Royal Ballet Promotion Predictions

[Jamesrhblack]

I think that Melissa Hamilton is being very astute. She will not get much opportunity to dance classical works at the Royal Ballet this season so going to Dresden with the repertory that it is said that she will dance there will certainly assist any ambition for promotion that she may have. It is one thing to have a good stage presence but you need the technique to go with it. Her dancing of the Queen of the Dryads is better than last year but with that role as with Lilac Fairy, at present, she lacks the necessary technical command that is central to those roles.She would also improve her chances for future promotion if she can learn to dance with greater speed when occasion demands. She had difficulty with the speed required in Symphonic Variations.It will be interesting to see her on her return from Dresden.

 

A name to look out for in a year or so Reece Clarke a very assured Jean de Brienne at the RBS Opera House matinee in 2014. He danced the Somes role in Symphonic Variations earlier this year dancing the performances for which Muntagirov was not available. As with Muntagirov he looked far better dancing with Nunez than with Hamilton.

Sticking my neck out here re Melissa Hamilton. I have immense admiration for her grit and determination to forge a career against what has seemed hefty odds and salute her courage in moving to Dresden. Whether or not she will return remains to be seen (which I imagine will be determined both by the success of her German venture and whether or not there is a principal position available to her in London). She has always seemed much more successful with contemporary works and consistently to struggle with the classics if what I read on her is to be believed. I have to be honest and say I've not seen her in a major classical role. My question is, does this seeming lack of a technique that will respond fully to the demands of the classics can be traced back to what seems to have been a rather erratic early training experience? Also, watching the ROH clip of her rehearsing Manon with Sibley and Dowell (she and Golding tower over them) I'm struck that she seems to lack a musical response. Sibley is singing away and curving those beautiful arms whilst Hamilton words to the effect of "So do I do that on a 3?" The clip is worth watching though if only to see the magic of Sibley and Dowell as well as Dowell's astonishment at the extremely passionate kiss even in a rehearsal (they had giggled through it the first time) ....

[FLOSS]

Hamilton is at the point where a dancer whose potential is being considered is given the chance to show what he or she can do in really exposed classical roles where you can't hide deficiencies.A lot of those roles are no longer considered of sufficient interest to warrant a mention in the booking material or on the website closer to the date of performance so its a matter of hit or miss as to whether or not you see a dancer like Hamilton in them repeatedly or not at all. What I have seen of her in these roles is not as impressive as her modern work but not necessarily incapable of being remedied by intensive coaching and practice through performance.Dancing principal roles will build her stamina and as a principal she is unlikely to be called upon to fill gaps in the corps when they arise as well as doing the work of a soloist.

 

Lack of musicality, if she is unmusical, is a bigger problem and not so easy to remedy.The national dancing at White Lodge was introduced as much to identify the unmusical at an early stage of their training as to provide experience of traditional indigenous dance forms.

 

Regardless of whether anyone is promoted the casting for the next booking period could provide a very useful indication of how committed Kevin O'Hare is to developing the company from the bottom up. Will he entrust Giselle to anyone making making a debut in Romeo and Juliet? Will the casting for Two Pigeons be a repeat of the Autumn casting or will we see some of the really young dancers given a chance? The ballet was created for young dancers and at one time it was a regular feature of the Royal Ballet School's annual main stage performance so it is just possible that we might get to see some really interesting young dancers.

[RuthE]

I note that the press release has come out this afternoon!

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/promotions-joiners-and-leavers-at-the-royal-ballet-for-201516

[bangorballetboy]

No new principals.

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/promotions-joiners-and-leavers-at-the-royal-ballet-for-201516

[Jan McNulty]

Thanks for the link Ruth.

 

There's a thread in News for discussion:  http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/10056-royal-ballet-promotions-joiners-and-leavers/#entry135410

[Jamesrhblack]

Going to see BRB dance Swan Lake is not the solution to the inevitable consequences of hiving off the Covent Garden company's training section. BRB is the current incarnation of SWTB/SWRB which was specifically created to provide the opportunities which it was recognised that the move to Covent Garden would deny young and inexperienced dancers and choreographers. The difficulties in developing dancers and choreographers in house at Covent Garden that de Valois identified in the late 1940's did not disappear when SWRB moved to Birmingham and became BRB. They were simply ignored.The ballet was of little interest to Jeremy Isaacs. In fact it seems to me that most, if not all, of the changes to the Royal Ballet companies over the years have been driven by the Board's concerns over the opera company's finances.The loss of the touring company was not the only self inflicted wound that made the Covent Garden company an organisation seemingly without the ability to regenerate itself.The sudden loss of dancers who might have been expected to have left over a lengthy period of time and to have provided an element of continuity as exemplars of performance style also played a significant part.Michael Kaiser made his contribution to the current state of affairs by suggesting to Anthony Dowell that he should reduce the company's costs by getting rid of some of the older, more expensive dancers.Fiona Chadwick and Ravenna Tucker suddenly disappeared without any announcement being made about their retirement. A little later uncertainty about the continued existence of the company while the house was closed led Kumakawa and four other men including Gary Avis to leave the Royal Ballet and go to Japan where Kumakawa set up K company. Michael Kaiser's advice to Dowell had been that he should close the company down during the closure of the theatre and then when the redevelopment was completed go out and hire a whole new group of dancers who would not be employed for the full year much like the employment pattern of dancers at ABT. As we know that did not happen but the uncertainty led to the loss of dancers who would, like the women who were retired, have provided continuity and acted as exemplars to members of the company.Ross Stretton's short directorship also led to the departure of key dancers. The loss of dancers led to Dowell, and then Mason buying in dancers to fill gaps. But it seem to me that what began from necessity became something of a habit. It became too easy to recruit from the outside by video rather than developing dancers from within the company's ranks.It seems to me that it is the cumulative effect of these events that has done the damage as far as the company's ability to regenerate by developing talent is concerned.It has simply got out of the habit.That is why the decision to employ Salenko and cast her in the sort of ballet that was previously the preserve of a dancer like Hatley is of so much interest as it suggests that O'Hare may be about to follow the same route as his predecessors.Is the decision to cast well known dancers in the initial run of Two Pigeons intended to get people to buy tickets or is it evidence of O'Hare taking the easy route? Booking for the second run of Pigeons is not going to be influenced by the first run of performances as booking will open for the second run before the first run has been danced.It would be unfortunate if the performance to be streamed into cinemas were to be danced by someone outside the company but who is prepared to put money on it not being McRae and Salenko who dance in that performance?There is no possibility of establishing another training company. The solution to developing dancers in house has to be found at Covent Garden.Perhaps the refurbished Linbury should be used to enable the younger dancers to perform some of the old repertory that is suitable for a small stage.Ballets like La Fete Etrange, Capriole Suite,La Boutique Fantasque,Les Rendezvous and Facade spring to mind.In fact anything created for, or performed on the old Sadler's Wells stage would be fine in the Linbury.Perhaps a mixture of old and new works, two older works and a new one is the answer.The fact that new works would have to stand comparison with works of proven quality might improve the quality of the new ones. It must be possible at certain times of the year to divide the company so that it can perform two separate programmes simultaneously.An in house equivalent to the split tours that BRB undertake.That is a possible solution as there are quite a few ballet evenings when the corps is not used. But perhaps the best solution is for the Royal Ballet to perform in the Linbury on opera evenings.I think that regular performances of this type would assist in developing the dancer's stamina,technique,and theatrical artistry as well as a real understanding of the inherent differences in choreographic styles of the works that they dance.It is unlikely to happen but it does no harm to wish.

I hadn't realised that Michael Kaiser has been behind Fiona Chadwick's departure, but I do still remember the awkward frisson during The House the interviewer closed in on her en route to the stage to dance Juliet and she said words to the effect that she didn't want to talk as she just been told her contract wasn't being renewed. It always seemed such an uncharacteristically cruel thing for Anthony Dowell to have done if the timing was as she described it,

[Tony Newcombe]

Ravenna Tucker did not disappear. She went to BRB

[Primaballerina1]

Francesca Hayward as principle all the way!

[Jamesrhblack]

Francesca Hayward as principle all the way!

 

in due course, I am sure she will become a Principal but doesn't she need to be tried and tested in a couple of major classical roles first? I would imagine that Akane Takada is next in line for promotion among the ladies...

[Fonty]

I've not seen Haywood in anything except Woolf Works.  I understand from other comments that people think she is enormously talented, but do people think she is ready for Principal roles yet?

 

Having said that, what qualities do female dancers need to display, to get that promotion?  I have seen some very accomplished performances from soloists over the years, but very rarely have I seen anything that made me think that they were so stunning they should be promoted immediately. 

[alison]

I guess we'll see when O'Hare eventually appoints a ballerina as Principal.  Until then, your guess is as good as mine, I'd guess.

[FLOSS]

Hayward has given fine performances in everything that she has danced. Her debut in the ballerina role in Rhapsody was a real event. The casting of such young dancers as Hay and Hayward seemed very daring in 2011. Roles created on Baryshnikov and Collier in their prime are not usually given to such young and inexperienced dancers as their first major roles. Having said that I can't think of a single RB Principal who has not danced in some of the major Petipa classics. It has always been a requirement. It is not a mere rite of passage, at least as far as the female Principals are concerned. It is one of the reasons why I find it odd that neither Naghdi nor Hayward are getting a performance of Giselle.

 

If you are looking for an all rounder then, currently, Choe would be the choice she has danced Aurora, SPF, Kitri and Lise but she has done enough MacMillan to pass the test? I am not sure. Takada  made a fine debut as Aurora and is a fine SPF and she gave a very nice performance as the Young Girl in Pigeons. i preferred her interpretation to Choe's.Her Kitri was a bit subdued although you could not fault her technically. then there are Hayward and Naghdi. Hayward was an exceptional Manon a very good princess Sophie, a charming Alice and did remarkably well as Juliet given her Romeo .She was a very good Vera but she has not danced any major nineteenth century classic in one of the principal roles. Naghdi has given u Olga, Juliet and Rose Fairy. 

 

I hope that  no one is promoted to principal at this stage. An AD has to strike the right balance between rewarding hardworking dancers for services rendered, which does wonders for the morale of the company as a whole and not just for the dancer concerned, and singling out and rewarding exceptional dancers with extraordinary talents. A company needs a few talented dependable dancers who rarely go off injured near the top of the organisation as much as it needs stars. I am sure that Morera's promotion to principal was made because of the wide range of roles that she danced and her dependability rather than extraordinary talent and now she seems extraordinary and indispensable.We are going through a period of transition as one generation of dancers retire or leave and another generation replaces them. Appointments made now could set the ethos and style of the company until the 2030's. O' Hare has a senior soloist position vacant. I don't think that promoting Naghdi to First Soloist would cause any problems. But after that I am not so sure. He has a large number of really talented dancers in the junior ranks and he needs to give them  development opportunities and must avoid blocking their chances of promotion by making precipitate decisions.

 

 A quick look at some of the dancers in the running for promotion shows the problems and opportunities that O'Hare faces.Choe has most roles under her belt but her performances are, for me, too monochrome and they don't always travel to the back of the theatre. Hayward's performances travel across the footlight with ease, as do Naghdi's and both show great promise but they both need to show what they can do in the nineteenth century classics. You can't have a major classical company in which few of the most senior dancers perform in the classics. Principal dancers should set high standards of performance for the company as a whole across a wide range of a company's core repertory. Then there is Melissa Hamilton who I assume is in Dresden endeavouring to fill the gaps in her CV as far as the classics are concerned;Stix- Brunell who never fails to give a performance' Anne Rose O'Sullivan, Tierney Heap who made a brave stab a Myrthe last time and did as much as anyone humanly could as Carmen. Magri,Kaneko and Katsura. I am sure that I have left out a lot. Among the men Campbell, Hay. Ball and Clarke spring to mind. Campbell and Hay are on the short side Clarke is tall and made a very goo debut in the Somes role in Symphonic and Ball who has given fine performances as Lensky and Romeo.Difficult choices will have to be made at some point soon but not immediately. The AD needs to programme works next season which will provide development opportunities for his dancers. It will be interesting to see what ballets are to be danced next season.The clear possibility of promotion in a year or so should prove a spur to artistic endeavour  by many of the young hopefuls.

Edited December 29, 2015 by FLOSS

[alison]

Having said that I can't think of a single RB Principal who has not danced in some of the major Petipa classics. It has always been a requirement. It is not a mere rite of passage, at least as far as the female Principals are concerned. It is one of the reasons why I find it odd that neither Naghdi nor Hayward are getting a performance of Giselle.

 

Neither Sarah Wildor nor Mara Galeazzi ever danced the leads in any of the Petipa ballets before being promoted to principal, although if you want to stretch a point and describe Giselle as Petipa, both have danced that, although certainly in Galeazzi's case not until after she was a principal.  But yes, I agree with you about the current casting of Giselle.

 

I hope that  no one is promoted to principal at this stage. An AD has to strike the right balance between rewarding hardworking dancers for services rendered, which does wonders for the morale of the company as a whole and not just for the dancer concerned, and singling out and rewarding exceptional dancers with extraordinary talents. A company needs a few talented dependable dancers who rarely go off injured near the top of the organisation as much as it needs stars. [...]  But after that I am not so sure. He has a large number of really talented dancers in the junior ranks and he needs to give them  development opportunities and must avoid blocking their chances of promotion by making precipitate decisions.

 

[...] Difficult choices will have to be made at some point soon but not immediately. The AD needs to programme works next season which will provide development opportunities for his dancers. It will be interesting to see what ballets are to be danced next season.The clear possibility of promotion in a year or so should prove a spur to artistic endeavour  by many of the young hopefuls.

 

I quite agree with you here, FLOSS.  Also, WRT your comment about the available senior soloist position being available, I see no reason for that to be filled just because there is a vacancy, unless there is someone who deserves it.  There have been several times in the past where it has seemed that the "next best" person has been moved up, regardless of whether they were, shall we say, qualified.  I hope that will be avoided - actually at all levels in the company, and especially at Principal level.

[capybara]

 It is one of the reasons why I find it odd that neither Naghdi nor Hayward are getting a performance of Giselle.

 

 

 

Yes - and both are of suitable height to partner McRae rather than having a guest artist in that slot. [This is not a post against Salenko rather one for Naghdi and Hayward getting their opportunity in a role to which they both seem so suited.] After all, other Principals have been paired with Soloists or First Soloists (or even Artists) in leading roles (Muntagirov with both Takada and Hayward last season and with Heap this season, for example).

[Fonty]

I really, really hope that O'Hare has read the posts on here, and

 

1)  Does not promote anyone from within the company simply to fill a vacancy

 

2)  Does not bring in an outsider from elsewhere to fill the vacancy.

 

Let many of the talented youngsters that he thinks suitable for the roles have a go at them, and base any future promotions on those performances. 

 

Edited to add, please don't promote someone to any level and then not give them appropriate roles to dance.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Fonty

[sarahw]

Surely he takes all his decisions based on advice from here ??!! Joking of course but I'm sure it would be a good sounding board and there is clearly lots of knowledge about.

[Bleaden94]

After seeing a clip of La Bayadere on Youtube, I can't help but try and picture future casts of this production at the Royal Ballet in the years to come. 

Current Nikiyas & Gamzattis: Nunez, Morera, Calvert, Choe, Kobayashi, Lamb, Osipova (though not in RB version). 

Potential debuts: I can certainly imagine, Hayward, Kaneko, Naghdi as Nikiya - opposed with Calvert or Mendizabal as Gamzatti perhaps?

Then for Solor - there are many fine danseur nobles rising through the ranks: Campbell, Ball, Clarke, Edmonds etc etc. 

 

Now that the Principal ranks are looking quite depleted, and that Two Pigeons has displayed some fabulous talent in the soloist, first soloist ranks. I personally find myself choosing the debut casts as my favourites at the moment. (THough I would never turn down a chance to see Nunez & Muntagirov).

[Sim]

Bleaden94....first of all, they need to bring the thing back!!  It seems to have sunk without a trace these past few years....and gone the same way as Sylvia and Ondine.  All three ballets were revived with great care and at great expense, and were always sold out, so I'm not sure why we aren't seeing them anymore.

 

Assuming that Bayadere DOES come back, I like your choices above!

[alison]

I think it's only about 3 years since we last had it, Sim! But yes, the current rep is very short on Classical works.

[Nina G.]

Bleaden94....first of all, they need to bring the thing back!!  It seems to have sunk without a trace these past few years....and gone the same way as Sylvia and Ondine.  All three ballets were revived with great care and at great expense, and were always sold out, so I'm not sure why we aren't seeing them anymore.

 

Assuming that Bayadere DOES come back, I like your choices above!

 

 

I'd LOVE to see La Bayadere back in the RB rep. I enjoy some of their Contemporary pieces but after all it is pure Classical dancing I am most in love with and I'd certainly go see Kaneko and Naghdi as Nikiya! Somehow I can't imagine Hayward in this role (however good she is in Rhapsody and Manon), and Nunez of course!

[Jamesrhblack]

Nina, interesting what you write re Francesca Hayward. i didn't see her Alice or Juliet, but thought she was very fine in Manon and Rhapsody. I also can't envisage her in in the nineteenth century classics and yet a truly intelligent dancer is often able to re-invent themselves and reveal traits that as audience members we could not anticipate.

 

I still remember as a JA at the RBS all the excitement attending Lesley Collier's Swan Lake debut in 1972. It wasn't hugely successful (and there were a lot of pigeon rather than a swan comments) but over the years she softened her style, find a way to extend her line, and built on her wonderful musicality so as to succeed not just in the more obviously suited repertoire such as Aurora and Sugar Plum Fairy but as Nikiya and Odette-Odile (I didn't warm to her Manon and Vetsera, although her Larisch was tremendous, and didn't see her Juliet) and, at her retirement, in an absolutely superb Giselle when partnered by an obviously adoring Mukhamedov she broke every heart.

 

I'd LOVE to see La Bayadere back in the RB rep. I enjoy some of their Contemporary pieces but after all it is pure Classical dancing I am most in love with and I'd certainly go see Kaneko and Naghdi as Nikiya! Somehow I can't imagine Hayward in this role (however good she is in Rhapsody and Manon), and Nunez of co

[Jamesrhblack]

So, with the announcement of the new season, is it too soon to move into promotion prediction mode?

[Coated]

Probably, but has that ever stopped people from having a guess?

 

I guess that any of the female dancers who I'd like to see as principals in the future will not be quite deemed ready yet (though there's still some dancing to be done this season…).

 

I'd prefer to not see promotions or hiring just to fill the slot, since the slot tends to remain filled for a decade or so. I'd really like to see some exceptional dancers taking up future principal positions, not just very good ones. 

 

Seeing that Iana Salenko has 'declined a full-time contract with The Royal to allow her son to continue his schooling in Germany' according to Dance Magazine, it seems that the possibility of hiring in from outside of the company remains on the cards, but I'm hopeful that the upcoming wealth of talent is enough persuasion for management to hold their horses.

 

 

Dunno about the men, either, but wouldn't cry if Campbell moves up. 

[Fonty]

Do they have to hire in?

 

Lamb, Cuthbertson, Nunez and Morera are all still going strong, and even with the latter being injured, her stand in has done a fine job in Giselle.

 

Among the first soloists, as well as Takada, both Choe and Hayward have proven themselves more than capable of lead roles. Moving on down, Naghdi has already had opportunities and should get more. Those are only the ones that I have seen, I am sure there are others I have missed out.

 

I would rather have the situation where soloists are given the chance to dance lead roles they are suited for and given a chance to develop those skills, rather than have someone promoted and see them shoe horned into every single production simply because they are a Principal.

 

And maybe that policy will see an improvement in the standard of dancing for solo roles.

[capybara]

 Those are only the ones that I have seen, I am sure there are others I have missed out.

 

 

Staying with the women for the moment, I would add Fumi Kaneko.

[VickyPage]

I agree with Fonty, and I think one of the things Kevin O'Hare is spectacular at is giving the younger dancers a chance to take on leading roles. I've noticed over the years that it can be very hard to get a good idea of the acting/dancing abilities of a younger dancer when they are only given small solos in classical works.

[FLOSS]

I  hope that  there are no promotions to principal this year and no external recruitment to that level either .The only exception I might make would be to appoint a character principal to replace Rosato who has just retired. But I am not sure whether I would appoint Arestis or McNally if she were prepared to take up the position.

 

The company is in a state of transition. A number of principals have retired or left in the last few years and not all have been replaced. A number of principal dancers are entering the last phase of their career. The Royal Ballet is still a classical company and it needs principal dancers who can dance the lead roles in the nineteenth century classics as well as its twentieth century repertory. It would be foolish to appoint any more principal dancers without giving some of the talented artists in the lower ranks the chance to show what they can do in those roles.

 

 I am not sure that any of us would be that happy if dancers like Ball, Clarke and Katsura had their chance of  dancing major roles and being appointed principal thwarted by dancers being appointed as principal on a "Buggin's Turn" basis. I am relieved that Salenko declined Kevin's offer of a principal's contract. Does the fact that Kevin made the offer mean that he is looking for a  partner for McRae? I should have thought that there were enough small female dancers in the company for him to dance with, without looking outside it. At one time senior dancers were expected to play their part in developing the next generation of dancers by dancing with them when they made debuts in major roles. Has McRae got the ballet equivalent of a sick note from his mum exempting him from such responsibilities? 

 

If I were forced to make an appointment I would promote Takada to principal because of the quality of her dancing in the classics. She has made successful debuts as Aurora, Odette/Odile, Giselle, Kitri and the Young Girl in Pigeons. Her performances travel over the footlights into the auditorium and register with the audience. My preference would be to move a number of dancers up one rank. Moving people like Naghdi, Stix -Brunell, Ball and Clarke up a tier and making sure that they get a chance to dance in suitable roles in Beauty and Fille would reward them for what they have achieved and, I think, maintain the dancers' morale. without painting the company into a corner. I would also want to ensure that dancers like Harrod and Maguire were not overlooked and had a chance to show what they can do.

 

 At present the company is awash with talent at all levels. A director's choice of principal dancers is significant for the dancers selected and for the company as a whole.The type of dancer promoted says a lot about the director's tastes, the company's preoccupations, its style and its likely future path. Its members and its audiences  will see them as harbingers of the company's next fifteen years. Failing to promote suitable dancers from within the company and resorting to external recruitment  has a negative impact on company morale, It would be madness to fill posts that don't absolutely require filling at present. It would be much better to treat the coming season as an extended audition or competition for promotion. In fact it would probably be better to wait until after we have seen the new Swan Lake and we know what the young hopefuls are like in that as well. I am very pleased that I don't have to make this sort of decision. It is not going to be easy to get it right for the individual dancer and the company as a whole.

Edited April 16, 2016 by FLOSS

[penelopesimpson]

What a wonderfully informative post.  I always learn so much.

 

I have also wondered about Macrae and why he is so wedded to Salenko.  I agree about the amount of upcoming talent which is a great blessing to RB and the audience.  When Watson goes there is going to be a tremendous gap and I wonder who will fill it.  I cannot help but think that amongst the men there have been one or two poor choices in the recent past.  I mean no disrespect but I still don't really see why Golding was brought in.

[Coated]

 

 I am not sure that any of us would be that happy if dancers like Ball, Clarke and Katsura had their chance of  dancing major roles and being appointed principal thwarted by dancers being appointed as principal on a "Buggin's Turn" basis.

 

Whilst I don't know who Buggin was, I very much agree. 

 

On the topic of McRae, when has he last danced with someone other than Osipova or Salenko? I assumed that I didn't pay attention to all of his castings, but recently noticed that I haven't seen him with any other dancers for well over a year. 

[Mary]

Saw him dancing with Lamb the other day, also in Romeo and Juliet earlier this season...

[Coated]

Ah, forgot about the R&J - probably saw too many in a row

[penelopesimpson]

Whilst I don't know who Buggin was, I very much agree. 

 

On the topic of McRae, when has he last danced with someone other than Osipova or Salenko? I assumed that I didn't pay attention to all of his castings, but recently noticed that I haven't seen him with any other dancers for well over a year. 

Dances with Lamb in Winter's Tale

[Jamesrhblack]

Again, words of insight from FLOSS. I believe that Kevin O'Hare went public with his thing that the company had too many principals and the fact that five ballerinas have departed since Summer 2013 and not been replaced other than by guest engagements gives credence to that. I'm fairly confident Takada will be promoted and would be very pleased if Campbell were too, although I can see that that might be contentious and that he is very useful where he is.

 

Re the "sick note," to which FLOSS refers, wasn't McRae due to partner Takada at her original Sleeping Beauty debut, the one that was cancelled owing to injury - he danced with Lamb in the end as I recall.

 

If a Character Principal is to be appointed, I could also see a case for Gartside. If that happened, would it take him out if things such as Leontes and Rudolf? I remember Rosato dancing Larisch as a Character Principal, and marvellous she was too (although I loved her work so much I probably overlooked some weaknesses).

 

I'd also agree that whilst Naghdi, Stix-Brunell, Ball and Clarke deserve their chances (Katsura caught my eye in the Viscera broadcast) moving higher in opportunity as well as ranking, it is important that dancers such as Harrod and Maguire are not overlooked. They may not be principal material to my eyes but they real qualities that deserve more recognition.

 

The company certainly seems in transition and O'Hare seems very sure in his wish to develop from within, a legacy perhaps from his time at BRB (although I'm much less aware than somebody like Janet of the internal developing there). It's potentially very exciting and with major additions to the repertoire such as The Winter's Tale and Woolf Works (is it for sure that Galeazzi will dance this next season? If so, what wonderful news) and, hopefully, Frankenstein, as well as some very interesting new well apart from the big three, I am optimistic that Classicsl ballet will not sink into the rut of an entreating museum art but retain its ability to move and enhance as well as entertain us, the repertoire a judicious mix of old and new (and, inevitably, some failures along the way).