Melissa Hamilton leads an international gala in Singapore in March 2024 with Yasmine Naghdi, Marcelino Sambé, Ryoichi Hirano and stars of Stuttgart Ballet and Hamburg Ballet & also in Belfast

[Emeralds]

Friends abroad sent me this news but you can also see the article posted by @Jan McNulty in Dance Links today. The ever versatile Melissa Hamilton presents her first gala, on another continent across the world, no less, in March next year, at the Esplanade Theatres by the Bay in Singapore. The theatre has previously hosted the Paris Opera Ballet on two tours (dancing Giselle and subsequently a Forsythe/ Robbins/ Pite programme), the Stuttgart Ballet in Onegin, American Ballet Theatre in Swan Lake, English National Ballet in Le Corsaire, and the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballets. 

 

Joining Melissa and her Royal Ballet colleagues Yasmine Naghdi, Ryoichi Hirano and Marcelino Sambé are Hamburg Ballet principal dancers Madoka Sugai and Alessandro Frola, and Stuttgart Ballet principals Mackenzie Brown (recent Erik Bruhn competition winner) and Martí Fernández Paixà. The Singapore Ballet will also be providing support. The programme hasn't been announced yet. They will perform on Saturday evening on 23 March and a Sunday matinee on 24 March. Ticket prices range from $40 to $120 (approx £24- £71), with discounts available for children, senior citizens and other groups.

The theatre website information is at https://www.esplanade.com/whats-on/festivals-and-series/series/dans-focus/events/melissa-hamiltons-international-ballet-stars-gala#date-and-time

 

An unusual feature of this gala is that Hamilton and Naghdi will each offer a 90-minute masterclass on Sunday morning at the theatre rehearsal studio, with Hamilton teaching children aged 10-12 at Grade 5 and above level, followed by Naghdi teaching students aged 13-16 at advanced level (both masterclasses open to boys as well as girls). Each class is S$70 (approx £42) per participant. What a thrilling opportunity for the young students!

Edited December 14, 2023 by Emeralds

[Henry]

£42 for a 90 minute group class...

 

Those poor kids, those poor parents.  How can they justify that price???

[Jan McNulty]

9 hours ago, Henry said:

£42 for a 90 minute group class...

 

Those poor kids, those poor parents.  How can they justify that price???

 

We don't know how many children will be in each class, we don't know cost of living and comparable prices for other classes in Singapore...

[FionaM]

Prices for masterclasses from principal dancers can vary hugely.   The recent Dance Forward 3.5 hour sessions held at ROH cost the pupils £150.

 

On the other hand … the tickets for this gala seem really cheap with top price circa £70!

 

 

[Balletdoodah]

11 hours ago, Henry said:

£42 for a 90 minute group class...

 

Those poor kids, those poor parents.  How can they justify that price???

 

Reasoning another way: it's about the same as an hour of studio time in the UK, so one could consider that students are getting tremendously valuable time with Melissa/Yasmine almost gratis

[Emeralds]

It's not going to be a group class like a regular child's dancing class or a weekly group class at Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden, if that helps reassure you,  Henry. The groups are generally small because not many students there (the population is smaller than London's) attain that level- just to explain, if you are a 10 year old who is at least grade 5 or higher, that's what we would call intermediate in other fields, and not many 10 or 11 year olds  attain that so young.

 

They aren't little kids at beginner or "introduction to ballet" stage, they are serious students who may be considering a professional career. In a masterclass they will be given individual attention but in a small group, they have the benefit of watching other students and learning from their errors or skills,  and corrections given to them as well as their own.

 

Singapore doesn't have a lot of international stars like Naghdi and Hamilton around all the time unlike London or Birmingham, or summer intensives that RBS and other institutions offer, so the organisers have taken the opportunity for these outstanding ballerinas to impart some useful pointers. We're talking about the equivalent of something like a private group tutorial in London with Polina Semionova, Jonas Kaufmann or Meryl Streep- someone who isn't normally in this country all year round. I think the students will treat it as a special experience that they'll always remember, whether or not they become professional dancers.

 

The organisers have a lot of experience bringing elite companies over and are helping organise it - It's not a rented hall and Melissa being left to deal with every detail. I didn't mention (didn't expect people to be interested?) that it is  part of an international guest company/artist series (like a mini version of the BBC Proms, but for dance) that they've done for years, and they will be very focused on getting everything right as they always have- they don't want attendees to have a bad experience.

 

I'm impressed that Yasmine and Melissa can fit this in the next morning after performing the night before, with a matinee coming up, but they've both performed as guests across different  time zones and obviously have a strong work ethic. I must admit I have mainly shared it not because I can attend- wish I could!- but for the benefit of our readers who may live in the vicinity or may be travelling on stopover on the way to Australia, NZ or the west coast of USA.

 

I am quite impressed with the pricing too, as FionaM has pointed out. While they may not have very low prices like the Coliseum balcony, Sadler's Wells far side or back rows, or some theatres, I've been to that theatre and the lowest priced seats are comfortable, modern and have no restricted view, hence the prices start middle range. And good prices for the best seats!

Edited December 15, 2023 by Emeralds

[Odyssey]

As Emeralds says “ The ever versatile Melissa Hamilton “. I admire how this dancer has carved out such a varied career for herself. I’ll be very interested to see which direction she chooses once she decides to hang up her pointe shoes( which I hope won’t be for a few years yet). 

[Dawnstar]

I didn't want to start a new thread for this in case there's an official press release to come but I've just seen this on Twitter. Rather nearer than Singapore at any rate, though still a bit of a distance & no indication of whether it'll be the same programme or a different one.

 

 

[FionaM]

Excellent initiative to bring high quality ballet to Belfast.   I remember being starved of ballet when living in Northern Ireland. 
 

bravo Melissa 👏👏👏

[David Huddleston]

It's fantastic to see Melissa bringing this to Belfast. The visits from Northern, BRB and Scottish Ballet have become infrequent. So really pleased to see a local ballet star doing this for audiences here.

[Emeralds]

On 22/01/2024 at 23:18, Dawnstar said:

I didn't want to start a new thread for this in case there's an official press release to come but I've just seen this on Twitter. Rather nearer than Singapore at any rate, though still a bit of a distance & no indication of whether it'll be the same programme or a different one.

 

 

Well done Melissa! Glad to see ballet being programmed for Belfast and Northern Ireland. 

[Tony Newcombe]

Just before pandemic lockdown, BRB took their Evening of Music and Dance to Belfast.

The highlight of the evening I attended was seeing Melissa and Brandon Lawrence dancing

the Reconciliation Pas de Deux from The Dream. 
There is a Saturday matinee performance of the gala so it may well be possible to fly in

see the gala and fly home on the same day.

Edited January 24 by Tony Newcombe
Spelling error

[Emeralds]

For our lucky readers who are based in Southeast Asia or able to take an overnight stay on stopover to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji (!) or elsewhere in the vicinity on holiday and attend this gala, the programme for this Saturday (23 March) and Sunday (24 March) has been announced on the theatre website (with casting!) 👏..... unlike a certain more haphazard gala held in London yesterday. 

 

The sharp eyed (with stellar short term memory) readers among us will have noticed that Marcelino Sambe, having received an invitation to dance in La Fille mal gardée at the Paris Opera on the same weekend will not be able to dance in two continents at the sane time- he is being replaced by Xander Parish, British principal dancer of Norwegian National Ballet and former Mariinsky Ballet principal and Royal Ballet dancer. (The theatre website has announced that Sambe is being replaced). 

Edited March 18 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

Programme for Esplanade Theatre, 23 and  24 March: 

 

The Sleeping Beauty, Rose Adagio

Choreography by Marius Petipa

Music by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Performed by Yasmine Naghdi, Xander Parish, Ryoichi Hirano, Satoru Agetsuma and Timothy Ng

 

La Luna

Choreography by Maurice Béjart

Music by Johann Sebastian Bach

Performed by Melissa Hamilton

 

Lady of the Camellias ‘ Purple’ Pas de deux

Choreography by John Neumeier

Music by Frédéric Chopin

Costumes by Jürgen Rose

Performed by Madoka Sugai and Alessandro Frola

 

A Dialog

Choreography by Roman Novitzky

Music by Nina Simone “Sinnerman”

Performed by Mackenzie Brown and Martí Fernández Paixà

 

Giselle Pas de deux- Act II

Choreography by Marius Petipa, Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot

Music by Adolphe Adam

Performed by Melissa Hamilton and Xander Parish

 

Spring Waters Pas de deux

Choreography by Asaf Messerer

Music by Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Performed by Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano

 

INTERVAL 

 

Momentum

Choreography by Choo-San Goh

Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Performed by Kwok Min Yi, Kana Minegishi, Esen Thang, Nanase Tanaka, Stephanie Joe; 

Satoru Agetsuma, Jason Carter, Timothy Ng, Joshua Lee and Takeaki Miura

 

Qualia

Choreography by Wayne McGregor

Music by Scanner

Performed by Melissa Hamilton and Ryoichi Hirano

Qualia was originally commissioned by The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden

 

Romeo and Juliet ‘Balcony’ Pas de deux

Choreography by John Cranko

Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Performed by Mackenzie Brown and Martí Fernández Paixà

 

Ballet 101

Choreography by Eric Gauthier

Performed by Xander Parish

 

La Esmeralda Pas de deux

Choreography by Marius Petipa

Music by Cesare Pugni

Performed by Madoka Sugai and Alessandro Frola

 

Manon ‘Bedroom’ Pas de deux

Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Music by Jules Massenet

Performed by Melissa Hamilton and Ryoichi Hirano

 

 

Programme is subject to change.

[Emeralds]

The principals, soloists and artists of Singapore Ballet will be performing  Momentum by the acclaimed Washington Ballet choreographer Choo San Goh; additionally, Satoru Agetsuma and Timothy Ng will dance two of the Princes in the Rose Adagio with Yasmine Naghdi. 

 

So refreshing to have a change from the usual solos-and-duets-and-fouettes gala format, with a full ballet and the Rose Adagio instead. I'd love to see this programme in London! With the same cast!- give or take a few changes depending on artist availability. 😀 

[Tattin]

Thank you, Emeralds, for the details of this wonderful programme - one can only dream.... I hope you will let us know if you find out that it is being filmed.

[Emeralds]

2 minutes ago, Tattin said:

Thank you, Emeralds, for the details of this wonderful programme - one can only dream.... I hope you will let us know if you find out that it is being filmed.

I doubt it is being filmed, although Yasmine Naghdi has prepared a charming video as a trailer introducing what she is going to perform, and there are a few snippets of pieces like Qualia in rehearsal online. I can make enquiries about whether they might consider filming some or all of it for streaming or DVD release. 

[David Huddleston]

Hope it will be a similar programme for Belfast 🤞, I've got my tickets booked. 

[Odyssey]

I have been looking to see if there was a review of the Singapore performances. The only one I managed to find is The Straits Times and it’s a paywall. Judging by the clips which feature on the various participating dancers’ Instagram accounts, it seems to have been a success and extremely well received. The venue looks very well suited for dance. Lovely to get a glimpse of Xander Parish who said on his Instagram page how much he enjoyed being on stage with so many friends from his time with the Royal Ballet. The Masterclasses which also accompanied the event also seem to have been very popular. 

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Odyssey said:

I have been looking to see if there was a review of the Singapore performances. The only one I managed to find is The Straits Times and it’s a paywall. Judging by the clips which feature on the various participating dancers’ Instagram accounts, it seems to have been a success and extremely well received. The venue looks very well suited for dance. Lovely to get a glimpse of Xander Parish who said on his Instagram page how much he enjoyed being on stage with so many friends from his time with the Royal Ballet. The Masterclasses which also accompanied the event also seem to have been very popular. 

Thanks Odyssey! I went to sneak a peek at the box office shortly before the first performance and was amazed to find that it was sold out apart from a small section at the back ie only the cheapest tickets left. The second performance had slightly more tickets left but a similar scenario- all the top prices sold out, just a number of the cheapest prices left. That's so refreshing compared to what we have here- it means the prices are not out of reach for their audiences. Both Melissa and Yasmine's masterclasses were sold out. 

 

That's lovely to get that report and impression from Xander. I wonder if he will be in the Belfast performance since it's worked out well. The one ballet I know will be unlikely to be brought to Belfast will be Momentum with its entire cast from Singapore Ballet, as that will mean a lot of long haul plane tickets! (A pity though - Choo San Goh's ballets are gorgeous and reminiscent of a mixture of Ashton and Cranko with a touch of Bintley, and I think UK audiences would love them.) 

 

It would be so thrilling if Melissa could bring the programme to London and a few other British cities as well. Can't wait to find out what will be on the Belfast programme! 

[Emeralds]

The paywall might have prevented @Jan McNulty and @Blossom from getting the review up for the Dance Links (although you can see a lovely photo of Yasmine Naghdi in a beautiful arabesque from the Rose Adagio!) - it came out 2 days ago 8 hours ahead of UK time-  but somehow with a click here and there I managed to get a non-paywall edition on Pressreader to read.

 

There's also a great photo of Hamilton and Hirano in the Manon bedroom pas de deux. (Fantastic that Hirano is dancing Des Grieux for the third time this year after many seasons as Lescaut!) The photo of Naghdi and fellow dancers appears on the Straits Times headline but not in the pressreader website. 

 

Yasmine Naghdi's photo:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/dance-review-international-ballet-principals-offer-rare-treat-for-balletomanes&ved=2ahUKEwj9vq-c5JSFAxW9gf0HHReOCX0QFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0ldC3xNcLjZmzzs6a3bUTo

 

Review  (click on the green "read this  article" icon): 

 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.pressreader.com/singapore/the-straits-times/20240325/282428469184591&ved=2ahUKEwjv6-vy4JSFAxVAh_0HHbakAoIQFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3H15dOBcna-fmPCqLRMn78

 

Edited March 27 by Emeralds

[Odyssey]

That is indeed a gorgeous photo ofYasmine. Thank you.