The recent impact of Covid-19 has disrupted English National Ballet's rehearsal schedule for its upcoming production of Raymonda. This, combined with the complexities of bringing a new, full-length ballet to the stage, means that the company has decided to delay the opening.
Tamara Rojo's new production of Raymonda will now premiere at the London Coliseum on Tuesday 18 January and run for seven performances until Sunday 23 January (instead of 13-23 January). Rojo says:
This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but one which was necessary. We would be doing a disservice to ourselves and to our audiences if we presented this extraordinary work without it being fully prepared. Raymonda is my first ballet as a choreographer, so very dear to my heart, and is the result of five years of research and collaboration with an exceptional creative team. I cannot wait to share it with you, even if it's slightly later than we originally planned.
Revised listing information: www.ballet.org.uk/raymonda
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.
Sorry – pressed the wrong button. Just wanted to say how sorry I am that ENB are having to do this. Let’s hope the premiere will happen as re-planned (and that I shall be here to see it!)
I’m so disappointed as I had tickets for 15th and can’t make the remaining dates. I’m sure it was the right decision for the company even though a difficult one.