The Royal Ballet’s International Draft Works 2024 – championing emerging choreographic talent
International Draft Works, The Royal Ballet‘s programme celebrating fledgling choreographic talent, returns to the Royal Opera House from 10-13 April 2024. This programme gives emergent choreographers a chance to showcase their work in development in the intimacy of the Linbury Theatre.
This year, Royal Ballet Choreographic Residency for the 2023-24 Season Joseph Toonga creates a new work with dancers of The Royal Ballet. Royal Ballet Principal dancer Matthew Ball also creates a new work which he will perform with fellow Principal Mayara Magri.
The Royal Ballet will be accompanied by emerging choreographic talent from around the world. This year, several companies return to present new work: Lachlan Monaghan creates for Birmingham Royal Ballet, Nicola Wills for Opera Ballet Flanders; Lucas Lima for Norwegian National Ballet; and Madeline Squire choreographs for the Scottish Ballet.
Four new companies join The Royal Ballet for International Draft Works for the first time: Barbora Rašková creates a work for National Theatre Brno; Olmo Verbeeck Martinez choreographs for Semperoper Ballet Dresden; and Florent Melac brings a new work for the Paris Opera Ballet. Korean National Ballet also join the range of companies showcasing new choreographic talent for the first time, with a work by Lee Young-Cheol.
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 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.
