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Daria Klimentová farewell performances in Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall


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3 February, 2014      

 

Daria Klimentová farewell performances in Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall

  • English National Ballet’s Lead Principal retires after 18 years
  • Vadim Muntagirov joins her as Romeo for farewell performance

 

Daria Klimentová, English National Ballet Lead Principal and one of the most respected and accomplished stars of classical ballet, has announced she will retire after  dancing the role of Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall in June.  Vadim Muntagirov, with whom she has formed one of the most admired ballet partnerships of modern times, will return to the Company to play Romeo in Derek Deane’s spectacular production of Romeo & Juliet in-the-round.

 

“Daria brings her own special magic to everything she does. I wish Daria success and happiness in her future and I will miss her as a wonderful artist,” said Tamara Rojo, English National Ballet’s Artistic Director who will also be dancing Juliet.  As Daria and Vadim bring to a close their illustrious partnership, Tamara Rojo is reunited with the former Royal Ballet partner Carlos Acosta and London audiences will have the first chance to see Alina Cojocaru dance with Friedemann Vogel of Stuttgart Ballet. (Full Romeo & Juliet casting below)

 

Daria’s last performances with English National Ballet and with Vadim Muntagirov in Romeo & Juliet can be seen on 14, 19 and 22 June 2014, at The Royal Albert Hall. Performed by a huge company of 120 dancers, actors and swordfighters, it is an epic staging of Shakespeare's timeless tragedy.  This acclaimed production brings to life all the emotions of the world's greatest love story, from the majestic sweep of the masked ball to the passion and intimacy of the lovers' balcony scene.

 

Daria Klimentová said: “It's a very sad moment for me but at the same time very exciting. I have worked with some incredible people, who I will always remember. I have given my ballet life to English National Ballet, with all the ups and downs. I will especially miss dancing with Vadim, I was waiting for him for 20 years but it was worth it, as he took me to a different world. I am now ready to move on and help all the talented dancers, just like I've been helped through my long career.”

 

Daria has danced professionally for 25 years and with English National Ballet for 18 of those (since 1996) and has performed many of the greatest roles in classical ballet to critical acclaim. She is warmly received wherever she performs, the drama of her dancing making her performances electrifying.

 

‘’The Company’s most classical ballerina, linear perfection and heartless glitter to dazzle any man.’’ The Sunday Times

 

Daria Klimentová Biography:

Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Daria trained at the School of Music and Dance (Prague State Conservatory).  She danced with the National Theatre Ballet Company, Prague (joined 1989, Soloist, Principal); the Cape Ballet Company, South Africa (joined 1992, Principal) Scottish Ballet (joined 1993, Principal) and before joining English National Ballet as a Principal in 1996.

 

Daria has the won Paris Dance Foundation Prize at Prix de Lausanne, first place Tokyo (1989), International Ballet Competition, Pretoria (1991), and received The Patron’s Award from Dame Beryl Grey (2011). Daria won the 2011 Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for Outstanding Female Dancer.

 

Daria’s own career highlights include creating roles such as the role of Clara in Wayne Eagling’s Nutcracker, stage and film versions of Camille, and the lead roles in Double Concerto and The Snow Queen

She counts her favourite roles as the title in Sphinx, Odile in Swan Lake, Marguérite in Lady of the Camellias, Manon with Friedemann Vogel and Juliet with Vadim Muntagirov

 

Daria has a daughter, Sabina, and says her favourite place is wherever her daughter is. Daria’s autobiography Agony and Ecstasy: My Life in Dance was published in March 2013.

 

Daria Klimentová is currently ending the UK tour of Le Corsaire, with English National Ballet, performing in the last shows at the Palace Theatre Manchester on 11 and 15 February with Vadim Muntagirov before he joins The Royal Ballet.

 

Press Quotes:

Romeo & Juliet

“…a truly stunning portrayal of Juliet […] A pure classicist but with a virtuoso technical range […] Klimentová’s definitive, sincere and deeply-moving interpretation of one of the world’s greatest heroines.” Sunday Express

 

A Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev

“Daria Klimentová is both grand and mercurial in the ballerina role, switching from imperious to flirty in a dazzle of footwork.”  The Independent

 

Nutcracker

“Klimentová excels as the older Clara, delivering Eagling’s lovingly created steps with regal grace and an amused romanticism.” Daily Express

 

Snow Queen

“Daria Klimentová, the company’s most classical ballerina, was ideal as the Snow Queen, a kind of polar Mata Hari, with the linear perfection and heartless glitter to dazzle any man.”  The Sunday Times

 

Ends

 

Notes to Editors

For further information about English National Ballet and to book ticklets visit www.ballet.org.uk Please note performance details are subject to change. You can find English National Ballet on Facebook and Twitter @ENBallet

 

Romeo & Juliet

Raymond Gubbay and the Royal Albert Hall present English National Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2014, with Derek Deane’s breath-taking production of Romeo and Juliet - the world’s greatest love story.

Wednesday 11 June – Sunday 22 June 2014

Tickets: £19.50 - £70 

Box Office: 020 7838 3100 / www.royalalberthall.com

 

PRINCIPAL CASTING:

Performances

Juliet

Romeo

11.6.2014 Wednesday Eve

Rojo

C Acosta

12.6.2014 Thursday Eve

Cojocaru

Vogel

13.6.2014 Friday Eve

Rojo

C Acosta

14.6.2014 Saturday Mat

Klimentová

Muntagirov

14.6.2014 Saturday Eve

Cojocaru

Vogel

15.6.2014 Sunday Mat

Rojo

C Acosta

17.6.2014 Tuesday Eve

Rojo

C Acosta

18.6.2014 Wednesday Eve

Oliveira

Konvalina

19.6.2014 Thursday Mat

Glurdjidze

Vargas

19.6.2014 Thursday Eve

Klimentová

Muntagirov

20.6.2014 Friday Eve

Cao

Souza

21.6.2014 Saturday Mat

Takahashi

Vargas

21.6.2014 Saturday Eve

Oliveira

Konvalina

22. 6.2014 Sunday Mat

Klimentová

Muntagirov

Edited by Bruce
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Saw the news, cracked out the credit card out and immediately booked for her farewell performance! As a relatively new fan I still haven't seen Daria dance, so to be able to catch her at her very final show feels like it'll be very special - there was no way on earth I was missing her!

 

I'll probably end up kicking myself for not seeing her over the last two years! :)

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End of an era and I still remember when Daria and Tamara joined ENB from Scottish Ballet...

 

I still remember seeing her dance with Scottish Ballet!

 

 

Ew. Horrible grammar in my last post. Apologies - must be the excitement! :) Can I not delete or edit it after a period of time?

 

BBB you get about half an hour after you have posted to edit your post.

 

 

Daria is just sublime.  I will never forget her Manon, which I was privileged to see in Manchester, Juliet and any other role I have seen her in. 

 

Very best wishes to Daria for the future.

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Following the official announcement of her retirement, Daria Klimentova has asked me to convey the following statement on her behalf:

 

“Today English National Ballet has announced my retirement from dancing.  I would like to set the record straight about a few things that have been said on this forum and elsewhere.

 

First of all, Vadim has not ‘let me down’.  He would never do that to me or the Company.  We had been planning our mutual departures for a while, and the timing just seemed right.  Vadim was ready for the next phase of his career, and I was ready to retire.  To reiterate, I am not retiring because Vadim has left, and he has not left because I am retiring:  we planned this carefully so the pain of not being able to dance together anymore was lessened by us both leaving at the same time.  I have had a wonderful career, especially with ENB, and I am very grateful for all the ballets I have been able to dance and all the great times I have had with them.  Finding such an incredible partner in Vadim prolonged my career by five years and has been the very best part of it. 

 

I would also like to re-assure everyone that Vadim will be carrying out all his commitments with ENB until the end of the season.  It would never have been otherwise.  We will be dancing together in Manchester (Corsaire) on 11 and 15 February,  the Russian Icons gala at the London Coliseum (Sleeping Beauty pdd) on 9 March, a gala in Brussels (Cave duet and pdd from Corsaire) 22nd March, my ‘Thank You’ gala in Prague ( excerpts from Act 2 of Swan Lake, Corsaire and Act 3 of DonQ, together with dancers from Czech National Ballet) on 15 May , and finally all the planned R&Js in June.  Our final performance together will be on June 22nd (matinee) at the Albert Hall in London.   My birthday is June 23rd, and the best birthday present I could have is being able to finish my career dancing Romeo and Juliet with Vadim.  We are very grateful to Tamara Rojo and Kevin O’Hare for this.

Going forward, I will stay in the ballet world and intend to help young dancers achieve all they possibly can in their careers, and be the best they can possibly be as artists.  I will also do all I can to support Vadim, who is very much looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities ahead.  We would like to thank our fans for all the support and good wishes they have expressed for us.”

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Thank you for sharing that, Sim.  That is a most gracious message from a woman who is a very fine and ALWAYS most gracious artist herself.  I am so pleased she made these points clear.  We will, I'm sure, all look forward to attending various aspects of the final glorious stretches of her own and Muntagirov's extraordinary partnership.  Those memories - much like those of the Edurs who were also both long associated with LFB/ENB  - will survive in joy in each of our memories for much time to come.  Bless all.    

Edited by Meunier
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Sim: I echo Meunier - that is possibly the most gracious statement of its kind I can recall, and it speaks volumes about the lady and, dare I say, about what she and Vadim Muntagirov have had to put up with in recent days.  With your having gone public here, I have taken the liberty of putting the following on the Forum Twitter timeline without further adornment:

 

@BalletcoForum: We are carrying a personal statement from Daria Klimentova here:  http://bit.ly/1aW8P6Y

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End of an era is all I can say.  Will miss Daria greatly, I had hoped to see her as the Snow Queen again but that is not to be.  Thankfully I have a ticket for 22 June and isn't it wonderful that Vadim WILL partner her for those final performances.   Am thrilled to hear Daria and Vadim will be at the Coli on 9 March too!  Thanks for the memories Daria!

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I'm so glad she's planning to stay in the world of ballet in some capacity after she retires from dancing, whether as a teacher or an administrator remains to be seen. It's always sad when some of the great dancers retire and just walk away, since ballet is so dependent on knowledge being passed from generation to generation.

 

I must say I did wonder, when news of Vadim Muntagirov's move to RB broke last week, whether this announcement would be far behind.

Edited by Melody
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What a beautiful message, and what a beautiful partnership.

 

Being new to ballet, I have only seen Klimientova dance over the last year or so, and I have really enjoyed all of the performances I saw. It wasn't just her dancing, her generosity of spirit and sweetness really come across in her performance add to her wonderful stage presence.

 

I'm hoping to see her in Lest We Forget, but if not I already had tickets for the R&J on the 22nd, now I suspect I need to invest in an extra supply of tissues.

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Bravo Daria and Vadim - people who write things about other online should take note - devastated that their partnership is ending but wishing him all the best with the RB  and her a peaceful and well deserved retirement

 

Thanks for all the memories

Edited by jules_skichick
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I wrote a short note of appreciation of Daria on the R & J casting thread but I must add that it is almost impossible to conceive of a first night of an ENB Nutcracker without (first) her delightful Clara and (then) her special glitter in the pas de deux. The Company is about to lose its crown jewel and she will be missed so very much by all the fans who love her.

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