Jan McNulty Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 PRESS RELEASE19 January 2023 BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET ANNOUNCES BRB2, A COMPANY OF RISING STARS THAT WILL TOUR A SPECIALLY CURATED SHOWCASE PROGRAMME ALONGSIDE THEIR CONTINUED WORK WITH THE MAIN COMPANY BRB2’s INAUGURAL TOUR BEGINS AT ROYAL & DERNGATE, NORTHAMPTON BEFORE TRAVELLING TO THEATRE ROYAL NOTTINGHAM, NEW THEATRE PETERBOROUGH, THE LINBURY LONDON AND WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THE PROGRAMME ENTITLED CARLOS ACOSTA’S CLASSICAL SELECTION FEATURES PAS DE DEUX, SOLOS, AND DIVERTISSEMENTS BY CHOREOGRAPHERS INCLUDING FREDERICK ASHTON, PETER WRIGHT, WILL TUCKETT, CARLOS ACOSTA AND MANY MORE Birmingham Royal Ballet is delighted to announce the launch of its new company BRB2 and its inaugural UK tour in April - June 2023. L-R: Mason King, Jack Easton, Mailene Katoch, Carlos Acosta, Frieda Kaden, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg. Photo: Drew Tommons BRB2 is a new initiative where BRB pro-actively seeks out some of the best young ballet graduates from around the world to join a two-year performance programme, providing vital employment for the next generation of exceptional ballet dancers (aged 18-22) to transition from training into jobs at BRB or other leading ballet companies, impacting the dance sector worldwide. It will act as a magnet for the best UK and international talent, providing extensive training and professional experience, sending developed, professional dancers back into the dance sector and providing role models for the next generation. BRB2 is inspired by Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and ABT Studio Company. The BRB2 dancers will not only train and perform with the whole Birmingham Royal Ballet company in major productions, but they will also develop their own touring programme, supported by senior members of BRBs ballet staff. BRB2 Trailer 2023 SQ.mp4 In most ballet companies new joiners and artists can spend years working their way up to dancing principal roles; this showcase puts the spotlight on the new talent in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s ranks in an exciting, crowd-pleasing and challenging way. In this first year six of the company are current BRB dancers and six the founding group of BRB2. In 2024, the founders will graduate and, in their second year, be joined by six new dancers – providing an ongoing platform for brilliant young talent to be showcased across the UK. The full Royal Ballet SInfonia conducted by Paul Murphy will perform live on opening night in Northampton and for the rest of the tour there will be specially recorded music with End of Time and Dying Swan performed live by Jeanette Wong (Head of Piano) and Antonio Novais (Principal Cellist). Carlos Acosta said: ‘It is with great pleasure that I present my Classical Selection and introduce you to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s rising stars in our exciting new company, BRB2. Since arriving at BRB, I have wanted to develop a young company. A company with its own artistic identity in which some of our finest young dancers would not only have the opportunity to take on lead roles of their own, but which would also provide a structure for brilliant young dancers graduating from ballet schools around the world to gain real-life experience with a touring ballet company. With the support of David and Mary Laing, The Kirby Laing Foundation and The Linbury Trust I am thrilled that we can bring this dream to life in 2023! BRB has a strong track record in launching the careers of some of the world’s most renowned dancers, who have developed their skills at BRB and then gone on to become global stars. BRB is proud that Darcey Bussell, Leanne Benjamin and Miyako Yoshida, amongst others, had their first professional jobs at Birmingham Royal Ballet. BRB2 will help the company give opportunities to more of the brightest stars of the future.’ BRB’s First Soloist, Kit Holder, will lead BRB2 as Artistic Coordinator in this first year. This role has been created to support Kit’s professional development and the continued development of his leadership skills. Along with Carlos Acosta, Kit has developed the exciting programme featuring favourite pieces from classical ballet across over a century of performance. Kit Holder said: ‘BRB2 will not only ensure that young professional dancers joining Birmingham Royal Ballet will be ready to deliver world-class performances in a wide range of roles, but they, along with those going on to other companies and organisations, will be ready to make a positive contribution to the wider dance world.’ The dancers for the first cohort were selected by Carlos and Dominic Antonucci, BRB’s Assistant Director. The founding members of BRB2 are Oscar Kempsey-Fagg (UK), Mason King (UK/New Zealand), Frieda Kaden (Germany), Mailene Katoch (France) and Jack Easton (USA). Joining them for the first UK tour will be Enrique Bejarano Vidal (Mexico), Olivia Chang Clarke (UK), Regan Hutsell (USA), Sofia Linares (Spain), Eric Pinto Cata (UK), Lucy Waine (UK) and soloist Riku Ito (Japan). The programme for the 2023 UK tour includes: Pas de Deux from: Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody - premiered at the Royal Ballet in 1980 by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier, Collier herself will be rehearsing the BRB2 duo who will perform this piece; August Bournonville’s most famous ballet La Sylphide; the love duet fromSwan Lake - probably the most famous pas de deux in ballet; Carlos Acosta’s take on Fokine’s The Dying Swan which features two dancers instead of one (hence The Dying Swans plural) and is double the usual length; Marius Petipa’s Diana and Actaeon pas de deux; Ben Stevenson’s End of Time set to Rachmaninoff’s gloriously melancholic Sonata in G Minor (3rd movement). In the second half Gustavo Mollajoli’s A Buenos Aires celebrates the spirit of tango to music by Astor Piazzolla; the iconic Edith Piaf’s Je ne regrette rien choreographed by Ben Van Cauwenbergh, whose Jacques Brel-inspired humorous gala piece Les Bourgeois will also feature. Acosta’s choreography for the Carmen pas de deux promises to raise the temperature with Bizet’s heat-seeking score and Will Tuckett’s solo Nisi Dominus will reinstate some sense of calm to proceedings before Jorges Garcia’s Majisimo closes out the programme, performed to Massenet’s music from Le Cid. The BRB2 company will tour to Royal and Derngate Northampton (25 April); Theatre Royal Nottingham (28 & 29 April); New Theatre Peterborough (3 & 4 May); the Linbury London (12 June); and Wolverhampton Grand (19 June). Listings information Northampton Royal & Derngate 25 April 7.30pm - full live orchestra Theatre Royal Nottingham 28 April 7.30pm; 29 April 2.30pm & 7.30pm New Theatre Peterborough 3 & 4 May 7.30pm The Linbury Theatre, London 13 & 14 June 7.30pm Wolverhampton Grand 24 & 25 June 7.30pm Programme Rhapsody – pas de deux Choreography: Frederick Ashton Music: Sergey Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini La Sylphide – Act II pas de deux Choreography: August Bournonville Music: Herman Lovenskiold Swan Lake – Act II Pas de deux Music: Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky The Dying Swans Choreography: Carlos Acosta (after Michel Fokine and Michel Descombes) Music: Camille Saint-Saens Diana and Actaeon – pas de deux Choreography: Marius Petipa, Agrippina Vaganova Music: Cesare Pugni End of Time – pas de deux Choreography: Ben Stevenson Music: Sergey Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G Minor (3rd movement) Interval A Buenos Aires Choreography: Gustavo Mollajoli Music: Astor Piazzolla, Primavera Portena Je ne regrette rien Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh Music: Edith Piaf's Je ne regrette rien Les Bourgeois Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh Music: Jacques Brel’s Les Bourgeois Carmen Choreography: Carlos Acosta Music: Bizet – Shchedrin Nisi Dominus Choreography: Will Tuckett Music: Claudio Monteverdi (from Vespers) Majisimo Choreography: Georges Garcia Music: Jules Massenet (from Le Cid) Notes to Editors Birmingham Royal Ballet Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future. The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta. Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs 175 shows a year nationally and internationally. As well as playing for Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Sinfonia plays for The Royal Ballet and has a long tradition of playing for tours by the world’s leading ballet companies, including Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and The Australian Ballet. They have performed with Het Nationale Ballet, Queensland Ballet and Acosta Danza. They also worked with the Pet Shop Boys on The Most Incredible Thing. On the concert platform, the Sinfonia has also accompanied the National Opera Studio, the Voice of Black Opera competition and Opera North’s production of Carousel. They have recorded Edward Loder’s opera Raymond and Agnes with distinguished Australian conductor, Richard Bonynge. For LInbury date tbc as they won’t have announced new generations yet. The Royal Ballet and guest companies NEXT GENERATION FESTIVAL Linbury Theatre 7–23 June 2023 A wealth of emerging artists come together to celebrate the future of dance in Next Generation Festival. Throughout the course of the festival, there will be performances by junior companies and premier dance schools drawn from the UK, across Europe and around the world – a great opportunity to appreciate local and international talent today. See the art form as it is now and witness the immense potential of dance as it blossoms into its vibrant future. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Sounds very positive. I will certainly be at the Linbury in June but is Northampton the only venue with a live orchestra? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 1 minute ago, Scheherezade said: Sounds very positive. I will certainly be at the Linbury in June but is Northampton the only venue with a live orchestra? It looks like it apart from 2 pieces where there is a pianist and cellist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Thanks Jan. Orchestra or no orchestra, it does sound very promising. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Why is Nottingham the only place with a matinée? I can get to Wolverhampton easily enough (assuming by then the trains are running normally) but cannot get home again in the evening. My last train back leaves at 20.41, far too early for an evening performance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Looks good, but if main BRB tour to Mayflower, Southampton please can we have BRB2 somewhere in South or Southwest. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddieRose Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Looking forward to going to Nottingham for this! The dancing looks interesting, but I would happily go just to hear Jeanette Wong and Antonio Novais play the Rachmaninoff, it's blissful. The most well-known dances to me are in the 1st Act, but closing with Majisimo is sure to be fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 14 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said: Looks good, but if main BRB tour to Mayflower, Southampton please can we have BRB2 somewhere in South or Southwest. Not to mention the North East (where BRB used to have successful regional tours when the company divided in two) and North West (where BRB has cut down on its performances at the Lowry, as it did years previously to Sunderland, and to Bradford, where it no longer performs at all, despite several top dancers coming from that city!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Having just looked at the website for Wolverhampton Grand I see there is a matinee on the 24th but no performance on 25th. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 This sounds like a most promising move and, as the Release says, it follows similar initiatives elsewhere. Will it possibly offer more graduate jobs than before, does anyone know? I'm tickled to see William Tuckett's Nisi Dominus mentioned as restoring some sense of calm. If that's the version I recall seeing Zenaida Yanowsky perform at Sadler's Wells some years back, it's a lively piece as Monteverdi's Vespers setting moves at quite some pace. (The costume was memorable too - over a leotard, the frame for a crinoline underskirt that had a wiggling life of its own.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 This looks like a very good idea & the programme for the first half is very appealing. I wonder how long a performance is likely to run? If it finished before 10pm I'd be able to see it in Peterborough, where I imagine tickets will be easier to obtain than for the Linbury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 It reminds me of several attempts in the old Sadler Wells days to have a second group of dancers perform in smaller venues. I really hope it works. The programme looks as if it would be an attractive proposition to a wide cross section of both regular ballet goers and newbies. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 This looks great to me will definitely be booking the Linbury for this but wish there were more dates!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 56 minutes ago, LinMM said: This looks great to me will definitely be booking the Linbury for this but wish there were more dates!! Me too. It looks really great. I will definitely be trying to attend. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHowarth Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 BRB's website suggests there is a Thursday matinee in Peterborough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 That would be useful. I tried looking up the theatre's website earlier but couldn't find BRB listed on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Dawnstar said: That would be useful. I tried looking up the theatre's website earlier but couldn't find BRB listed on there. Theatre websites often don't show productions until the tickets are on sale (which can be very frustrating). The theatre detail is clearer on this page from the BRB website (scroll down): https://www.brb.org.uk/shows/carlos-acostas-classical-selection 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) Thanks Jan. I know I've once been to a theatre in Peterborough that was only a few mins from the train station but I can't remember if it's the same theatre! The matinee might be the best bet so I don't have to worry about last trains. Edited January 19, 2023 by Dawnstar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Tickets selling well at the Derngate, Northampton - £12, £18 and £27 with discounts for over 60s. Perfectly walkable from the rail station. Good acoustic for a fine live orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) As I was down in Birmingham for work last Tuesday I checked the Birmingham Royal Ballet website to see whether anything was happening that evening. An "Evening with Ashton" at Elmhurst was advertised. It promised a masterclass by Lesley Collier and a film on Ashton that had been commissioned by the Sir Frederick Ashton Foundation. As I had been something of a fan of Collier I booked my place. After I rolled up Carlos Acosta took to the stage and announced that Collier would be coaching 2 members of a new company to be known as BRB2; She would rehearse then in the pas de deux from Rhapsody which she had danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov. The young dancers were Oscar Kempsey-Fagg and Frieda Kaden and they seemed to do very well. It was only in the interval that I understood the significance of Acosta's announcement. Caroline Miller, who was sitting immediately behind me, talked anout BRB2. It sounded very like Ernst Meisner's Junior Company for the Dutch National Ballet so I asked her whether that was the case. Ms Miller confirmed that it was. I was very pleased to hear that news because I have been a fan of the Junior Company ever since they started. They have launched some great careers snd strengthened an already strong company. I have been calling on British companies to take a leaf out of the Dutch book for years. Kit Holder is to be the artistic coordinator. I think he is a very good choice. I have seen several of his ballets and like them very much. The new company is about to start a nationwide tour. They start in Northampton on 25 April and continue to Nottingham, Peterborough, London and Wolverhampton. Their opening night is probably the night to see them because they will perform with an orchestra. I hope to catch them in Nottingham and maybe some of their other stops along the way. If anyone is interested I have written a longer article about them in Terpischore. Edited January 30, 2023 by Terpsichore typo 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Collier didn't just dance the ballet with Baryshnikov- she created the role. My daughter and I spoke to her a few days before the premiere (on the Queen Mum's 80th birthday- Rhapsody was Ashton's birthday present; they were quite close friends). At that stage Baryshnikov still hadn't arrived in London so all the choreography that had been created then was on her and the small corps, she said. I wasn't able to get tickets for the queen mum's gala but we were able to go to the second performance when there was still glitter left from the gala celebration. It was wonderful to see two such fabulous dancers, dancing such musical choreography but a main memory is that Misha scarcely looked at Lesley. The gala performance was televised and if you watch it you will see what I mean, little communication with her, despite Lesley's heroic efforts. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lusodancer Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 There are many second companies attached to European companies these days. Some, though, are vehicles for charging for the 'education' of a two year program that then supports other parts of the main company activities, and many other two year free standing professional training programs are designed on a similar scheme, with occasional appearance fees for shows. I would be interested to know how this particular venture is funded, ie. is BRB supporting the dancers, or are the dancers supporting themselves? Many of my DD's friends are scattered across Europe and have chosen this route after finishing vocational study because it seems to be the only way to acheive that magical ingedient of getting the ' 2 years minumum professional experience' by '22 years old' that seems to open the door into a company these days. Luckily some of the old eastern block companies still take younger and less experienced dancers from vocational schools that don't do the competition route to fame and fortune but have a solid technique to cut the mustard at audition. It's not easy for these dancers, but then was it ever? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 11 hours ago, SheilaC said: Collier didn't just dance the ballet with Baryshnikov- she created the role That's quite right and I said as much in a longer article that appeared in Terpsichore. I also mentioned and linked to the video clip "An Introduction to Rhapsody" in which Lesley Collier coaches Steven McRea and Natalia Osipova in Rhapsody including the pas de deux."There are many second companies attached to European companies these days." I will defer to Lusodancer's knowledge and experience on companies throughout Europe. I know that Central has Ballet Central, the Northern Ballet School had Manchester City Ballet and a ballet school in Scotland once had its own touring company. We also have lyouth companies on a national and regional basis. I think the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company is different. The dancers are members of the Dutch National Ballet and are paid for their time. They often perform with the main company. The Junior Company has accelerated the careers of many artists such as Riho Sakamoto and Michaela DePrince. After the masterclass and the screening of Frederick Ashton: Links in a Chain there was a drinks party at which I managed to speak to Caroline Miller, Kit Holder, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg and Frieda Kaden. We did not exactly discuss the details of the new company's funding but someone said that it was a bold move to launch a new company at a time of economic constraint from which I inferred that the funding was coming from the Birmingham Royal Ballet's budget. Both of the young artists seemed to be very happy to have been chosen and I wish them well, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 13 hours ago, Lusodancer said: I would be interested to know how this particular venture is funded, ie. is BRB supporting the dancers, or are the dancers supporting themselves? 3 hours ago, Terpsichore said: I think the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company is different. The dancers are members of the Dutch National Ballet and are paid for their time. They often perform with the main company. The Junior Company has accelerated the careers of many artists such as Riho Sakamoto and Michaela DePrince. On 19/01/2023 at 13:42, Jan McNulty said: The dancers for the first cohort were selected by Carlos and Dominic Antonucci, BRB’s Assistant Director. The founding members of BRB2 are Oscar Kempsey-Fagg (UK), Mason King (UK/New Zealand), Frieda Kaden (Germany), Mailene Katoch (France) and Jack Easton (USA). Joining them for the first UK tour will be Enrique Bejarano Vidal (Mexico), Olivia Chang Clarke (UK), Regan Hutsell (USA), Sofia Linares (Spain), Eric Pinto Cata (UK), Lucy Waine (UK) and soloist Riku Ito (Japan). If you look at the dancers named in the press release the founding members are already listed as full company members (as well as being shown as part of BRB2); Olivia Chang Clarke is listed as a company apprentice and the other dancers listed are all full company members. It also says in the press release that the dancers will train with the full company as well as performing with the full company. We will have to see what happens when the next cohort is announced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 These are a few of the more important Junior Companies - some have closed, mostly because of lacks of funding. Ailey II – founded in 1974 NDT II – founded in 1978 Introdans Educatief/Introdans Ensemble for Youth 1989-?? Hubbard Street 2 – 1997-2017 ABT Studio Company/ABT II – founded in 1995 Groupe 13 (Béjart Ballet) – 1999-2001 Compania Nacional de Danza II (Spain) – 1999-2010 Zurich Juniors – founded in 2001 Bayerisches Junior Ballett München – founded in 2010 Bundesjugendballett (Hamburg Ballet) – founded in 2011 Dutch National Junior Company – founded in 2013 13 hours ago, Lusodancer said: Some, though, are vehicles for charging for the 'education' of a two year program that then supports other parts of the main company activities, and many other two year free standing professional training programs are designed on a similar scheme, with occasional appearance fees for shows. Could you name some of these companies, Lusodancer? 13 hours ago, Lusodancer said: because it seems to be the only way to acheive that magical ingedient of getting the ' 2 years minumum professional experience' by '22 years old' that seems to open the door into a company these days. Most ballet companies I know hire their new dancers directly from the acadamies, so I think you are talking about the more modern companies or companies with fewer dancers? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lusodancer Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Angela said: Could you name some of these companies, Lusodancer? Well, ocasionally I dip into the audition sites and follow through to see audition proceedure, crtieria and curriculum, fees, etc just to be more informed ( in case my DD comes asking for a loan). Some are quite upfront and others say more details on request, which is where I stop. But on the continent, a years course may be somewhere like 2000-3000€ , similar to the course fees for universities or Masters programmes (some countries charge nothing of course for official courses) but I spotted a 12 month free- standing junior company advertised today in South London for £12,000 a year. So this is why I am interested and watch carefully for the trends, trying to keep track of who's where of my DD's friends and colleagues and how's it going. I think the pre-profesional course of Ballet Cymru for example is also £3,000ish for the year, which is competitive to the European ones. Elephant in the Black Box, Madrid or Pau, would probably represent similar value for money and experience, and has certainly benefitted those that I know have gone. Rosella Hightower has a scheme too I believe, which would also be an excellent experience. I have no idea how much that was , but one parent thought it expensive but it served her son well. Other that I have seen but don't know fees: Arles, DiA( Holland), The Hague Conservatoire, Nacho Duato(a new one in Madrid), Area Jeune Ballet, Europaballet, Junior Ballet Antwerp, Nevada Ballet II, and that's just a quick trawl of auditions now. As regards, the criteria for entry to companies, judging by the listings on audition sites the world over, junior companies are normally listed as 17-22 years, and professional as frequently listed as a minimum of so many years practice or over 22. Some outstanding youngsters obviously can catch the eye earlier if exposed at major competitions, but as is so frequently discussed in Doing Dance, so few of the British pupils go anywhere near YAGP or PdL and direct entry from Royal, Elmhurst, or any other classical pathway is not guaranteed. Even a knowledgeable Australian, commented in a feed of Doing Dance, that similar issues occur there too with the transition from academy to leading Australian companies, or lack of... I am not necessarily saying that second companies are not useful. In fact, they could be very good for many companies as a vehicle for developing new works with a more minimalist investment for maximum output. A way to use small more intimate spaces to reach different audiences. It depends how directors view such a project, as a training ground only or an extension of the main company for alternative programmes. So if they create wealth and turnover for the company through tours like this, should they have to pay for the privilege, or should they receive an appearance fee? Are they assisted with material, like pointe shoes as company dancers would be? These are all valid points for the dancer to consider when weighing up the value of one against the other before enrolling. And there is sometimes little information about the rewards of the programme on which to base a judgement of choice of where to apply. And before you then point out how much it costs to hire and mount a show for companies, I am more conversant than I care to be with the prices of theatre spaces and conference hall across Europe (some would make your hair curl), touring vinyl, costumes, the licenses for live or recorded music, the difference between the cost of public domain music and newer works, and the costs of musician and choreographers. At least the amatuer orchestra I play in managed to get municipal sponsorship for a concert space, advertising, licenses so that we were able to contribute to the Rotary effort to buy a piece of equipment for the surgical block of our local hospital. Otherwise it would have been a very expensive concert to mount in the space we were given. It is good to ask the questions and have a debate. Someone somewhere is always more knowledgeable or more experienced and can help with answers. So let's wait to see what others think or have discovered. I love the wealth of knowledge and diversity on this forum. However I think we would generally all like to see more dance, more funding, and more success stories, however it arises. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I understand now, Lusodancer, thank you - there are some education programmes that call themselves junior company and take money, and on the other hand there are junior companies that pay money to their dancers. The junior companies I listed pay their dancers - I can't guarantee for all, but certainly most of them. The German ones do, NDT also. Some of them even pay what the corps de ballet dancers of the main company earn. These junior companies tour and they commission new creations for their performances. Their purpose is to supply the main company with new dancers, maybe to "park" dancers there who cannot be accepted yet in the main company, to make tours to venues where the main company cannot perform, many of them do education programmes for a younger audience, they visit schools or nursing homes etc. NDT II for example is a full-fledged touring company with some 20 dancers, with works by the same choreographers as NDT I and gorgeous young talents. I'm not so sure if all the others that you mention really call themselves "junior company" - Nacho Duato's doesn't, it's called Nacho Duato Academy or Trainee Program, the one at The Hague is called Royal Conservatoire Dance Ensemble, which gives you a hint that it may not be paid. Others like Antwerp really use the name junior company, the Europaballett at Austria really looks like a ballet company. So it is tricky to make the difference, I now see. I guess we can say as a general rule that if it has a "2" or "II" in the name, it seems to be legitimate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lusodancer Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Angela said: I guess we can say as a general rule that if it has a "2" or "II" in the name, it seems to be legitimate. That's probably a good guide. But it is a minefield, isn't it? However, after all this discussion, it is good news about BRB2, and we wish them well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 On 31/01/2023 at 19:00, Angela said: I understand now, Lusodancer, thank you - there are some education programmes that call themselves junior company and take money, and on the other hand there are junior companies that pay money to their dancers. The junior companies I listed pay their dancers - I can't guarantee for all, but certainly most of them. The German ones do, NDT also. Some of them even pay what the corps de ballet dancers of the main company earn. These junior companies tour and they commission new creations for their performances. Their purpose is to supply the main company with new dancers, maybe to "park" dancers there who cannot be accepted yet in the main company, to make tours to venues where the main company cannot perform, many of them do education programmes for a younger audience, they visit schools or nursing homes etc. NDT II for example is a full-fledged touring company with some 20 dancers, with works by the same choreographers as NDT I and gorgeous young talents. I'm not so sure if all the others that you mention really call themselves "junior company" - Nacho Duato's doesn't, it's called Nacho Duato Academy or Trainee Program, the one at The Hague is called Royal Conservatoire Dance Ensemble, which gives you a hint that it may not be paid. Others like Antwerp really use the name junior company, the Europaballett at Austria really looks like a ballet company. So it is tricky to make the difference, I now see. I guess we can say as a general rule that if it has a "2" or "II" in the name, it seems to be legitimate. Europaballett has a training academy and a company. Most of the company dancers are international dancers who have auditioned post grad and have not trained at the academy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 This morning, BBC breakfast ran a nice feature about this latest venture including brief interviews with Carlos and several of the dancers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 And Brandon Lawrence will feature on CBeebies at 1045 this morning in the "What's In Your Bag" segment. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Where's CBeebies? Ah, managed to drag out my one existing copy of the Radio Times - channel 202. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Sim said: "What's In Your Bag" segment p45 his passport a swiss working visa swiss bank account details 😉 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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