Kenneth MacMillan’s darkly dramatic masterpiece, Mayerling, opens The Royal Ballet’s 2018/19 Season. Featuring one of the most technically demanding male roles in classical ballet, Mayerling is based on the true story of the deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his teenage mistress Mary Vetsera which shocked the world in 1889. Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal … [Read more...]
Photo Album: preview of tonight’s opening cast of Manon with Francesca Hayward and Federico Bonelli
Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon is revived at Covent Garden as part of continuing celebrations of MacMillan’s profound impact on British ballet, to mark the 25th anniversary of his death. Tonight's opening cast features Francesca Hayward, Federico Bonelli and Alexander Campbell. Production Credits Choreography Kenneth MacMillan Music Jules Massenet Orchestration Martin … [Read more...]
Interview with The Royal Ballet’s hot couple: Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell
Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell are quickly becoming The Royal Ballet's ‘couple to see’. After recent successes dancing Clara and the Nutcracker, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, over the Christmas season, they have just debuted in Giselle. An important moment in the career of any dancer. The Guardian said that Hayward was “nothing less than … [Read more...]
Royal Ballet’s uplifting Nutcracker with Francesca Hayward, Alexander Campbell, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, James Hay and the ubiquitous Gary Avis
Seeing Peter Wright's The Nutcracker again after several years of witnessing other productions brings its success as a dramatic piece to the fore. Placing the traditional story within an outer tale of Drosselmeyer separated from, and then reunited with, his nephew Hans-Peter, adds a level of genuine emotion which cannot be matched by seeing a little girl finding her lost wooden … [Read more...]
Royal Ballet ballerina stages starry gala in memory of her mother
Emma Maguire is a Soloist of The Royal Ballet. She lost her mother, Ann, a teacher, when she was stabbed to death in front of her class by a 15-year-old pupil at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds. Her murder, which shocked the entire UK, was in 2014. Emma and her family have admirably turned this horrific happening into something positive by creating the Ann Maguire … [Read more...]