News of RBS graduates elsewhere

[FionaM]

News from Milda Luckute who graduated from the RBS in summer 2023 as winner of the London Ballet Circle Dame Ninette Award for best female graduate.  

 

She will be performing the Lilac Fairy role in Dresden Semperoper’s Sleeping Beauty in March!

 

Many congratulations to her 👏

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Vz75jo23A/?igsh=MXVnanJhY2t2bGczMg==

 

As a side note, I see ENB’s Gareth Haw is Prince Florimund in the same performance with his previous company.  

[art_enthusiast]

I remember her from the summer show. Great performance.

 

Just wondering if anyone knows which company Alix van Tiggelen went to? One of the Aud Jebsen dancers of last season

[alison]

Was it somewhere Belgian?  Or Dutch?

[MAX]

The talented Skya Powney is in the Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam.

[Birdy]

As the parent of a tall (though not quite as tall) dancer, I’m always rooting for Milda Luckute.

 

BTW, Het just means The in Dutch.

[FionaM]

I thought Milda stood out for her expression and musicality, not only her height.  I’m thrilled that her post RBS choice is working out really well for her.  

[FionaM]

Takumi Miyake (top male graduate of RBS 2022) performs tonight in the opening night of ABT’s Swan Lake season.  He is one of the Neapolitan duo, alongside Jake Roxander.  
 

I believe this is his first soloist role since progressing into the main company from ABT2.  
 

Cast list from ABT instagram story

https://www.instagram.com/stories/abtofficial/3307908526403960731?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=dGM4cTg4bHNyOWFi

[Legseleven]

How tall is Milda Luckute? 

[Birdy]

I would guess 5’11 or so. My DD is 5’9” and Milda is noticeably taller. 

[Legseleven]

Thank you Birdy. I’m delighted that height is no longer an absolute barrier to women dancing professionally. 

[Pas de Quatre]

Jane Landon who graduated RBS in the 1960s was 5ft 10ins.  She was in the same year as Wayne Sleep and they were good friends according to his biography, quite a contrast! She joined Sadlers Wells Touring Company and I saw her dance several times - absolutely gorgeous. Eventually she moved to Germany where there have always been more taller dancers. In many auditions nowadays the minimum female height is 5ft 6 ins, 1.68 m.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, Pas de Quatre said:

In many auditions nowadays the minimum female height is 5ft 6 ins, 1.68 m

In Germany or globally?  I’m not familiar with this topic but surely, in the UK at least, talent of any height can audition otherwise this would be discriminatory? 

[Pas de Quatre]

In Germany, following on from the previous posts. But this height limit is common in parts of Europe with a corresponding minimum height for men. Also in some companies worldwide.  The are others who need smaller dancers so a maximum height may be specified.  Always read audition notice carefully. It isn't discrimination, new dancers have to blend with existing employees and fit the costumes.

[Sabine0308]

I'm not sure if height is still an issue in companies. If I look only at Staatsballett Berlin, where the company has been "re-arranged" last year with Christian Spuck taking over the helm, then I see a lot of different height and body types in general. Like the very tall Martin ten Kortenaar, and the tiny Leroy Mokgatle. I think rather certain skills which would fit the best for certain choreographies are more important?

[FionaM]

Munich have an audition height for men of 1.8m.  Maybe it’s guidance only because clearly Antonio Casalinho and Shale Wagman don’t match that.  

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

Munich have an audition height for men of 1.8m.  Maybe it’s guidance only because clearly Antonio Casalinho and Shale Wagman don’t match that.  

 

I've absolutely no idea how all this works, but could it be that such height restrictions/guidance is only for auditions open to all comers? If they're simply short of a few men for general duties it would make sense to put a lower limit on height for such an audition call, whereas if they're specifically in the market for a principal or future principal they would probably follow quite a different process.

[Emeralds]

8 hours ago, Legseleven said:

Thank you Birdy. I’m delighted that height is no longer an absolute barrier to women dancing professionally. 

If it helps, Sangeun Lee (ENB lead principal and former Semperoper Ballett principal) is 182 cm (5 ft 11.65 inches) and is clearly a star and in demand for guest artist invitations. Having seen her dance recently, she is absolutely exceptional and looks featherlight and ethereal in the way she moves compared to many shorter ballerinas.

 

Taller women do have to seek out companies with more taller men though: at her time in Dresden, there were also taller men like Dmitry Semionov, Gareth Haw and (briefly) Vsevolod Maievskyi who are all way above 6 foot tall (as is Reece Clarke at the Royal Ballet). Senionov used to partner Lee  (there's a YouTube clip of them in the White Swan pas de deux), Haw is now her regular partner and both he and Maievskyi joined ENB at the same time as Lee. Besides Semperoper Ballett, Pacific Northwest Ballet also has taller women and men. As taller women do stick out in a group, it's worth learning roles/solos of the tall ballerina's repertoire that make you stand out at audition and a useful company member to have (so they're more likely to choose you): Prayer in Coppelia, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, Lilac Fairy, Myrtha, Gamzatti.

[Sabine0308]

2 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I've absolutely no idea how all this works, but could it be that such height restrictions/guidance is only for auditions open to all comers? If they're simply short of a few men for general duties it would make sense to put a lower limit on height for such an audition call, whereas if they're specifically in the market for a principal or future principal they would probably follow quite a different process.

I can speak only about how the process was for Shale Wagman. He is not very tall but was invited to Munich during the peak of Corona, they did everything to get him from Canada to Germany (which wasn't easy, entry into Germany etc but they made it possible). Igor Zelensky was not even present when he "auditioned" but was online and took him on the spot. So yes, the process can be special for future soloists. As for A. Casalinho who is smaller than Shale, I've rarely seen him dance with another partner than his tiny Margarita, and hiring process for them was...let's say different.

Edited February 23 by Sabine0308

[Birdy]

There are companies known for being shorter on average and others known for taking in taller dancers, and still others who are happy to have plenty of variety. There are always exceptions for extremely talented dancers. DD’s friends are auditioning now and I will say opportunities do seem fewer for the girls and the shortest and tallest ends of the spectrum. 

[Fonty]

11 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Jane Landon who graduated RBS in the 1960s was 5ft 10ins.  She was in the same year as Wayne Sleep and they were good friends according to his biography, quite a contrast! She joined Sadlers Wells Touring Company and I saw her dance several times - absolutely gorgeous. Eventually she moved to Germany where there have always been more taller dancers. In many auditions nowadays the minimum female height is 5ft 6 ins, 1.68 m.

 

I am not sure I approve of a minimum height of 5' 6".  That seems quite tall for ladies.  Especially when they go up on pointe, that means that the male partner has to be over 6' tall, in fact probably about 6' 2".   Unless these women are simply being engaged for the corps, but even then are girls really getting that much taller, so that someone of under 5' 6" would stand out?  I know the average height of a woman in the UK has only just gone up to just under 5' 4".  The average height for men is about 5'9 or 5' 10".  So why this demand for females with a minimum height of 5' 6"?  I know other countries may be taller on average, but even so, are there that many males over 6' 2" training as ballet dancers?  Of course, a talented lady of 5' 10" is probably automatically guaranteed some juicy solo roles if hired; not many men tall enough to partner her!

 

In the interests of research, I have just measure my feet.  I am not very tall, about 5 ' 2", and I have fairly small feet as well.  (Size 4, or 37).  My feet are exactly 8 inches long.  I would expect a woman with a height of  5' 6"  plus to have correspondingly larger feet.  I know that  on pointe it doesn't add the full length of the foot, but even so those with bigger feet will probably add 7  inches to their height.  I don't think it looks right at all if the woman is much taller than the man in pdd work.  

 

 

[Emeralds]

I agree, @Fonty- I think companies like RB, ENB (despite hiring Lee), BRB, NB, Scottish Ballet, still have and hire lots of women well under 5' 6", as do Dutch National Ballet, Australian Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, ABT, NYCB  (all companies where British ballet graduates will be able to cope language-wise). Smaller women and taller men generally have the advantage. Did @Pas de Quatremean a maximum? A minimum of 5' 6" seems too tall. Even today, some ballerinas who are 5' 7" can still have problems finding partners in their companies and end up occasionally missing out on roles as a result. (Darcey Bussell was 5'7").

Edited February 23 by Emeralds

[Sophoife]

We had this height discussion with specific reference to Sangeun Lee last year. 

 

The shortest female dancer at AusBallet is Yuumi Yamada, who is not quite 5'0".

 

There was also a thread in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

[Emeralds]

8 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

We had this height discussion with specific reference to Sangeun Lee last year. 

 

The shortest female dancer at AusBallet is Yuumi Yamada, who is not quite 5'0".

 

There was also a thread in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

I do remember a lot of the Australian Ballet ladies being very petite! Yamada is a lovely dancer. Sangeun has now more than proven that she is an incredible asset to ENB and the British ballet community (so willing to help others with any charity or independent venture). She would have difficulty without Gareth Haw joining with her of course- and he is a brilliant dancer and excellent partner in his own right; hope he is promoted to principal soon. It's also advantageous to have Vsevolod Maievskyi, who is also very tall. They just need to make sure Gareth and Vsevolod don't both get injured at the same time! - preferably not at all of course.

Edited February 23 by Emeralds

[Fonty]

@Sophoife  I can't remember what was discussed at the end of 2023 without being reminded!  You don't expect me to remember something from 6 years ago, do you??  

[Sophoife]

15 minutes ago, Fonty said:

@Sophoife  I can't remember what was discussed at the end of 2023 without being reminded!  You don't expect me to remember something from 6 years ago, do you??  

🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't either, so I searched "Isobelle Dashwood" using forum search!!

[Birdy]

Munich did indeed have 1.68m for women and 1.82m for men as minimums for their junior company audition. I prefer companies with a variety of heights and don’t understand the insistence on uniformity. There is a 7-8” difference in height between the shortest woman at Dutch National and the tallest. Obviously it is more difficult for a shorter man to partner a taller woman, but short women can also be difficult for tall men to partner—particularly for lifts as they have to bend too much. And as for foot size…my DD is 5’9” but her shoe size is only a 37, so there isn’t always a direct correspondence.

[Emeralds]

54 minutes ago, Birdy said:

Munich did indeed have 1.68m for women and 1.82m for men as minimums for their junior company audition. I prefer companies with a variety of heights and don’t understand the insistence on uniformity. There is a 7-8” difference in height between the shortest woman at Dutch National and the tallest. Obviously it is more difficult for a shorter man to partner a taller woman, but short women can also be difficult for tall men to partner—particularly for lifts as they have to bend too much. And as for foot size…my DD is 5’9” but her shoe size is only a 37, so there isn’t always a direct correspondence.

I agree Birdy- there are some shorter or medium height ballerinas with longer feet who seem extremely tall when up en pointe and some tall (and some small) ballerinas whose height doesn't increase by a lot when en pointe because their feet are small. Allowing some variety eg 1.6m rather than 1.68m would make more sense. 

[FionaM]

4 hours ago, Sophoife said:

🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't either, so I searched "Isobelle Dashwood" using forum search!!

 
talking of Isobelle, I’m thrilled to see Davi Ramos has joined Aus Ballet ( 🇧🇷 -> RBS -> Dutch National -> Australia) and is partnering her.  She’s great and deserves chance to do the great pdd as well as solos. 

[Sophoife]

Isobelle Dashwood is a member of a very talented and hard-working family. She has a younger sister currently at RBS US, and a brother who graduated ABS and is at West Australian Ballet. Isobelle herself was promoted direct from corps de ballet to soloist, skipping coryphée. There are a number of tall men in the company with whom she has been partnered.

 

As the current season in Sydney is his first with the company, I've not yet seen Davi Ramos dance. Rehearsal footage of Le Corsaire and Raymonda does not mean they will be dancing together as neither is in the current repertoire nor are there any galas upcoming for which they might be preparing either piece. Gala and guesting opportunities are far more limited in Australia than in Europe or the USA. We shall see.

[Pas de Quatre]

Emeralds, no I didn't mean a maximum. I was not posting an opinion, merely passing on the information that stating a minimum height in audition notices is not uncommon.

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Emeralds, no I didn't mean a maximum. I was not posting an opinion, merely passing on the information that stating a minimum height in audition notices is not uncommon.

Thanks for confirming, Pas de Quatre! I notice from Birdy's post that the same was spotted for Munich! It feels too tall for me! I  too am tall - not as tall as Sangeun Lee but closer to Darcey Bussell- and as a student partnering was so tricky....only 1 student was ever tall enough to be partnered with whereas the more petite girls who had it better then would nowadays be ineligible for these German companies before they've even done a single step. I suppose the unfortunate local girls who haven’t grown as tall as 1.68m would just have to pack up their passport and audition abroad. 

[Estreiiita]

Our "newest" prima, Astrid Elbo, has a height of 180 cm. In one of the interviews she says that when one is that tall, it requires a lot to control the body  and during her first years in the theater she often felt  herself like Bambi on the ice. She remembers that Nikolaj (Hubbe) said to her:"When one is as tall as you, it's either to be always in the back or try to be extremely good, to be placed in front". And she adds that for her it was no doubt, what would she aim for.

   I'm looking forward to see her in a new creation of Sebastian Kloborg in April. She dances now mostly with Ryan Tomash, also quite tall. 

  By the way, I was quite impressed by a new member of our danish corps de ballet, Lania Atkins, who's also quite tall - I saw her as a Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella", and she was excellent, a true queen of the ballet!

  So the tall female dancers can surely find their place even in the companies where the majority of dancers is of  average height.

[Birdy]

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see what seems to be broader acceptance of taller dancers. The norm in the past was to exclude most of them, so I can’t feel too bad about one company being unavailable to shorter dancers.