Press Release: ENB Swan Lake Casting Announced for Coliseum

[capybara]

13 minutes ago, PeterS said:

So will Frola dance with 2 partners then? 

Presumably and not unusual in the ballet world.

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

And, depending on what is wrong with him,  I wonder if Saruhashi will dance later in the run taking on one of Frola's other dates as a trade?  I've no idea how these issues are negotiated or hammered out.  

 

I'd be surprised if that happened, especially given Frola is dancing with the guesting Salenko. Given she's evidently had limited rehearsal time with ENB (as the Staatsballett Berlin thread indicates she's been dancing there) I doubt they or she would want her to have to cope with a second unfamiliar partner unless injury/illness made it absolutely imperative.

[Emeralds]

They don’t “trade dates”- not only will it be disruptive to Salenko and Frola’s preparations but Frola covers Saruhashi’s indisposition as a courtesy to the company and his colleagues and shouldn’t “pay him back” a show (the dancers are paid per show appearance) and lose his pay and performance opportunity after the extra work, inconvenience and rehearsal time he put in to cover a colleague .

 

Normally the ill or indisposed dancer will simply return and perform any remaining dates he/she has left if any and that’s that. It’s also not fair to the audience who have paid to see Frola at a later date, and it’s not Frola’s fault a colleague was ill/indisposed. This is the same in any company. If the dancer who covered a colleague’s indisposition himself becomes unwell/injured/etc, that’s treated on a separate basis and he is covered by whoever is most suitable rather than prioritising the person who missed a show, unless the dancer whose show he originally covered becomes the most suitable or the only one available to cover.

 

Oliveira and Frola were actually partners in Raymonda a couple of months ago, so it isn’t too difficult to work again on Swan Lake. It is common in long runs of a classic such as Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty etc to have 2 or even more different partners. Akane Takada is scheduled to dance Sleeping Beauty with two different Florimunds this spring, Anna Rose O’Sullivan had two different Siegfrieds in Swan Lake last season, and William Bracewell had two different partners for Swan Lake last season too.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Emeralds

[capybara]

@emeralds I’m not sure that your statement about dancers being paid per show is accurate.

In Russian companies, yes - in the UK ?????

[Emeralds]

I don’t know about recently, but in the past, UK dancers did say if they had to step in to cover another dancer in a featured role eg Aurora , Tybalt or Myrtha for example, that was quite substantial, and involved extra preparation and responsibility (and made the difference between cancelling the show or going ahead), they would get paid separately for doing it. They don’t get extra for ensemble work which they would have done anyway.

 

Otherwise, dancers could just stay home/go clubbing etc and only do the shows convenient for them while fellow soloists/principals finished late every night with sore feet that needed icing down while still performing their own shows and attending rehearsals-giving themselves a higher risk of injury. Crucially, nowadays it also discourages dancers from jetting off to do highly  paid galas abroad and only dancing a couple of times and refusing to hang around to cover colleagues  while drawing a substantial principal dancer’s salary, while a soloist or first artist covers an injured colleague’s roles while still being in the corps night after night, for no extra pay while still on a comparatively tiny salary. 

 

Different companies might have different policies or rates of pay, but I doubt any major U.K. company would expect a dancer to do the extra work for free. Not all soloists/principals need the “exposure” especially if they have already danced the role a few times that season. With small troupes it may be different due to fewer artists available . Might be something worth asking the companies.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Emeralds

[Guest oncnp]

21 minutes ago, capybara said:

@emeralds I’m not sure that your statement about dancers being paid per show is accurate.

In Russian companies, yes - in the UK ?????

 

Doesn't answer the question but Equity did publish an annual report in 2021 if anyone is interested in dancer's salaries....RB on pg 22

 

Annual Report 21.3.indd (equity.org.uk)

 

[Emeralds]

Exactly- thanks, oncp. Eg a first artist at ENB is currently on 34.8k a year, while a principal is on over 60k (veteran stars may earn more). Why should they cover someone else (if they’re already doing the role) for free, or if they have a heavy workload in the corps every night and have already danced that role a few times if they don’t get paid? One dancer in the corps de ballet once described getting cast in the lead in Nutcracker as both thrilling to dance her first lead role, as well as stressful and exhausting. She had to prepare the role with very little rehearsal preparation as she was still expected to dance in corps and ensemble work night after night and sometimes matinees as well -she wasn’t given a day or two off to rest or prepare unlike the principals, as corps and divertissement roles still needed to be filled.

 

While dancers do like to perform, an excessive workload - and it’s more strenuous and more recovery time required to dance Siegfried than say, a one act Fokine or Forsythe - can increase the risk of injury to themselves. However, some contracts may stipulate a minimum number of performances in full length/short ballets as part of the job requirements so they may not get paid as an extra but it might count towards their quota. Within the agreements there’s also some coverage of what happens when you do want to be cast eg as Manon or Romeo or Odette/Odile, but the director or choreographer doesn’t want to pick you, not even as understudy or cover, or a secondary role - in which case it’s not your fault. 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Emeralds

[bridiem]

2 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

However, some contracts may stipulate a minimum number of performances in full length/short ballets as part of the job requirements so they may not get paid as an extra but it might count towards their quota.

 

In which case I hope the minimum number of performances requirement works both ways...

[Emeralds]

It’s quite complex balancing the “I want to dance” vs “We don’t want you in this role” vs “I am/The physio or doctor says I am not sufficiently recovered to dance”. But I don’t think they can confiscate another dancer’s performance just so that someone else can “catch up” a show they’ve missed, especially if it also had repercussions for the partner. Also, as a first soloist, Ken may be covering someone else in other roles or cast in the pas de trois or an Act 3 character dance too, so might not be able to take on more Siegfrieds than what he already has. (He has one more show on the 19th)

 

I have seen dancers who caught Covid or flu covering for each other and swapping over when one caught it and then recovered and their covering colleague then caught it,  but never an instance of a fit and healthy dancer benched on the sidelines to “give back” a show. 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

It’s also not fair to the audience who have paid to see Frola at a later date

 

Quite. As an audience member who's specifically booked to see Frola next week I'd be very hacked off if he wasn't on due to a swapping back a show with another dancer. (Of course if he wasn't on due to injury or illness then that would be completely different.)