Royal Ballet season 2015-2016

[aileen]

I think that it's thin pickings for most dancers below principal level, particularly soloists. Why does the RB keep bringing in Salenko as guest artist? My guess is that she is filling a principal slot until Hayward can be promoted.

[Simon]

Personally I'm really pleased with the casting. Very much looking forward to seeing Nunez/Osipova/Heap in Carmen. Delighted to see Nunez/Muntagirov and Osipova/Mcrae for Tchaikovsky pas de deux. Can't wait for Two Pigeons. I've only seen it once and loved it. I actually like Raven Girl so I'll be seeing that too. I'm also surprised that Salenko has been brought in for three different productions. Would have preferred to have seen James Hay with Hayward in Romeo and Juliet but again there are a number of casts I want to see. Just need to work out now how I'm going to pay for it all.

[aileen]

I'm not keen on Heap and am surprised that she's been cast as the lead in Carmen, with Muntagirov.

[capybara]

Well, the start of next season has come alive with the casting announcement. Some first thoughts:

 

·         didn’t get my wish for Hayward/Muntagirov in R & J but succeeded with Naghdi/Ball; tickets for them and for Osipova/Muntagirov will be worth a fortune on the black market

·         nice also to see among other delights O’Sullivan cast as Clara, Nunez and Muntagirov dancing together on two bills, and Kaneko getting several opportunities

·         much as she is a superb artiste, Salenko’s continuing presence is, I agree, puzzling; why do Marquez and McRae not dance together anymore: she would have been superb in Two Pigeons but she is scarcely being used in Period 1; I did feel that Morera should have her moment as Juliet and take the lead in Two Pigeons rather than reprising the Gypsy Girl role she danced at the RBS performance in 1995

·         performances elsewhere suggest that Carmen is a very difficult role to pull off, especially for an inexperienced dancer – so ‘good luck’ to Heap

·         as others have remarked already, the opportunities provided to Principals vary greatly; McRae and Muntagirov have 12 shows each whereas Golding has 7, Soares 6 and Pennefather only 5 – interesting........

 

Someone above has referred to the end of year promotions. I think that some hypotheses can be drawn from the casting as to which dancers will or will not be promoted.

[Fonty]

Actually, I only jsut noticed that Marquez doesn't seem to be doing anything, apart from one Juliet?  Or have I missed here somewhere? 

 

And is Salenko making her debut as Juliet? 

[John Mallinson]

Let me know if there are mistakes in this!

 

Royal Ballet 2015-2016 Period 1 casting

(m = matinée) 

 

Romeo and Juliet (MacMillan) x18 Sept 19 - Dec 2

 

Sept 19, 22† (Lamb, Pennefather)

Sept 24; Nov 3, 23 (Salenko*, McRae)

Sept 26; Oct 1; Nov 11 (Osipova, Muntagirov*)

Oct 1m, 9, 17 (Cuthbertson, Bonelli)

Oct 3m (Naghdi*, Ball*)

Oct 23; Nov 5 (Hayward*, Golding*)

Oct 29; Dec 2 (Marquez, Kish*)

Nov 20; Dec 1 (Nuñez, Soares)

 

 

Connectome (Marriott) / Raven Girl (McGregor) x7 Oct 6-24

 

Connectome

Oct 6, 10m, 20, 22 (Osipova, McRae, Watson)

Oct 8, 12, 24 (Lamb, Campbell, Cervera)

 

Raven Girl

Oct 6, 10m, 20, 22 (Lamb, Cowley, Watson, Underwood, Soares)

Oct 8, 12, 24 (Stix-Brunell*, Takada, Bonelli, Hirano, Gartside)

 

 

Viscera (Scarlett) / Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins) / Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Balanchine) / Carmen (NEW Acosta) x8 Oct 26 - Nov 12

 

Viscera

Oct 26 (Morera, Stock, Kish)

Oct 28, 31; Nov 2 (Hinkis, Morera, Bonelli)

Oct 31m; Nov 9 (Kaneko*, Stock, Kish)

Nov 6, 12† (Morera, Nuñez, Hirano)

 

Afternoon of a Faun

Oct 26; Nov 6, 12† (Lamb, tba)

Oct 28, 31m, 31; Nov 2, 9 (tba)

 

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

Oct 26; Nov 6, 12† (Osipova*, McRae*)

Oct 28, 31m; Nov 2 (Nuñez, Muntagirov*)

Oct 31; Nov 9 (Cuthbertson*, Golding*)

 

Carmen

Oct 26; Nov 6, 12† (Nuñez*, Acosta*, Bonelli*)

Oct 28, 31m; Nov 2 (Osipova*, Bonelli*, Acosta*)

Oct 31; Nov 9 (Heap*, Muntagirov*, Ball*)

 

 

Monotones I & II (Ashton) / The Two Pigeons (Ashton) x7 Nov 18 - Dec 5

 

Monotones I

Nov 18, 19, 27; Dec 5m, 5 (Maguire, Naghdi, Dyer)

Nov 24; Dec 4 (Pajdak, Magri*, Hay*)

 

Monotones II

Nov 18, 24; Dec 5m, 5 (Nuñez, Hristov, Watson)

Nov 19, 27; Dec 4 (Arestis, Kish, Hirano)

 

The Two Pigeons

Nov 18, 24 (Cuthbertson*, Muntagirov*, Morera*, Hirano*)

Nov 19, 27; Dec 4 (Salenko*, McRae*, Kaneko*, Montaño*)

Dec 5m (Takada*, Hay*, Magri* Zucchetti*)

Dec 5 (Choe*, Campbell*, Mendizabal*, Mock*)

 

 

The Nutcracker x26 Dec 8 - Jan 14

 

Dec 8, 14 (Salenko*, McRae, Avis, Hayward, Campbell)

Dec 9 (Lamb, Pennefather, Saunders, Hinkis, Cervera)

Dec 11, 16† (Cuthbertson, Golding*, Avis, Hayward, Campbell)

Dec 12 (Morera, Bonelli, Saunders, Hinkis, Cervera)

Dec 17m (Lamb, Pennefather, Whitehead*, Hinkis, Cervera)

Dec 17 (Morera, Bonelli, Saunders, O’Sullivan*, Hay)

Dec 18m (Cuthbertson, M. Golding, Avis, Maguire, Dyer)

Dec 21 (Morera, Bonelli, Saunders, Maguire, Dyer)

Dec 22m (Lamb, Pennefather, Whitehead, O’Sullivan, Hay)

Dec 23m (Salenko, McRae, Marriott, Maguire, Dyer)

Dec 23 (Takada, Zucchetti, Gartside, Hinkis, Kay)

Dec 24m, 28m (Choe, Campbell, Tuckett, Stock*, Sambé*)

Dec 28 (Kaneko, Kish, Saunders, Hinkis, Kay)

Dec 29m (Kobayashi, Hirano, Marriott, Maguire, Dyer)

Dec 31m (Kaneko, Kish, Tuckett, Stock, Sambé)

Dec 31 (Choe, Campbell, Gartside, Hinkis, Kay)

Jan 2m (Kobayashi, Hirano, Gartside, Maguire, Acri*)

Jan 5 (Nuñez, Muntagirov*, Tuckett, Hayward, Zucchetti)

Jan 6 (Takada, Hristov, Gartside, Maguire, Acri)

Jan 8, 14 (Nuñez, Muntagirov, Avis, Hayward, Zucchetti)

Jan 9m (Kaneko, Kish, Marriott, O'Sullivan, Hay)

Jan 13 (Takada, Hristov, Marriott, O'Sullivan, Hay)

 

† Live cinema relay

* first performance in this role 

[Duck]

Congratulations to all those who will be having a debut performance in autumn 2015/16.

 

I am very much looking forward to Naghdi/ Ball in Romeo & Juliet. I was hoping for Hayward/ Watson though to be one of the casts for Romeo & Juliet as I found that they interacted so well in Manon last year.

 

So the autumn term may actually work better with my budget than I thought initially, also as a few Saturday matinees show my preferred cast for some of the other ballets.

[Bleaden94]

Actually, I only just noticed that Marquez doesn't seem to be doing anything, apart from one Juliet?  Or have I missed here somewhere? 

 

 

No that is right, Marquez is only down for two shows of Juliet - Hayward, a Soloist, is in more Principal roles! 

[Fonty]

How very odd.  It took me a long time to warm to Marquez, I don't know why, but once I did I found her delightful in so many things. 

 

While it is great to have youngsters taking a turn, it seems puzzling to cut out someone who would be perfect in Pigeons, and I would have thought she would get at least one performance. 

Edited May 5, 2015 by Fonty

[Jamesrhblack]

How very odd.  It took me a long time to warm to Marquez, I don't know why, but once I did I found her delightful in so many things. 

 

While it is great to have youngsters taking a turn, it seems puzzling to cut out someone who would be perfect in Pigeons, and I would have thought she would get at least one performance.

 

And in Nutcracker too.....

[Sim]

I agree about Marquez, I am really surprised that she isn't getting Two Pigeons as she is such a lovely Ashton dancer. I am also very disappointed that once again Laura Morera has been passed over as Juliet. You'd have thought that they could have given her one go, considering how many there are.

 

On the positive side, am very happy to see some of the young dancers being given a chance. I'd have loved to have seen a Hayward/Muntagirov R&J after they were so good together in Alice. Some interesting pairings, I look forward to seeing what they bring.

[Ian Macmillan]

So - all the way to 14 January next, and no mention of Zenaida Yanowsky.  Is there anything that one should read into that, pray?

[Booklover89]

So - all the way to 14 January next, and no mention of Zenaida Yanowsky.  Is there anything that one should read into that, pray?

 

I really hope not :-(

[jmhopton]

Thank you John for putting the casting details in a far more accessible format than the ROH did!

 

Disappointed in the casting for cinema relays as eventually these may find their way onto tv or dvd. Would have loved to see an Osipova/Muntagirov big screen Romeo or a Nunez/Muntagirov Nutcracker. Also disappointed Vadim isn't featuring in the cinema mixed bill. Hope he will feature in some of the after Christmas broadcasts. Albrecht? Rhapsody? 2 Pigeons?

 

However, looking forward to seeing all of the above. Have been hoping for an Osipova/Muntagirov partnership since they both came to the ROH. Let's hope it works and it's the first of many partnerships for them.

 

I too am disappointed in the lack of Roberta, especially in 2 Pigeons. After Natalia (also not selected though she may be guesting elsewhere I suppose) I thought she would be the dancer mostsuited to those dramatic roles. I also can't see why she is not chosen to dance with Steven any more. I thought they had great rapport, especially in roles like Fille. I don't see any reason to bring in dancers like Salenko when you have Roberta virtually unused.

 

Hayward/Golding also seems a strange choice in Romeo. I would have liked to see her with Campbell or even Zucchetti.

 

Anyway, some interesting casts to see even if the rep. isn't always what I would have chosen.

[Jamesrhblack]

To be fair, there's no repertoire that would really suit Yanowsky (apart from possibly Monotomes 2) but I'd agree that it is odd to bring in Salenko, excellent as she is, when Matquez is a contract principal and increasingly under employed. The two Juliets and no Pigeons and no Nutcrackers would seem to imply that she may be leaving soon. She's never been a favourite of mine (and yet her Lise has seemed, post Collier, definitive and I've enjoyed her Juliet and Manon) but it doesn't seem a polite way to treat a company principal of more than ten yeat's duration.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Jamesrhblack

[alison]

No Romeo for Watson?

 

Thin pickings for Marquez. [snip]

Also, given the sheer number of Nutcrackers (and Hamitlon absent and Marquez and Osipova not cast, I'm surprised there is no new Sugar Plum Fairy and with Soares uncast no new Prince either.

 

I did wonder about that when I saw the report that Hamilton was going to be absent, because they danced R&J together in the last couple of runs.  Is he the only "regular" R or J not cast?  I can't work out whether someone else is missing.  I had expected more of a shake-up in the pairings than there has been, to be honest.

I did notice the lack of Marquez, but hadn't registered that Osipova wasn't going to be dancing Sugar Plum.

 

I think that it's thin pickings for most dancers below principal level, particularly soloists.

 

Thin pickings, too, as others have pointed out, for some of those *at* principal level.

 

I was hoping for Hayward/ Watson though to be one of the casts for Romeo & Juliet as I found that they interacted so well in Manon last year.

 

Yes, I had thought about that, too. 

 

Thank you John for putting the casting details in a far more accessible format than the ROH did!

 

Yes, thank you indeed, John.

[alison]

but it doesn't seem a polite way to treat a company principal of more than ten yeat's duration.

 

Sadly, as I think many of us are aware, being a longstanding company principal doesn't appear to be a guarantee of being treated "politely".

[Jamesrhblack]

Sadly, as I think many of us are aware, being a longstanding company principal doesn't appear to be a guarantee of being treated "politely".

Granted, but she seems to be being taken out of roles (Symphonic. Titania, Tatyana, Sugar Plum) whilst still dancing very well and being treated without much professional respect.

[Melody]

So - all the way to 14 January next, and no mention of Zenaida Yanowsky.  Is there anything that one should read into that, pray?

 

Well, they're bringing in guest artists and totally ignoring one of their own. I think there's quite a lot that one could read into that.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Melody

[Bluebird]

 

I did notice the lack of Marquez, but hadn't registered that Osipova wasn't going to be dancing Sugar Plum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"In an interview that Osipova gave to Euronews last month, she said that she wanted  to get away from classical roles and concentrate on the kind of roles that she felt suited her better.   hope it's OK to quote the relevant section:

 

“Over the last ten years I have danced a variety of roles. Now, I want to focus on the things for which I have a special talent – psychological and dramatic roles or contemporary dance for which it seems to me I have a great ability. Right now, there are many interesting choreographers and there are so many things happening around and for me I really want to try it all and I think that I will gradually retreat further from classics,” she opined."

http://www.euronews....lle-mal-gardee/

 

(with thanks to Dansomanie for finding the interview)

 

Edited to provide the link  to the English version. Apologies for originally posting the link to the French version.  I only just realised that, since Euronews is a multilingual channel, there must also be an English version!

Edited May 6, 2015 by Bluebird

[SPD444]

Francesca is also dancing Nov 5 th. I think.

[aileen]

Well, in view of her stated desire to 'retreat' from classical roles I wonder whether there will be enough in the RB repertoire to keep Osipova at the RB for more than a few more years. I suppose that she could become a guest which would leave her more time to explore options elsewhere.

[billboyd]

For god's sake, Aileen!

[aileen]

What's wrong, bill? It's a fair question. This is Osipova's third company and she is not yet 30, I believe.

[John Mallinson]

Francesca is also dancing Nov 5 th. I think.

 

Thanks. I've corrected the list, and I'd also missed a Salenko/McRae Romeo on Nov 3.

[Sim]

Well, they're bringing in guest artists and totally ignoring one of their own. I think there's quite a lot that one could read into that.

Two of their own....

[Melody]

Well, nearly totally ignoring one of them but totally ignoring the other. Unless there's another principal I missed who isn't cast in anything at all.

[FLOSS]

I am not surprised that Yanowsky's name is missing from the casting for performances on the main stage during booking period one.The ballets scheduled for performance are not really her territory are they? Once the decision has been made about the ballets that are to be performed, then without even beginning to allocate roles management has, in effect, made decisions about the dancers we are likely to see.As far as Osipova is concerned I imagine that her contract stipulates the number of performances she will give with the company. I do not think that I would waste her contracted performances on the few minutes of the Nutcracker's grand pas de deux either.

 

Perhaps not seeing Morera's Juliet is the price we have to pay in order to see some of the younger dancers in the role. A lot of people groan when the season's ballets are first announced because eighteen performances of Romeo and Juliet or Manon always seems excessive before we know the casts. If management is serious about developing its own dancers rather than buying in principal dancers then it has to give its young artists the chance to dance major roles. If every principal dances a main role in every full length ballet that leaves little or no opportunity for talented dancers in the lower ranks to show what they can do.There is an inevitable trade off between casting experienced dancers and casting young aspirants. At least this time management seem to be fully aware that several senior dancers are approaching an age when they might be expected to retire and is taking action to deal with the situation.

 

I am pleased to see Hayward, Nagdhi and Ball's names appearing in the casts of Romeo and Juliet but management needs to have a consistent approach to casting its young dancers. They should have more than one performance each if they are to develop although I am guessing that some of them may be appearing in school's performances of R and J. I am disappointed that Stix-Brunnell is only cast in Raven Girl.She is an interesting dancer who seems to understand that ballet is a theatrical art form as a result she gives performances rather than merely reproducing steps; but I do not think that even she can persuade me to sit through that piece again. I am disappointed that Two Pigeons is not cast exclusively with young dancers but I suppose that management believe that they need to cast dancers with name recognition in most performances to entice people to buy tickets for a ballet which the company has not performed for thirty years.

 

I expect to see Yanowsky's appearances reduce over the next couple of years.In 2012 she gave an interview to the Ballet Association in which she said she thought that she had about another five years as a dancer. I just hope that they revive Les Biches before she retires as her portrayal of the Hostess is on a par with Beriosova's.

[capybara]

Of course, Yanowsky does have William Tucket's Elizabeth to get her teeth into in the 2015/16 season.

[MAB]

Re Yanovsky: I would have thought she could have been given the role of the gypsy, after all she does sexy quite well.

 

Bonelli would have been my first choice for the young man, perhaps along with Marquez.  For the young girl I would have liked to have seen Osipova, Nunez and Obrastzova.

[Fonty]

When I read the cast lists, I found myself looking to see who would be a likely replacement for at least one name who seems to have spent more time injured than actually dancing.

 

It takes me back to the days when Belinda Hatley's name appeared in the cast lists.  I don't think I ever got to see her perform, despite booking several times!

 

I do hope I don't jinx anybody.....

[Sunrise]

I'm not wild about seeing Lamb/Pennefather in the cinema so I may have to reconsider my vow not to see any live R&Js for Naghdi/ Ball and Osipova/Muntagirov. I'm a bit disappointed that Hayward has been paired with Golding. Btw, are the matinee prices any cheaper or are they as extortionate as the evening prices? :-)

 

I'm sorry that Marquez isn't dancing more too. I seem to remember when she first started guesting, it was to provide Ivan Putrov with a partner. It took me a while to warm up to her too, but she's produced some wonderful performances without him, one of my favourites being in Fille with Cervera. Anyway, it feels like Salenko is slotting in, in the same way as Marquez once did. It will be interesting to see Salenko in R&J and in Two Pigeons - maybe an opportunity to assess how well she does with MacMillan and Ashton and how she fits into the company before a position is extended? Unless of course it has already been offered. :-)

Edited May 6, 2015 by Sunrise

[Bluebird]

I'm not wild about seeing Lamb/Pennefather in the cinema so I may have to reconsider my vow not to see any live R&Js for Naghdi/ Ball and Osipova/Muntagirov. I'm a bit disappointed that Hayward has been paired with Golding. Btw, are the matinee prices any cheaper or are they as extortionate as the evening prices? :-)

 

 

 

Prices are slightly lower for Romeo and Juliet matinées.  The top price is reduced by £17 (£110 instead of £127). The bottom price is only reduced by £1 (£5 instead of £6) i.e. the lower the evening price, the lower the reduction.

 

Edited to correct typo

Edited May 6, 2015 by Bluebird