Josephine Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Link to announcement by Royal Opera House: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/promotions-joiners-and-leavers-at-the-royal-ballet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 No new Principal Dancers promoted to: First Soloist: Akane Takada Valentino Zucchetti Soloist: Francesca Hayward, Yasmine Naghdi, Tristan Dyer, Fernando Montano First Artist: Jacqueline Clark, Elsa Godard, Gemma Pitchley-Gale, Luca Acri, Nicol Edmonds, Kevin Emerton, Marcelino Sambe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Here's the text from the Press Release: Promotions, joiners and leavers at The Royal Ballet Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, has made the following promotions for the forthcoming 2014/15 Season. Akane Takada and Valentino Zucchetti have been promoted to First Soloists. Francesca Hayward, Yasmine Naghdi, Tristan Dyer and Fernando Montaño are promoted to Soloists, along with Jacqueline Clark, Elsa Godard, Gemma Pitchley-Gale, Luca Acri, Nicol Edmonds, Kevin Emerton and Marcelino Sambé, who are promoted to First Artists. Joining the Company at the start of the Season will be Calvin Richardson from The Royal Ballet School in addition to Royal Ballet School Alumni Mariko Sasaki from Birmingham Royal Ballet and Hannah Grennell from Dutch National Ballet. All join as Artists. Gina Storm-Jensen and Reece Clarke joined the Company as Artists earlier in the Season and are both graduates of The Royal Ballet School. The Royal Ballet welcomes five dancers to the Company for the 2014/15 Season as part of the new Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme. The programme provides an opportunity for up to six recently graduated dancers to receive a year’s contract to work alongside the corps de ballet of The Royal Ballet. In addition the dancers will be offered mentoring and coaching and have the opportunity to perform with the Company. This year’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers are Grace Blundell and Grace Horler, both from The Royal Ballet School, Ashley Scott and Ashleigh McKimmie from English National Ballet School and Maria Barroso from Semperoper Ballet, Dresden. David Navarro Yudes joins the Company as a Prix de Lausanne Dancer for the 2014/15 Season. Soloist Kenta Kura retires from the Company after 17 years to take up a new appointment as Boys’ Artistic Teacher at White Lodge, the Royal Ballet Junior School. Kenta is a graduate of The Royal Ballet School's Professional Dancer’s Teachers Course (PDTC). First Artist Sabina Westcombe and Artists Ruth Bailey and Claudia Dean also leave the Company. First Artist Leanne Cope will take a sabbatical for the 2014/15 Season to play the part of Lise Dassin in An American in Paris, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet. An American in Paris receives its world premiere in December at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris and transfers to Broadway in spring 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 particularly pleased to see Yasmine Naghdi promoted to soloist. :-) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdove Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I second that and even more pleased to see Francesca Hayward receive a richly deserved promotion. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) I think Kevin O'Hare is doing an amazing job: not only did he present a fantastic Season but also in recruiting new dancers/graduates who all trained at The Royal Ballet School (except three youngsters who join on a one-year contract basis (under the "Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme") and the Prix de Laussane dancer are not). There is no intake from USA, Japan, ...as was the case under the previous Director and IMO the Company has never looked better! The Corps de Ballet this Season was simply outstanding and the superbly talented dancers all richly deserve their 2014/15 promotion. Edited July 3, 2014 by Nina G. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisydance Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Rapid rise for young Luca Acri, whom we've been watching very happily this past season. But still not a promotion to Principal level for Yuhui, alas. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Sadly destined to go the way of other wonderful First Soloists. Each generation seems to produce a First Soloist loved by the audiences but not rewarded by the Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Nina G : "The Corps de Ballet this Season was simply outstanding and the superbly talented dancers all richly deserve their 2014/15 promotion." Hear hear! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 It is probably worth bearing in mind when commenting on decisions taken - or perhaps more significantly, not taken - that we have just seen this week that the ROH will have a further 2.2% ACE funding reduction next season, and that the RB share of that must surely circumscribe Kevin O'Hare's aspirations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Unfortunately for Yuhui Choe three principals were appointed from outside this year. The fact that she was not cast in the long runs of Manon or DQ was a bit of an indication of how 'management' views her. I do think that it's incredibly difficult for women to get principal positions nowadays. Many principals in the past were not accomplished in (or had danced) all types of work and they were allowed to grow into their position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) I can understand this must be very frustrating for Yuhui Choe and for her many admirers, especially as only a few years ago she seemed on a fast track to the top. I didn't see her Aurora so cannot comment but I do wonder if the additional performances that she was given replacing Osipova were seen as a test that for some reason found her wanting in management eyes. As I say (write). I didn't see her, but I did read some more guarded international criticism as well as the local acclaim... Edited July 4, 2014 by Jamesrhblack 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I can understand this must be very frustrating for Yuhui Choe and for her many admirers, especially as only a few years ago she seemed on a fast track to the top. I didn't see her Aurora so cannot comment but I do wonder if the additional performances that she was given replacing Osipova were seen as a test that for some reason found her wanting in management eyes. As I say (write). I didn't see her, but I did read some more guarded international criticism as well as the local acclaim... One sentence from Judith Mackrell's review of her performance "She should be promoted NOW" 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I wonder if ENB will be waving a Principal contract in her direction now Daria Klimentova is no longer with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 One sentence from Judith Mackrell's review of her performance "She should be promoted NOW" Now there's a reviewer of whom I take no notice whatsoever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Why, MAB? - I'd be really interested to know your thoughts. I ask because she's the reviewer I tend to see most of, being a Guardian reader! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I really liked her bio of Lydia Lopokova, and her Oxford Dictionary of Dance is a very useful resource. She seems to be pretty knowledgeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Dancer Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I like Yuhui Choe very much as a dancer but as I don't know exactly the reasons and or politics why she wasn't promoted and I won't speculate. I will only say that she is not the first or only dancer who has 'deserved' promotion and it hasn't come as quickly as many people think it should have. There are dancers who retired without the promotion to principal that I think they so rightfully deserved. There are principals now who are never cast in roles in which a lot of people think they'd be wonderful in ... it baffles me that a certain principal has yet to be cast as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. It doesn't always seem fair but I think these latest promotions were well deserved....yeah Francesca! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 I like Yuhui Choe very much as a dancer but as I don't know exactly the reasons and or politics why she wasn't promoted and I won't speculate. I will only say that she is not the first or only dancer who has 'deserved' promotion and it hasn't come as quickly as many people think it should have. There are dancers who retired without the promotion to principal that I think they so rightfully deserved. There are principals now who are never cast in roles in which a lot of people think they'd be wonderful in ... it baffles me that a certain principal has yet to be cast as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. It doesn't always seem fair but I think these latest promotions were well deserved....yeah Francesca! You're right to write that we shouldn't speculate and I am as guilty as the next in sometimes so doing. By comparison, though it would seem that Akane Takada's debuts in Don Q and Beauty have struck a chord with management (of course, she was due to debut in Swan Lake a couple of seasons ago) and it will be very interesting to see how she develops from this promotion. Francesca Hayward's promotion was inevitable (and deserved), especially given recent casting announcements, but I was particularly delighted re Tristan Dyer, who impressed me enormously (with Takada) in DGV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delph Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Sorry! Ignore my original post below - have just seen another thread which explains all..... Does anyone know where Claudia Dean is going? I find it frustrating to see young dancers leave and never know what happened to them. Edited July 23, 2014 by delphzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Here's the thread from earlier in the year, where we heard that Ms Dean was leaving the Royal Ballet. Bangorballetboy's post number 4 gives some detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I saw Yuhui Choe dance Aurora when Osipova was injured and she gave a pretty good account of herself. Perhaps the management as it were are privy to information that we do not have in regards to considering her for promotion. Or she may be just unlucky in the timing of other decisions made by RB management in the recent past which do not leave them free at this point to promote her. Honestly who knows!! I just hope she does get a crack at some Principal roles in the coming season at any rate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrischris Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 There are a few female principals in their late 30's, and while of course it is possible to continue dancing well in to your forties, perhaps there will be more opportunities for the younger dancers to be promoted in the next 2-3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 My line of thinking too chrischris. Yuhui Choe joined the Company in 2002 as an Apprentice. Assuming she was 18 at the time she must be 30 years old now (unbelievable!). Miss Choe hopefully has another 10 years of dancing ahead of her but "investing" in some very talented, much younger female Soloists maybe a reason why promotion for Miss Choe to Principal has not happened. Management could also be looking into appointing a new Principal coming from another company in the near future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Timing is very important in these things. However, one might have thought that when three female principals left last year there would have been space. Well, there was a space but it was taken by Osipova who is an international star. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a new female principal were appointed from outside. Despite O'Hare's previous statements he has appointed three principals from outside in the first two years of his tenure, and bringing in guests has reduced the opportunities for other dancers to dance Kitri and Juliet. As I don't have any allegiance to the RB I personally don't mind about these decisions but I can appreciate that it must be difficult for the company dancers. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Claudia Dean is no longer pursuing a dance career she is back at home in Aus in an office job. And I expect very happy at home. I admire her guts as a dancer and person. She went a long way very quickly and I guess she could see her potential future and wished it to go another way. Fair enough. She is young enough to enjoy herself. Good for her. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 She may also be too young to know her own mind! An office job can be done any time and ballet dancers can easily transition into other work. Perhaps Royal Ballet was not the right company for her but to give up dancing at that age after all the years of work! VERY hard to pick up a dance career again if she finds she misses dancing after all - the hope would be if she does miss it and picks it up within one year, all might not be lost... However, if she prefers the office job, maybe she was one of those unfortunate children picked for physical aptitude in the first place like so many these days - rather then from any great desire to express herself through dance... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboyd Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 This is getting out of order. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I think that she could probably take a year out and then go back to ballet if she changed her mind. She has the pedigree of the RB and would probably be able to get a job with one of the Australian ballet companies if she wanted to. Didn't one of the BRB men take some time out of ballet with a view to becoming a pilot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I think Ms Dean's reasons for leaving the Royal Ballet and looking for her way forward are nobodies business but hers and we should immediately desist from speculating why she has done what she has done and what she may wish or do in the future. As this thread is a general thread about the RB end of year announcement it would be a shame to have to close it because of unwarranted speculation about this young lady. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) I am "speaking" in general terms, this is not a direct comment nor a speculation on said dancer. I don't know this young person. We know the reality of life as a professional dancer only starts when vocational training ends and for some that reality is just too tough to cope with. When they finally become a professional dancer they will have to start at the bottom of a company as a junior dancer or apprentice, they'll have to gradually work their way up and out of the junior and senior ranks of the corps de ballet (this can take years, if at all it happens!). The trend amongst many youngsters nowadays is of "having it all NOW" without having the patience of honing their craft (this is one of the reasons I gave up teaching several years ago). The enormous effort and strength needed may be too much for some young professionals as they are confronted with so many other talented dancers already ahead of them in rank and experience. Physical suitability/talent is just not enough to make it as a professional, and as Poster 27 said: they have to have a genuine desire to express themselves through dance, a hunger, a passion without which they can't live, it is a lifestyle to which they have to devote themselves totally. Edited July 26, 2014 by Nina G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) I think you have made some interesting, general points there Nina. Some of this ground is covered, of course, in the Doing Dance Forum. I remember someone commenting that students do not realise how much harder it is to work in a company compared to the already enormous amount of effort needed to get through and graduate from school. I know someone who was a very talented footballer in his youth who was signed up by Wrexham. He just did not like the professional life and gave up his professional contract although he continued playing for pleasure until his body gave up on him in his late 30s! As we tend more to look forward than back, it would be, IMHO, better if we can stick to promotions and newbies and just wish leavers well for their future. Edited July 26, 2014 by Janet McNulty edited to add final sentence 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) I think that she could probably take a year out and then go back to ballet if she changed her mind. She has the pedigree of the RB and would probably be able to get a job with one of the Australian ballet companies if she wanted to. Didn't one of the BRB men take some time out of ballet with a view to becoming a pilot? So did ("my") lovely Jonathan Cope. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/return-of-a-star-who-quit-jonathan-cope-retired-from-the-royal-ballet-aged-27-now-he-is-set-for-a-comeback-kathy-marks-hears-why-1535616.html edited to add link Edited July 26, 2014 by Nina G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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