Matthew Ball's playful then devastated Albrecht rose to every challenge that the role threw at him and Yasmine Naghdi's Giselle matched superb technique with a tender warmth. – Sarah Crompton for The Observer
In November 2021, Dasa Wharton took her camera to The Royal Opera House to capture moments with Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball in rehearsal for Giselle. She also followed Naghdi backstage during the performance on 20 November 2021.
In Rehearsal
[Interview] The Royal Ballet's Yasmine Naghdi: a time to reflect
I've interviewed The Royal Ballet's principal ballerina Yasmine Naghdi several times over the past five years. The first time, she was a soloist and preparing to debut as Juliet with Matthew Ball as Romeo. The last time was 18-months ago, a few months after her debut in Swan Lake, a role she was scheduled to reprise this spring, but then The Royal Opera House closed its doors…
The Royal Ballet's new star-crossed lovers: Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball
Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball are about to make a joint début as the young lovers in Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet. It is part of the current run at the Royal Opera House to mark the ballet's 50th Anniversary. For these young dancers – she's a Soloist, he's a First Artist…
Backstage with Yasmine Naghdi
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Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
