Press Release: Brandon Lawrence will leave Birmingham Royal Ballet to join Ballett Zürich at the end of the current season

[Jan McNulty]

 

Press Release

16 March 2023

• Brandon Lawrence will leave Birmingham Royal Ballet to join Ballett Zürich at the end of the current season
   
• Currently performing in the Swan Lake tour, Brandon’s final performances for BRB will be in the ‘Still Life’ At The Penguin Café triple bill at the Birmingham Hippodrome in 8 – 10 June 2023
   
•  More new joiners and leavers details will be announced soon
   

Birmingham Royal Ballet will say farewell to Principal dancer Brandon Lawrence at the end of the 22/23 season when he leaves to join Ballett Zürich for Cathy Marston’s first season as Director.

 

Dancing from the age of 8, Brandon joined the Royal Ballet School in 2006 and continued his training until he joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2011. He was promoted to Soloist in 2016, First Soloist two years later and was made Principal in 2019.

 

During his career dancing with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Brandon has been nominated for several dance awards and has created multiple roles with the company. 

 

Currently dancing Siegfried in BRB’s Swan Lake tour, performing at Edinburgh Festival Theatre on 30 March, his final performances will be in one of his favourite roles as the Zebra in Sir David Bintley’s ‘Still LIfe at the Penguin Café’, as well as Apollo and Interlinked, running from 8 – 10 June at Birmingham Hippodrome. Please check the BRB website (www.brb.org.uk) for casting updates and details and which roles Brandon will perform on which dates.

 

Brandon Lawrence said: ‘Over the last 12 years I’ve been afforded a career at Birmingham Royal Ballet which has more than exceeded my expectations of myself. Being part of Sir David Bintley’s and Carlos Acosta’s visions, including many new creations, as well as the much loved heritage works, has been an ongoing highlight. The time has come for me to explore a new chapter beyond Birmingham Royal Ballet which will only build on everything I’ve learnt from my time dancing with the company, and learning from the highly skilled people who’ve walked through the doors. I’m forever grateful for the countless opportunities I’ve been given from new creations and LEAP work to Radio and TV.  It has been an honour not just to have danced with the company, but also to have been a proud ambassador.

 

My partnerships with Delia Mathews, Celine Gittens and Yijing Zhang; also dancing with Tzu-Chao Chou, Yaoqian Shang, Yvette Knight and Samara Downs will all hold a special place in my heart. There have been too many favourite roles and ballets at Birmingham Royal Ballet to mention, but to name a few Romeo, Siegfried, 3rd Seminarian in Carmina Burana, Othello in The Moors Pavane and Southern Cape Zebra in Still life at the Penguin Café (which will be the final role I perform for BRB) all stick out in my memory.  Most recently working with Juliano Nunez on Interlinked, Carlos on his production of Don Quixote and partnering Polina Seminova in Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake have also been huge highlights.’

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet will always be in my heart as the family who are in it together and there for each other. From August this year I will join Ballett Zürich as a Principal Dancer.’ 

 

Carlos Acosta said: ‘We are sorry to see Brandon go, but are excited for him in this new phase of his career. I have enjoyed working with him very much and not only is he an accomplished dancer, but also a warm-hearted person and it’s been great getting to know him, as well as work with him, over the past couple of years. I wish him the very best of luck with Ballett Zürich and look forward to seeing what he does next there. Everyone at Birmingham Royal Ballet will miss him.’

 

A colourful host of endangered animals seek shelter from the storm in Sir David Bintley’s ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café. Featuring a morris-dancing flea, a ballroom-dancing ram, a hoe-downing rat, a majestic zebra and many more, this is a witty and enjoyable, yet bittersweet and poignant look at humankind’s effect on the world. Danced to Simon Jeffes’s score, originally composed for the Penguin Café Orchestra, it was last performed by the Company in 2017, and was created in 1988 when Bintley was resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet.

 

Balanchine’s celebrated early masterpiece Apollo highlights the genius of its then 24-year old creator, and launched his lifelong partnership with the composer Igor Stravinsky. This pristine ballet was regarded by Balanchine as his artistic coming of age. Its pared-back elegance gives the perfect platform for the Company’s dancers, and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, to shine.

 

Young Brazilian choreographer Juliano Nunes’s Interlinked was premiered in summer 2022 as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Featuring a specially composed score by Australian composer Luke Howard, and lighting design from Netherlands-based Northern Irish designer Tom Visser, this international team created an abstract piece that explores themes of unity, the influences that we have on each other’s lives, and how the energy that we exude bounces from one person to the next, in a never ending circle.  The piece for 16 dancers will also explore themes around gender identity and the perception of self, falling into four distinct movements. 

 

Listings information:

 

‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café triple bill, featuring Apollo and Interlinked

8 – 11 June 2023, Birmingham HIppodrome

www.brb.org.uk

Thursday 8th June 7.30pm (Press Night) ; Friday 9th* & Saturday 10th June 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sunday 11th 2.30pm

 

*Additional school’s matinee performance of ‘Still LIfe’ at the Penguin Cafe tbc

 

Apollo

Choreography George Balanchine

Music Igor Stravinsky

Lighting Peter Tiegen

 

Interlinked

Choreography: Juliano Nunes

Music: Luke Howard

Lighting: Tom Visser

 

‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café

Choreography Sir David Bintley

Music Simon Jeffes

Designs Hayden Griffin

Lighting John B Read

 

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.

 

The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra, it is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and La Scala Ballet.

[Lizbie1]

Oh no! 😢

 

Lucky Zurich though!

[capybara]

OH, Noooooooo!😪

But, of course, every good wish to Brandon in Zurich and in developing his international career.

[Jan McNulty]

What a devastating blow for his BRB fans but very best wishes to Brandon for the next stage of his career.

[MaddieRose]

Going to miss Brandon's dancing (and this news has been a bit of a one-two punch after Yijing's final performance). I wrote in the Swan Lake thread how I enjoyed Brandon and Yijing in the End of Time Pas de deux, but I also feel lucky to have seen him in the Coppélia Act III Pas de deux, in which he was delightful. 
 

Best of luck to Brandon in Zurich! 

[Sim]

So sad about this, but the repertoire at Zurich will present Brandon with new opportunities and ways of moving forward.  I wish him all the love and luck in his new life.  💖

[Blossom]

Sad to lose a BRB favourite of mine but what an incredible opportunity!

Hope the podcast can still continue despite the longer distance between Brandon and Julia.

[Odyssey]

So sad to hear BRB is losing him in his prime, but pleased that he is going on to new challenges.

The Open Barre podcast made him a character I have felt I’ve got to know in the last couple of years. Hope he’ll continue to do this  from time to time remotely! 

[Rob S]

Oh no!!!

 

I hope he'll still be doing Open Barre from overseas!!!

[NotadanceMa]

With Cathy Marston in place as new Ballet Director and choreographer I’m

 sure it will be a super exciting new place for him to move on to.

Edited March 17, 2023 by NotadanceMa
Accuracy

[alison]

Noooooooo ....!!!  I wondered if he might leave at some stage, but didn't imagine it would be for Zurich.

 

Oh well, all the very best to him

[Sophoife]

46 minutes ago, Blossom said:

Hope the podcast can still continue despite the longer distance between Brandon and Julia.

 

Australian former cyclist Robbie McEwen frequently commentates live for GCN streaming service from his home in Queensland, Australia, joining England-based voices via the magic of the internets. Cycling podcast Never Strays Far often sees Ned Boulting, David Millar and Peter Kennaugh in three different (usually European) countries. I see no reason Brandon and @ToThePointe can't continue. 

 

Durn it though, I would so love to see Still Life at the Penguin Café but I get a feeling extending my European trip a further month might just be a step too far.

 

 

👍

Edited March 17, 2023 by Sophoife
Add comment about SLATPC

[Bruce Wall]

Congratulations to this talented artist on his new placement.  I'm sure we all wish him nothing but the best.  He has offered so many wonderful performances at BRB.  One that will always stand out in my memory is his vivid Moor in The Moor's Pavane.  I look forward to catching him with the Swiss Company.  

[SheilaC]

Very sad news for all of us fans. When I spoke to him last Saturday he told me he'd just heard that he will be dancing in 2 performances of Still Life, as the zebra, in which he has always excelled. (Apollo won't be cast until Patricia Neary arrives- so who knows?). Thank goodness I'd already booked all 4 performances in Birmingham, so will definitely see him.

 

I have often thought that BRB dancers tend to stay too long in the company, a safe home. Those who move to another company and then return (eg Iain MacKay) are even better dancers because they have been exposed to new balletic challenges. But personally I regret that he's not moving to a company that has a stronger classical rep where he could continue to develop his already strong technique.

 

I have been watching and admiring his career for very many years as I first saw him when he was a very young student at Yorkshire Ballet Seminars, as it was then called. He so impressed Marguerite Porter, the director then, that she arranged for him to gain a place at White Lodge. He continued to attend Yorkshire Ballet Seminars while he was an RBS student.

 

His dancing will always be treasured for his line, style, technique, acting ability, charisma; and he himself for the warm and generous personality.

[LinMM]

Oh that’s a loss for BRB and as I don’t get to see them that often I always tried to book for his performances as he has such a charismatic stage presence apart from his dancing abilities. 
I don’t know much about Zurich but presumably has a more contemporary Rep. but perhaps he’s an admirer of Cathy Marston? 

 

[Fonty]

I was looking at the Zurich company website, but I think there might be a problem with the translation:

"The renowned choreographer Cathy Marston becomes the new ballet director and chief choreographer of the Zurich Ballet. Born in Britain with a Swiss passport, Christian Spuck will succeed him for five seasons at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, who was appointed director of the Berlin State Ballet."

 

So, is Cathy Marston only there for 5 seasons?  Or is Christian Spuck only going to be at the Berlin State ballet for 5 seasons?  

I always thought Lawrence was a wonderful classical dancer, and I echo earlier posts in that it is a shame he is going somewhere where the rep seems to be mainly contemporary.  I am sure there will be some wonderful opportunities for him, but personally I think it seems a bit of a waste.  

[Bluebird]

11 minutes ago, Fonty said:

I was looking at the Zurich company website, but I think there might be a problem with the translation:

"The renowned choreographer Cathy Marston becomes the new ballet director and chief choreographer of the Zurich Ballet. Born in Britain with a Swiss passport, Christian Spuck will succeed him for five seasons at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, who was appointed director of the Berlin State Ballet."

 

So, is Cathy Marston only there for 5 seasons?  Or is Christian Spuck only going to be at the Berlin State ballet for 5 seasons? 

I'm not sure where you found that translation.  Below is what I found on their website. It does seem that Cathy Marston's contract is, initially, for five seasons but I don't see any indication that Spuck will be returning after that.

 

Renowned choreographer Cathy Marston will take over as new Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer of the Ballett Zürich. For an initial period of five years, this British-born, Swiss-bred artist will succeed Christian Spuck for the 2023/24 season, after he takes over artistic directorship of the Staatsballett Berlin. Spuck has successfully led the Ballett Zürich since 2012, and his switch to Berlin with the 2023/24 season will see him leading Germany’s largest independent ballet company.  

 

https://www.ballett-zuerich.ch/en/

[Fonty]

@Bluebird  It was a direct translation into English from the German on their website.  I didn't think that Spuck was going to return, I was confused as to who had 5 seasons in their respective places.  I h

[Tango Dancer]

Oh I'll miss him.  He's such a lovely dancer, such lovely movements and style in his jumps.  I liked him in Don Quixote and in Coppelia and the BRB gala.  He's also a great teacher.  I love his masterclasses on Danceworks, he's got such a nice way of explaining the combinations and giving positive and helpful feedback.  

 

I may have to find a reason to go to Zurich.  

[Bluebird]

28 minutes ago, Fonty said:

@Bluebird  It was a direct translation into English from the German on their website.  I didn't think that Spuck was going to return, I was confused as to who had 5 seasons in their respective places.  I h

 

I've just checked the original German and compared it to the Google translation.  I'm afraid that, on this occasion, Google Translate got it completely wrong!  For some reason Google Translate changed the word order. They put a phrase in the wrong place and made nonsense of the original text.  For those who know German, the original is below. I've highlighted the phrase which refers to the initial five seasons of her contract and mentions that she's succeeding Christian Spuck.

 

Die renommierte Choreografin Cathy Marston wird neue Ballettdirektorin und Chefchoreografin des Balletts Zürich. Die gebürtige Britin mit Schweizer Pass tritt mit Beginn der Saison 2023/24 für zunächst fünf Spielzeiten die Nachfolge von Christian Spuck an, der zum Intendanten des Staatsballetts Berlin berufen wurde. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Bluebird

[Sim]

9 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

Oh I'll miss him.  He's such a lovely dancer, such lovely movements and style in his jumps.  I liked him in Don Quixote and in Coppelia and the BRB gala.  He's also a great teacher.  I love his masterclasses on Danceworks, he's got such a nice way of explaining the combinations and giving positive and helpful feedback.  

 

I may have to find a reason to go to Zurich.  

You already have one....Brandon will be there!! 

[Swan]

I’m so sorry I won’t now get the opportunity to see Brandon dance with the BRB. I hope the podcasts continue as Brandon comes across as such a beautiful person and I love his stories and rapport with the guests. Wishing him lots of happiness and success in the future.

[Angela]

3 hours ago, Bluebird said:

für zunächst fünf Spielzeiten

 

It's like in football - she has a guaranteed contract for five seasons which may or may not be renewed by the opera director. It's possible they say that it's for five years because initially, if I remember correctly, it was only for two years, but they extended the number of years before she even started.

[NiniGabriel]

It's just been described a little awkwardly. In German, this happens from time to time when trying to describe something in a particularly original way.

 

And yes, it means that Cathy Marston will be given a five-year-contract (which can of course be extended afterwards hence the word "zunächst") succeeding Christian Spuck who becomes director of Staatsballett Berlin.

Edited March 17, 2023 by NiniGabriel

[alison]

4 hours ago, Bluebird said:

 

I've just checked the original German and compared it to the Google translation.  I'm afraid that, on this occasion, Google Translate got it completely wrong! 

 

That's far from uncommon.  Should've tried a professional translator   (DeepL makes a rather better fist of it, although since quite a bit of time has elapsed it may have been tweaked)  Mind you, the German sentence is pretty convoluted, and probably would have done better being split into two sentences for comprehensibility.

[Silke H]

23 hours ago, alison said:

 

That's far from uncommon.  Should've tried a professional translator   (DeepL makes a rather better fist of it, although since quite a bit of time has elapsed it may have been tweaked)  Mind you, the German sentence is pretty convoluted, and probably would have done better being split into two sentences for comprehensibility.

It's not actually a convoluted sentence in German.  The main sentence is about Cathy Marston and who she's succeeding, with a added explanation why Spuck is leaving Zürich.

[art_enthusiast]

On 17/03/2023 at 19:12, Sim said:

You already have one....Brandon will be there!! 

 

Indeed! I'm glad I got to see him Don Quixote last year, will continue to follow his career as much as possible.

[Sim]

Just released:  special episode of the Open Barre podcast in which Brandon discusses his departure from BRB, and what his future might hold:

 

 

[ToThePointe]

Thank you for sharing! Also just to note, that many who posted on this thread are mentioned in the episode. Thank you for all of your comments and support of the pod! 

[capybara]

BRB is mounting a celebration event for Brandon on Thursday, 15th June at 2.30pm at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

It looks as if this is for BRB Supporters - but how lovely and how very appropriate.

[Jan McNulty]

20 minutes ago, capybara said:

BRB is mounting a celebration event for Brandon on Thursday, 15th June at 2.30pm at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

It looks as if this is for BRB Supporters - but how lovely and how very appropriate.

 

Yes, it is a supporters event.

[Emeralds]

Am sad to lose Brandon but grateful I saw his Siegfried this year and his Basilio, Espada and 7th Symphony last year. Wishing him all the best in Switzerland (and hoping he’ll return eventually 😊).

[Ondine]

Brandon Lawrence will be discussing his career 'From Studio To Stage' at the Royal Ballet School on 14th May and further details  and tickets are available  via this link to the Cecchetti Society Trust

 

 

https://www.cecchettisocietytrust.org/from-studio-to-stage

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Ondine