Vanartus Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Or she may choose to stay, and shine and dazzle in Dresden... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 In which case there will be more opportunities for the dancers of Hayward's age cohort to show what they can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Before my last post, which I dashed off before leaving for Covent Garden, gets misinterpreted I hasten to say that I look forward to seeing Hamilton back at Covent Garden in a years time. If she were to decide to pursue her career elsewhere RB management would not be short of replacements as the company seems to have a large number of talented young dancers under contract at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Dresden Semperoper Ballett have issued a Youtube film of Melissa Hamilton rehearsing and talking about Manon, which she is dancing with Jiri Bubenicek (I think in his final performance): 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 She is listed for 4 performances. The company have listed principal roles for most of 2015/2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 A small clip from German television about Hamilton's Manon in Dresden: http://m.mdr.de/mediathek/mdr-videos/a/video308334.html 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Was it Jiri Bubenicek's final performance, Angela? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissBalletFan Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Was it Jiri Bubenicek's final performance, Angela? Yes it was Janet. It was also quite a send off if you see some of the photos on social media. Not quite a big as the London happening but suitably celebratory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Yes it was Janet. It was also quite a send off if you see some of the photos on social media. Not quite a big as the London happening but suitably celebratory I only saw him once, but I will NEVER forget that performance and I wish him all the very best for the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 A small clip from German television about Hamilton's Manon in Dresden: http://m.mdr.de/mediathek/mdr-videos/a/video308334.html Not working on Firefox for me Is it for others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm365 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I'm on Firefox and it worked OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I only saw him once, but I will NEVER forget that performance and I wish him all the very best for the future. Oh yes, he was a great, great actor, especially in the Neumeier ballets - some of them were made for him and were never the same after he left Hamburg. He will still dance with his brother in certain projects, and he does choreography. What a pity that he learned the whole Manon ballet and did it just twice! Another cast for Manon is Sarah Hay, by the way, the star of "Flesh and Bone". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Not working on Firefox for me Is it for others? Ah, works on IE 11, at least. Thanks, Angela. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 And a review about Manon in English Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Thanks Angela. Lovely, detailed review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Yes, thanks very much for posting that. Of course, MH is not a principal dancer with the RB, she is a First Soloist. A lovely review, accompanied by photos that give a good idea of what the evening was like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) It is being reported on Facebook that Melissa is extending her contract with Dresden to cover the 2016/17 season. Edited March 2, 2016 by capybara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 She seems to be doing well there which is grand. It was obviously a good move. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I did wonder when I saw the season schedule ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Good for her! The world is much bigger than the RB. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 And an email received from the ROH Press Office: "Just to update that Kevin O’Hare has agreed to extend Melissa Hamilton’s leave of absence from The Royal Ballet and she will remain with Semperoper Ballett, Dresden as a Principal for the 2016/17 Season. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanartus Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Good for her and lucky Dresden! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 In Aaron Watkin's presentation video for the 2016-17 Semperoper season, he says she is joining the company on a permanent basis as a principal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 As far as dancers who have trained in U.K, BRB is the place to go. If you are good enough you will get the chance to dance significant roles. Delia Mathews is just one example of this. This season she has danced Lac, Nutcracker, Month in the Country and today's magnificent Juliet. Still only a soloist but she is good enough to dance these roles 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) As far as dancers who have trained in U.K, BRB is the place to go. If you are good enough you will get the chance to dance significant roles. Delia Mathews is just one example of this. This season she has danced Lac, Nutcracker, Month in the Country and today's magnificent Juliet. Still only a soloist but she is good enough to dance these roles But Delia did join BRB in 2007, if I am not mistaken, so it has taken a while for her talent (which was so obvious when she was at the Royal Ballet School) to be allowed into bloom. And, as you say, Tony, she is "still only a soloist". Again, if my memory serves me correctly, Melissa Hamilton's trajectory to First Soloist rank was more rapid and, although Nutcracker was her only classical role before she went to Germany, she was cast as Manon, Juliet and Mary Vetsera quite early on. Edited March 3, 2016 by capybara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Delia made her debut as Odette/Odile at least 4 years ago while in the corps. She has been dancing principal roles for many years. At BRB promotions seem to have a definite structure but do not preclude dancers from roles if they are good enough 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 And an email received from the ROH Press Office: "Just to update that Kevin O’Hare has agreed to extend Melissa Hamilton’s leave of absence from The Royal Ballet and she will remain with Semperoper Ballett, Dresden as a Principal for the 2016/17 Season. " The interview with Melissa Hamilton linked in today's Dance Links says that she has signed a 'permanent' contract in Dresden. Does anyone know if that's right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 The interview with Melissa Hamilton linked in today's Dance Links says that she has signed a 'permanent' contract in Dresden. Does anyone know if that's right? ...and what exactly does 'permanent ' mean these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 ...and what exactly does 'permanent ' mean these days? Not a guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 So in theory she could have a contract as a permanent member of the company and terminate this after just one year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 So in theory she could have a contract as a permanent member of the company and terminate this after just one year? Depends what the notice period is. Same as any other employment contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Thank you. The reason I pose the question is because I am interested in how this might impact on an eventual return to RB if that is what she wants . Being by then an 'established' principal she would be looking for a similar rank. I wonder if that would be less or more likely to happen - she is likely to flourish from the experience gained in this permanent position and certainly the opportunity to dance most of the major roles. But assuming she achieves success in these, would she be a strong contender were there a vacant principal position at RB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 (edited) As Hamilton said in the article she is getting opportunities at Dresden that she would not get elsewhere. There was little in this season's schedule for her and little next season either at Covent Garden. A dancer's life is very short.A dancer's career is coming to an end at the point at which in opera or the spoken theatre an artist is coming into their own, having attained the combination of skill and experience to enable them to play the great roles and make a success of them. The transition between young and promising, established, and twilight with ever dwindling powers, is much shorter for the dancer which means that a dancer who wants to achieve something with his/her career has to take their chances where they can. It seems to me that Hamilton has taken charge of her career. Whether the permanent contract at Dresden means that she has signed a contract to dance at Dresden as a member of the company only for the coming season or whether it means that she has decided to throw her lot in with the company for the foreseeable future will become clear in due course. At the present moment Hamilton is certainly getting more opportunities to dance as a Principal dancer at Dresden than she would have got as First Soloist at Covent Garden where she would have been one among an ever increasing group of young hopefuls all of whom need to be given their chance. On past showing Hamilton is not an Ashton dancer her appearances in Symphonic Variations were less than stellar and she is unsuited to a role like Lise or for any of the roles in Pigeons. At best this season she might have hoped for Juliet,a debut of some sort in Giselle, a couple of SPFs and possibly something in the Invitation. The 2016-17 season would not have been that much better for her, something in Anastasia,a couple of SPFs maybe a debut as Aurora possibly something in Jewels. Neither this season nor next offers her enough dancing, let alone enough of the tough technical challenges which she needs on a consistent basis at this stage of her artistic development. I trust that the programming for next season indicates that the company is trying to accommodate the development needs of a number of dancers currently showing considerable promise. The casting for the first booking period suggests that it is intended to do so. I doubt that within this group Hamilton would have been given any more opportunities to dance than the others in it. At Dresden she gets the opportunity to dance as Principal and presumably gets the same allocation of performances that the other Principal dancers have which seems to me to be a better prospect than being a First Soloist waiting with more junior dancers hoping for an opportunity to make her debut as Aurora. As the RB management has only announced a further year's leave of absence for her I think that at this stage it is premature to assume that Hamilton has done anything except exchange her Guest Artist statusfor a time limited contract as a member of the Dresden company or a contract terminable by agreement within specified timescales. Edited May 18, 2016 by FLOSS 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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