The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi and Reece Clarke lead the lineup for Ballet Nights 2024
Royal Ballet dancers Yasmine Naghdi and Reece Clarke head the bill for the Spring 2024 Ballet Nights. The blurb reads that the evening will be “a thrilling bill of ballet royalty, live music, legacy work, new talent and a fully stocked bar!” In fact, there are two evenings – 23 and 24 February 2024 at 7.30 pm at Lanterns Studio Theatre at London’s Canary Wharf.
The programme also sees Pett|Clausen-Knight, who make a Ballet Nights return after a year of touring abroad; Jordan James Bridge from the Company Wayne McGregor; and Felicity Chadwick, who graduated from Rambert School just a year ago and will be dancing the work of Royal Ballet emerging voice, Joshua Junker. There is the continued partnership with Yorke Dance Project with the return of Laurel Dalley Smith, Principal Dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company and Guest Artist with Yorke Dance Project in a work by Robert Cohan.
Yasmine Naghdi and Reece Clarke will be making their Ballet Nights debut with two pas de deux – Spring Waters and the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet.
Naghdi says,
I’m always intrigued to perform in a new space and to a new audience and Ballet Nights is no exception. There are always new emotions and feelings that arise and add a different dimension to the dancing. It breathes a fresh energy into the choreography each time.
Reece is a formidable partner and dancing with him is always such a joy! It allows me to be more free and daring in my movement making the performance more exciting to watch. We are performing two of our favourite pas de deux at Ballet Nights: Spring Waters requires a lot of trust and freedom in the feel and essence of the movement while the music is grand; it’s an exciting piece that’s upbeat and energetic.
The Romeo & Juliet balcony pas de deux is a favourite of mine as Juliet is one of the roles I enjoy the most. I love the intricacy of the MacMillan choreography and the moments of still which are so beautiful. It’s a joyous pas de deux and I love performing it every time.
Ballet Nights‘ Artistic Director and producer (and compère) Jamiel Devernay-Laurence says,
ENB emerging artist Chloe Keneally joins us for the first time and Ballet Nights‘ house pianist, Viktor Erik Emanuel, will perform two pieces on Lanterns’ Elton John Yamaha Grand. My role as compère will take audiences on the fourth Ballet Nights journey. Our intimate 240-seater venue with Stageside Seating, which offers audiences a close-up view of the onstage action at one of the biggest stage spaces in London, is just one of the many things that makes Ballet Nights unique.
Tickets: www.BalletNights.com
BALLET NIGHTS programme February 23rd and 24th 2024
Part I
Miroirs IV. Alborada Del Gracioso
Pianist: Viktor Erik Emanuel
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Etoile Variation from Paquita
Performed by Chloe Keneally, Emerging Talent/ENB
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music Ludwig Minkus
With thanks to English National Ballet
And So The Rhythm Goes
Choreographed & Performed by Jordan James Bridge/Studio Wayne McGregor
Music by Rival Consoles
A new Commission in partnership with Erased Tapes Records
A solo from Seven Portraits
Performed by Laurel Dalley Smith/Martha Graham/Yorke Dance Project
Celebrating the legacy of Sir Robert Cohan
Choreography and costume by Sir Robert Cohan
Music: Nils Frahm
Watson & Woodvine – duo debut
Performed & Choreographed by: Cydney Watson & Liam Woodvine
Composer: Ben Lukas Boysen
Commissioned & Developed by Jamiel Laurence Creation
Spring Waters Pas De Deux
Performed by Yasmine Naghdi & Reece Clarke
Choreographer: Asaf Messerer
Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov
With Thanks to The Royal Ballet
INTERVAL
Part II
Abegg Variations, Op.1
Pianist: Viktor Erik Emanuel
Composer: Robert Schumann
Aurora, Act III Sleeping Beauty
Performed by Chloe Keneally
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
With thanks to English National Ballet
324a
Performed by Felicity Chadwick/2022 Rambert School graduate
Choreographer Joshua Junker/First Artist of the Royal Ballet
Composer: J.S. Bach
Pianist: Viktor Erik Emanuel
Nerve Wire
Choreographed & Performed by Pett | Clausen-Knight
Cutting edge, classy new voices
Design by Pett | Clausen-Knight
Composer: Sean Pett
Balcony Pas De Deux, Romeo & Juliet
Performed by Yasmine Naghdi & Reece Clarke
Choreographer: Kenneth MacMillan
Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
With thanks to The Royal Ballet and Deborah MacMillan
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
