Royal Ballet School students in August Bournonville’s Konservatoriet

[Ondine]

Apologies if this has already been posted in a thread, though it is fairly recent and newish to me.

 

From the 2023 RBS  performances.  It is a most delightful ballet and how lovely for the students to have had the opportunity of working with Diana Cuni Mancini, an expert on Bournonville, his ballets, his style.

 

At our 2023 Summer Performances, art imitated reality when White Lodge and Upper School students performed August Bournonville’s Konservatoriet set in a ballet school. Here’s a glimpse of their rehearsals with Diana Cuni Mancini from the Royal Danish Ballet and the performance at the Royal Opera House

 

 

 

[Blossom]

Please keep sharing these wonderful videos. I wonder if it would be a good idea to add this and the Jiri Kylian to the same thread so it's all in one place and easy to find.

[Ondine]

I think I probably should have added to the RBS summer performances thread and thought of that too late!  Summer seems a long way back now.

[Richard LH]

This looks lovely...! Well done to all the RBS students involved.

[Peanut68]

I do hope that by performance time the few who seemed intent on having their legs higher than everyone else were reigned back in!!
Any Corps de Ballet fails when some dancers insist they are soloists!!

I love the visual gentleness of this style (that completely belies the actually immense skill & energy required to make it look thus!) & the sheer prettiness of costumes & lighting…. Like a Degas painting! 

Edited September 16 by Peanut68

[Ondine]

Sadly from reading reviews I gather some higher legs carried on into the performance. I have no idea why. Same as I've seen some recent Bournonville where terre a terre work was replaced by more elevation than floor skimming.   Ever higher for everything means less subtlety, but that's another issue and post maybe.

 

And yes,  looks simple and joyful but it is actually bloomin' hard work to perform those steps, the arms, the heads,  with ease and a smile!

 

Sets & costumes were borrowed from the Royal Danish Ballet. Lovely.

[LinMM]

Thanks for this reminder of the summer performance! 
I remember when the curtain went up the initial setting was held still for more than a few moments and it really did look like a Degas painting. 
I’d never seen the Piece before so had nothing to compare it to but thought it was very nicely danced and of course these were younger students …not sure if Upper school but if were only in first year.