet’s Vice Chair, Sue Butcher, and supported by an Artistic Advisory Panel comprising leading sector figures including Baroness Deborah Bull, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Sir Alistair Spalding and Cate Canniffe, Director of Dance at Arts Council England.

Aaron S. Watkin will spend time with the Company, meeting regularly with dancers and staff before officially taking up the role of Artistic Director in August 2023. He succeeds Tamara Rojo CBE who remains in post until November 2022. The company will ensure a robust plan is in place to support the transition process. 

-ENDS-

English National Ballet is grateful for the generous grant it has been awarded through the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, which allows it to continue to create, perform and serve its audiences.

Notes to Editors

English National Ballet is a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England. 

Ballymore is Principal Building Partner of English National Ballet.

About Aaron S. Watkin
Born in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, Aaron Sean Watkin graduated from the National Ballet School of Canada in 1988 winning the prestigious Erik Bruhn Award, awarded to the most promising student in the school. He also attended several summer school courses at the School of American Ballet where he had the opportunity to study with Stanley Williams. Watkin is experienced in a variety of different styles of dance including Vaganova, Bournonville, Balanchine and the French and English styles. He has had personal coaching with numerous ballet stars such as Erik Bruhn, Stanley Williams, Fernando Bujones, Gilbert Meyer, Lynn Seymour, Noella Pontois and Irina Kolpakova.

Watkin enjoyed a full career in dance beginning with leading classical companies including National Ballet of Canada, English National Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, where he worked his way up from corps de ballet to the ranks of soloist. After 7 years of the classical repertoire, he was invited by world renowned choreographer William Forsythe to become a Principal Dancer with Ballett Frankfurt. During this time he learned a completely new vocabulary of dance and had numerous opportunities to create new works with Mr Forsythe, the experience was invaluable. Watkin always admired the works of Mr Nacho Duato and in 2000 joined his company, the National Dance Company of Spain. By this point Watkin's professional experience in dance included an excellent knowledge of diverse repertoire including the classical ballets of Petipa, Ashton and Wright and the contemporary works of Balanchine, Forsythe, Kylian, Duato and many others. In 2002 Watkin was appointed Associate Artistic Director to Victor Ullate Ballet in Madrid, Spain where he gained experience in many different areas of directing a company, from studio to administration. Watkin was a personal choreographic assistant to Mr William Forsythe, in charge of setting and rehearsing his ballets on dance companies throughout the world, including Kirov Ballet, Paris Opera, Dutch National Ballet among others. In 2005 he also assisted Mr David Dawson for his creation of Reverence for Kirov Ballet and Mr Johan Inger, for his creation of Negro con Flores for Cullberg Ballet. Watkin was a guest teacher to many of Europe's leading dance companies and Artistic Associate Director of The Loft Dance Studio in Brussels, Belgium. Watkin was also Artistic Associate Director of the annual Dance For Life AIDS Benefit Galas at the Cirque Royal Theatre in Brussels, Belgium. Aaron S. Watkin was appointed Artistic Director of the Semperoper Ballett on August 1st, 2006. In 2007 he choreographed his first full-length ballet production The Sleeping Beauty. Since then he has choreographed La Bayadère in 2008, Swan Lake in 2009 and in 2011 he worked with the Rector of the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden, Prof. Jason Beechey on their own creation of The Nutcracker. He premiered his own creation of Don Quixote in 2016 at the Semperoper.

 

About English National Ballet
English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English Dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has been at the forefront of ballet's growth and evolution ever since.

English National Ballet brings world-class ballet to the widest possible audience through live performances across the UK and on eminent international stages; its digital platforms Ballet on Demand and BalletActive; its distinguished orchestra, English National Ballet Philharmonic; and being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as English National Ballet's Dance for Parkinson's.

Under the artistic directorship of Tamara Rojo CBE, English National Ballet has introduced ground-breaking new works to the Company's repertoire whilst continuing to honour the tradition of great classical ballet, gaining acclaim for artistic excellence and creativity. 2019 saw English National Ballet enter a new chapter in its history when it moved into a purpose-built state-of-the-art home in east London, Mulryan Centre for Dance, bringing a renewed commitment to, and freedom for, creativity, ambition, and connection to more people, near and far, than ever before. www.ballet.org.uk

About Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let's Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of several bodies administering the Government's Culture Recovery Fund and unprecedented support package of £1.57 billion for the culture and heritage sector. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19  

[capybara]

11 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

And the official press release (would have been published sooner but I've been walking the dog):

 

 

 

For once, there was no embargo on releasing this news in letters to supporters.

[Pas de Quatre]

I think this is a good choice, someone with a strong classical background at various major companies, enhanced by work with more modern choreographers.  He trained at National Ballet of Canada school and then joined the company before spreading his wings elsewhere.  Before she became AD of ENB, Tamara Rojo benefitted from the Clore Leaders of Tomorrow programme and spent six months shadowing Karen Kain who was AD of National Ballet of Canada at the time.  Possibly they know each other then and worked together.  I wonder how much input Ms Rojo had on the selection, no doubt she would have contributed in some ways.  

[Pas de Quatre]

15 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

In 2002 Watkin was appointed Associate Artistic Director to Victor Ullate Ballet in Madrid

 

This is another connection as Tamara Rojo was originally trained by Victor Ullate.  

[Angela]

Oh, you'll get lots of Forsythe ballets.... But hopefully not Watkin's own adaptations of the classics, they are a bit - well, simple. Watkin has very close connections to William Forsythe, they were doing lots of Forsythe ballets in Dresden. Other favorite choreographers were David Dawson, Hofesh Shechter, Johan Inger. Maybe he'll bring Marcelo Gomes with him.

I'm surprised as well, I must say.

[Jan McNulty]

I don't know anything about Mr Watkin but David Dawson is the associate choreographer at Dresden and was responsible for Scottish Ballet's rather lovely current Swan Lake as well as works for ENB in the past.

[Emeralds]

Must admit I didn’t list Aaron S Watkin as I thought he was already committed to Semperoper Ballet but he is a great choice. I hope he will revive ENB’s Coppelia and La Sylphide soon! (Rather an odd suggestion, I’m sure some will think, given the past works he has commissioned or mounted at SB, but I’m sure he’s versatile and smart enough to direct a large classical ballet company differently to SB!) 

 

For those who don’t know Watkin, he was the director who invited Melissa Hamilton to spend a sabbatical year (which was extended to two) at Semperoper Ballett as a principal dancer rather than a first soloist, her position at Royal Ballet, where she could dance the lead roles in Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty (which she hadn’t done), Manon (which she had done) etc. 

 

He was also instrumental in bringing  over Semperoper Ballett to London at Sadler’s Wells for the company’s U.K. debut. Alistair Spalding had wanted to present an all-Forsythe programme for some time, and SB/Watkin were the only ones who could pull off the visit. So it wasn’t that Watkin didn’t want to bring the classics but that was the brief at SW, and he and the company fulfilled it, to great acclaim. I think he will be a great fit for ENB. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Sim]

I had never heard of him either until an hour ago.  Just from what I've read, I do share some of the concerns of @bridiem.  I have been saying for a couple of years that the day will come where we either have to go to Russia to see many of the classics or wait for them to come to us.  Since neither of those things will now happen for a long time, I was hoping that we could rely on our own companies to keep the classical ballet heritage alive and well instead of shifting towards contemporary dance.  We have companies for that, too.  

 

I will reserve judgement on Mr Watkin until I see what he intends to do with ENB.

[Guest oncnp]

From the Guardian if you want to read ahead of tomorrow's links

 

English National Ballet announces Aaron Watkin as new artistic director | English National Ballet | The Guardian

 

"Watkin believes strongly that classical ballet is still valid, and essential to the development of dancers, and intends to stage at least one big classical production per season

Edited August 24, 2022 by oncnp

[Emeralds]

26 minutes ago, Sim said:

I had never heard of him either until an hour ago.  Just from what I've read, I do share some of the concerns of @bridiem.  I have been saying for a couple of years that the day will come where we either have to go to Russia to see many of the classics or wait for them to come to us.  Since neither of those things will now happen for a long time, I was hoping that we could rely on our own companies to keep the classical ballet heritage alive and well instead of shifting towards contemporary dance.  We have companies for that, too.  

 

I will reserve judgement on Mr Watkin until I see what he intends to do with ENB.

What about BRB, Royal Danish Ballet and Royal Ballet, Sim? I thought many of us said that the Royal Ballet did the classics for box office receipts too often.

 

(Although for Ashton - technically not “the classics”- even though his works are classic, that’s probably Sarasota Ballet in Florida, where Iain Webb programmes a wider range of Ashton ballets than Royal Ballet. I’m even impressed that they pulled off Birthday Offering this year.  Was hoping that the Royal Ballet would stage it during the Queen’s 90th or 95th birthday year or Fonteyn’s centenary, given the name- although the birthday refers to the company’s birthday rather than a person’s - but umm, no, that didn’t happen!) 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[San Perregrino]

Reading the press release and The Guardian piece, it sounds to me like the new AD pushes all the right buttons and will present the old and the new as Tamara Rojo has done to much acclaim. Exciting times ahead are presaged even if we may have to wait another year to get a sense of Aaron S. Watkins programming. 
 

ps. Here’s hoping that one of his first decisions is to commission new Nutcracker

Edited August 24, 2022 by PeterS

[Sim]

31 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

What about BRB, Royal Danish Ballet and Royal Ballet, Sim? I thought many of us said that the Royal Ballet did the classics for box office receipts too often. Although for Ashton, that’s probably going to be Sarasota Ballet in Florida, where Iain Webb programmes a wider range of Ashton ballets. I’m even impressed that they pulled off Birthday Offering this year.  (Was hoping that the Royal Ballet would stage it during the Queen’s 90th or 95th birthday year or Fonteyn’s centenary, given the name- although the birthday refers to the company’s birthday rather than a person’s - but umm, no, that didn’t happen!) 

What about them?  BRB also looks like it is going to move away from some of the classics under Carlos Acosta, and I hear that the RDB is doing the same....JaneS can probably confirm that, but I have heard that they are doing less and less of their Bournonville heritage.  And yes, Sarasota does a lot more Ashton than his home company does.  You might have said that about the RB, but I never have.  And if it takes the classics to fill the coffers, what does that tell us about classical ballets?  That audiences love them.  Of course there is room for innovation and new things, much of which I love, but not at the expense of classical ballet if you are calling yourself a ballet company with a history.

[Sim]

5 minutes ago, PeterS said:

Reading the press release and The Guardian piece, it sounds to me like the new AD pushes all the right buttons and will present the old and the new as Tamara Rojo has done to much acclaim. Exciting times ahead are presaged even if we may have to wait another year to get a sense of Aaron S. Watkins programming. 

Yep....it sounds like he ticks all the ACE boxes.

[Emeralds]

27 minutes ago, Sim said:

What about them?  BRB also looks like it is going to move away from some of the classics under Carlos Acosta, and I hear that the RDB is doing the same....JaneS can probably confirm that, but I have heard that they are doing less and less of their Bournonville heritage ballets.  And yes, Sarasota does a lot more Ashton than his home company does.  You might have said that about the RB, but I never have.  And if it takes the classics to fill the coffers, what does that tell us about classical ballets?  That audiences love them.  Of course there is room for innovation and new things, much of which I love, but not at the expense of classical ballet if you are calling yourself a ballet company with a history.

Well, it wasn’t me- I’d happily watch 3 or more casts of the same classic in one season (having already seen the ballet 110 times, not including DVD viewings!). I have read comments that the runs of classics are too long. I don’t think that even if the invasion hadn’t happened, that a single Russian company was offering more classics than RB + ENB + BRB in London. And even if you’re outside London, it was still cheaper to travel to see the three companies in Britain than to pay for visa, flight, hotel and theatre tickets to Russia multiple times (this is pre war of course). 

 

I was concerned that the costumes and sets of the Bournonville ballets had been changed at RDB, but then again, many of those designs were over 30 or even 50 years old. Hubbe is still staging them.

 

For all the talk of ditching the classics, Acosta has programmed Don Quixote, Coppelia and Nutcracker in July to December, so 3 different classics in 6 months doesn’t sound like moving away from the classics. 

 

Watkin managed to stage Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Nutcracker and Giselle in 2 consecutive seasons, so that sounds pretty good from the classics point of view. And this is a small company more like the scale of Scottish Ballet or Northern Ballet rather than ENB or RB.

 

As for the productions of Semperoper’s classics being modern and simple, that’s down to one thing- finances. The versions they have are much more inexpensive for a modest company like Semperoper to stage, and there’s also no point blowing your budget on one lavish production of the traditional version of a classic, and leaving no money for other new productions, when your audience could easily travel to see the same traditional ones in Stuttgart, Munich and Berlin, and a good number do.

 

I don’t think one can transpose a very different company with a small budget like Semperoper onto ENB and say that ENB will become a copy of Semperoper. For a start, it’s cheaper to keep the old productions of classics  than to throw them out and redo them. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Sim]

Well...as I said above, I will reserve judgement.  I was dubious about Rojo at first when I saw the dancer exodus when she started her tenure, but when things settled down I was and continued to be quite impressed with her...so we will see.  

[Odyssey]

I think it’s an interesting and potentially exciting appointment. He certainly has an excellent pedigree and I think his experience suggests he may have the experience to steer the Company through these challenging times. I am sure there will be no shortage of goodwill for him to succeed.

Interesting background information from Emeralds about him being the one behind the invite to Melissa Hamilton. Perhaps she’ll get another invite!

[LACAD]

I too was wondering whether Melissa will venture over to East London if Aaron can provide the roles for her. 

[Emeralds]

19 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

I think it’s an interesting and potentially exciting appointment. He certainly has an excellent pedigree and I think his experience suggests he may have the experience to steer the Company through these challenging times. I am sure there will be no shortage of goodwill for him to succeed.

Interesting background information from Emeralds about him being the one behind the invite to Melissa Hamilton. Perhaps she’ll get another invite!

I thought everyone knew about that, Odyssey 😀....it was even in the broadsheets! (2015-2017) I guess I was mistaken. 🙂

 

I think it started when Semperoper’s principal dancer Jiri Bubenicek (now choreographing full time) asked if Hamilton could be invited as a guest to dance Manon as his partner at his farewell performance in 2015. From there Watkin negotiated it into a one year contract, then it was extended to two years.  

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

43 minutes ago, PeterS said:

Reading the press release and The Guardian piece, it sounds to me like the new AD pushes all the right buttons and will present the old and the new as Tamara Rojo has done to much acclaim. Exciting times ahead are presaged even if we may have to wait another year to get a sense of Aaron S. Watkins programming. 
 

ps. Here’s hoping that one of his first decisions is to commission new Nutcracker

I do quite like the Eagling Nutcracker though, PeterS! 😀 Am still on the search for the perfect Nutcracker from any company whether in the U.K. or on DVD from further afield.....which is probably why I keep going and bringing friends/relatives to check it out. Everyone I brought loves Eagling’s Nutcracker!  😍

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, oncnp said:

From the Guardian if you want to read ahead of tomorrow's links

 

English National Ballet announces Aaron Watkin as new artistic director | English National Ballet | The Guardian

 

"Watkin believes strongly that classical ballet is still valid, and essential to the development of dancers, and intends to stage at least one big classical production per season

 

Glad that he thinks classical ballet is still valid. 

 

I wonder what exactly the rest of that quote means? That he has a budget to stage one new classical production a year (as well as all the modern ballet/contemporary productions that he will wish to bring?) Fantastic. 

 

Or, that we will be able to see one classical production every year? - Nutcracker, for example. 

 

Time will tell, as they say. 

[Sim]

9 minutes ago, LACAD said:

I too was wondering whether Melissa will venture over to East London if Aaron can provide the roles for her. 

My daughter said that immediately she heard the news!!  Watkin’s rep certainly sounds very much like Melissa’s ‘thing’…

[Emeralds]

10 minutes ago, Darlex said:

 

Glad that he thinks classical ballet is still valid. 

 

I wonder what exactly the rest of that quote means? That he has a budget to stage one new classical production a year (as well as all the modern ballet/contemporary productions that he will wish to bring?) Fantastic. 

 

Or, that we will be able to see one classical production every year? - Nutcracker, for example. 

 

Time will tell, as they say. 

I think it would mean a new production or a new acquisition (eg when Wheeldon’s Cinderella was staged, it wasn’t a new production for ENB but an acquisition, as it was premiered as a joint production for Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet). That would hopefully be mixed with old productions of classics like Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, etc. I don’t think just one classic a year is sustainable financially or physically. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Lizbie1]

I'm quite pleased about the appointment - could have been a lot worse, and he sounds like a steady hand.

 

The Melissa Hamilton connection was my first thought too!

[Guest]

Do we know who else was in the running for the position (and who might pop up elsewhere now) ?

[LinMM]

Yes I thought the statement that he thinks classical ballet is “still valid”wasnt exactly a highly positive shout out for it!!   Not that he’s still excited/inspired by classical ballet or its dear/close to his heart …it’s just still valid ( as if it might be considered on the way out………..) 

I wasn’t sure about the “one classical production a year” statement either but will assume on the bright side that he means in addition to other classical Rep in the Company. 
I really hope he does commission a new Nutcracker as haven’t been to ENB’s for a good number of years now as I just dislike the current version for several reasons. The BRB Nutcracker takes a lot of beating for me but haven’t seen Northern’s version yet. 
Still love the Royals. 
Anyway I’m not sure a new Nutcracker will be his priority in the first year( as so many seem to like it lol) so guess it’s wait and see and give benefit of the doubt at the moment. 
I’m making a complete guess here but I’d say Tamara did have some say in this appointment as I don’t think she would want to see her legacy at ENB then go dramatically downhill so this would be a positive thing to hold on to.