• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • POPULAR POSTS
    • DANCE
    • MUSIC & OPERA
    • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
    • DANCERS
    • SINGERS
  • MY PHOTOS
  • CONTACT
gramilano logo

Gramilano

- dance, opera, photography...

Ninette de Valois

[Review] Awakening the Beauty. Two Royal Ballet Auroras: Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Mayara Magri

27 January 2023 by Jonathan Gray 1 Comment

Mayara Magri in The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Andrej Uspenski-03

Guest author Jonathan Gray sees two Sleeping Beauty casts at The Royal Opera House, London TitleThe Sleeping BeautyCompanyThe Royal BalletVenueThe Royal Opera House, LondonDate17 and 19 January … [Read more...] about [Review] Awakening the Beauty. Two Royal Ballet Auroras: Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Mayara Magri

The lonely father – Jonathan Gray reviews a new biography of the choreographer John Cranko

3 January 2023 by Jonathan Gray Leave a Comment

Cranko & Haydee in rehearsal ph. Andreas Heumann crop

I’ve always been interested in how some theatrical works survive the years, and some do not. Giacomo Meyerbeer, for example, was probably the most famous opera composer of the middle years of the 19th … [Read more...] about The lonely father – Jonathan Gray reviews a new biography of the choreographer John Cranko

Dame Beryl Grey: an obituary by Mary Clarke

12 December 2022 by Gramilano 6 Comments

Beryl Grey as the Lilac Fairy as photographed by Gordon Anthony for the 1946-1947 season brochure of Sadler's Wells Ballet at The Royal Opera House

Beryl Grey, who has died at the age of 95, was a ballerina, director, administrator, and patron of many dance organisations, who had a distinguished international career but was quintessentially a … [Read more...] about Dame Beryl Grey: an obituary by Mary Clarke

Sir Peter Wright becomes ‘Founding Director Laureate Of Birmingham Royal Ballet’ at 95

9 September 2022 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Peter-Wright-creating-Coppelia-Mar-1995-photo-by-Bill-Cooper

Forty-five years after Sir Peter Wright was appointed Director of Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) announces that his title will change from Director Laureate to Founding … [Read more...] about Sir Peter Wright becomes ‘Founding Director Laureate Of Birmingham Royal Ballet’ at 95

[Photo album] First look at La Scala’s new Bayadère

19 December 2021 by Gramilano 6 Comments

34 - La bayadère - Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko and corps de ballet, photo by Brescia and Amisano © Teatro alla Scala

After Covid infections forced the premiere and subsequent performances to be cancelled, Monday 21 December will finally see the opening night of La Scala's new production of Rudolf Nureyev's La … [Read more...] about [Photo album] First look at La Scala’s new Bayadère

Countdown to Bayadère – casting and designs for La Scala’s opening

19 November 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Costume design by Luisa Spinatelli (1)

La Bayadère, one of the key ballets in the classical repertoire, premiered in St Petersburg in 1877. Marius Petipa created a perfect harmony between mass scenes and protagonists, and it was the … [Read more...] about Countdown to Bayadère – casting and designs for La Scala’s opening

[Photo Album] The Royal Ballet’s “Beauty Mixed Programme”

25 June 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Mariko Sasaki and Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød in Anemoi, The Royal Ballet ©2021 ROH. Photograph by Alice Pennefather 2

Tomorrow, The Royal Ballet unveils a new mixed bill, the Beauty Mixed Programme. It reflects a phrase said by the company's founder Dame Ninette de Valois: Respect the past, herald the future but … [Read more...] about [Photo Album] The Royal Ballet’s “Beauty Mixed Programme”

The Royal Ballet’s Beauty Mixed Programme to be streamed live

17 June 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty photo by Johna Persson ROH

The Royal Ballet, in its 90th anniversary year, is mounting a broad range of classics and new work during this season and into the next. In honour of the company’s founder, Dame Ninette de … [Read more...] about The Royal Ballet’s Beauty Mixed Programme to be streamed live

Violetta Elvin, Royal Ballet prima ballerina, dies at 97

1 June 2021 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Violetta Elvin in 1953

The great Russian dancer, Violetta Elvin, dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet Company and prima ballerina of The Royal Ballet, died on 27 May at the age of 97. Elvin had lived in Vico Equense in the … [Read more...] about Violetta Elvin, Royal Ballet prima ballerina, dies at 97

Royal Ballet School students recreate founder Dame Ninette de Valois’s ‘lost’ choreography

11 March 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Ninette de Valois and Ursula Moreton with students of the Vic-Wells School at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, 1931. Photographer not known. © The Royal Ballet School Special Collections

Ninette de Valois’ 1925 ballet The Arts of the Theatre is to be restaged for a livestream performance. The attempt to recreate de Valois’ ballet has been made possible by the discovery of a … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet School students recreate founder Dame Ninette de Valois’s ‘lost’ choreography

[Review] Beethoven’s ballet The Creatures of Prometheus with striking Capucci costumes

11 August 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Roberto Lori in The Creatures of Prometheus The Creatures of Capucci, photo by Graham Spicer

Italian producer Daniele Cipriani seems to be resuscitating dance in Italy almost singlehandedly. The first main dance event in the country was conceived by him and presented in mid-July to open the … [Read more...] about [Review] Beethoven’s ballet The Creatures of Prometheus with striking Capucci costumes

Interview: The Royal Ballet’s Ballet Master, Christopher Carr, on mounting Coppélia, the company’s dancers and technique

10 December 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Coppélia with Vadim Muntagirov and Marianela Nunez, photo by Bill Cooper ROH

Everyone who has followed The Royal Ballet in rehearsal during World Ballet Day or watched the interval clips and interviews during the intervals of the company’s live cinema relays will know … [Read more...] about Interview: The Royal Ballet’s Ballet Master, Christopher Carr, on mounting Coppélia, the company’s dancers and technique

David Bintley announces promotions at Birmingham Royal Ballet for the last time

3 July 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

19 Embrace by George Williamson with Brandon Lawrence © Dasa Wharton, Birmingham Royal Ballet 2018 02

Brandon Lawrence has been promoted from First Soloist to Principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet, David Bintley has announced. The past weekend has seen enthusiastic applause for performances of one … [Read more...] about David Bintley announces promotions at Birmingham Royal Ballet for the last time

Tributes to choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne flood in from the worlds of musicals and ballet

3 July 2018 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Gillian Lynne Olivier Awards2013

A tweet from Peter Land on Dame Gillian Lynne’s account on Sunday evening, 1 July, announced that the beloved choreographer had died - she was 92: Rest In Peace my darling Gillie. I am heartbroken … [Read more...] about Tributes to choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne flood in from the worlds of musicals and ballet

Interview with The Royal Ballet’s Merle Park in 1979: Green Park, Hyde Park or Merle Park?

22 August 2017 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Merle Park in The Firebird   photo by Roy Round

Merle Park, the engine driver’s daughter from Rhodesia (modern Zimbabwe), ended up being one of The Royal Ballet’s brightest stars. She says that she first realised she’d become famous when she heard … [Read more...] about Interview with The Royal Ballet’s Merle Park in 1979: Green Park, Hyde Park or Merle Park?

Tamara Karsavina compares Rudolf Nureyev and Vaslav Nijinsky

1 August 2017 by Gramilano 2 Comments

vaslav nijinsky tamara karsavina in le spectre de la rose cropped

Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West in 1961 and later that same year he danced with Margot Fonteyn for the first time, and the following year he joined The Royal Ballet. In 1963, the BBC asked the … [Read more...] about Tamara Karsavina compares Rudolf Nureyev and Vaslav Nijinsky

Xander Parish on life with the Mariinsky Ballet

4 November 2016 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Xander Parish   photo by Katya Kravtsova cropped

You were recently promoted to First Soloist at the Mariinsky Ballet. Happy? Yes, I was promoted after a show of Giselle back in January and it was quite out of the blue! Leaving the corps Xander … [Read more...] about Xander Parish on life with the Mariinsky Ballet

The Gender of Choreography. Is it time for quotas?

19 July 2016 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Is it time for quotas? This was one of many questions discussed at a Dance Umbrella debate, part of the Big Dance 2016 events, at the beginning of this month. The subject of gender inequality in … [Read more...] about The Gender of Choreography. Is it time for quotas?

Peter Wright answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dance Edition

15 July 2016 by Gramilano 5 Comments

Q&A When did you start dancing? Not until I was 16, as an apprentice with the Ballets Jooss. Why did you start dancing? I was always good at ballroom, and then my mother took me to see … [Read more...] about Peter Wright answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dance Edition

Tamara Rojo on Ivan Vasiliev: everyone makes their own choices

17 September 2014 by Gramilano 2 Comments

It's a shame, but I am not going to criticise him. Everyone makes their own health choices: in the past, I risked a lot by dancing with an appendicitis. Tamara Rojo was talking about her intended … [Read more...] about Tamara Rojo on Ivan Vasiliev: everyone makes their own choices

Introducing… Brandon Lawrence, Birmingham Royal Ballet

23 August 2014 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Q&A When did you start dancing? I started dancing at 8 years old and then I joined the Royal Ballet School full time at 14 Why did you start dancing? I’m not sure why… I was probably … [Read more...] about Introducing… Brandon Lawrence, Birmingham Royal Ballet

Bennet Gartside answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

24 February 2013 by Gramilano 4 Comments

Q&A When did you start dan­cing? I was probably about 7 years old. Why did you start dan­cing? Apparently I was energetic as a child - I have no idea where that's gone now! My sister who's … [Read more...] about Bennet Gartside answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

Thiago Soares answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

20 January 2013 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Q&A When did you start dan­cing? I started age 15. Why did you start dan­cing? When I joined the Centro de Dança Rio it felt right, and I felt like I had found something that I had … [Read more...] about Thiago Soares answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

Mara Galeazzi answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

20 January 2012 by Gramilano 5 Comments

Q&A When did you start dan­cing? When I was 6. Why did you start dan­cing? At first was for fun. Which dan­cer inspired you most as a child? Alessandra Ferri, Carla Fracci and Pina … [Read more...] about Mara Galeazzi answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

Fifty years of the Royal Ballet

4 January 2011 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

The Proud Galleries in Chelsea launch its first ever exhibition dedicated to ballet with Fifty Years of the Royal Ballet, photographs by Colin Jones. Born in 1936 as the son of an East London … [Read more...] about Fifty years of the Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet School – Ninette de Valois: Adventurous Traditionalist

18 December 2010 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

The Royal Ballet School is to host a Conference to mark the 10th Anniversary of the death of the Founder of The Royal Ballet School and Companies, Dame Ninette de Valois OM, CH, DBE (1898 - … [Read more...] about The Royal Ballet School – Ninette de Valois: Adventurous Traditionalist

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE

Gramilano newsletter 2019

CATEGORIES

FOLLOW

  • 20,900 Subscribers
  • 26,149 Followers
  • 236k Followers
  • 602 Subscribers
  • 3,389 Followers
  • 19,798 Followers

NEWS

Pam Tanowitz’s Secret Things, her second world premiere for The Royal Ballet this season

Prix de Lausanne 2023 – the full lineup

Principal dancer Jared Angle to give final performance with NYCB

The Australian Ballet will tour to the Royal Opera House in August 2023

Les Étoiles – the starry Rome gala at the end of January, now with two programmes

Alexei Ratmansky joins New York City Ballet as Artist in Residence

Ballet dancer Denis Vieira dies in Cyprus at 31

Bruno Vescovo, former principal dancer with the La Scala Ballet, has died at 73

In Memoriam 2022: Singers, Dancers, Actors, Writers, Directors

Sergei Polunin’s Rasputin show in Milan is cancelled

FEATURED POSTS

Lauren Cuthbertson by Clive Barda

Interview with The Royal Ballet’s Lauren Cuthbertson – so much passion

Nunez headshot cropped

In conversation with Marianela Nuñez

Francesco Gabriele Frola. Photo By Karolina Kuras, 2016 01

Meet Francesco Gabriele Frola — National Ballet of Canada and English National Ballet’s new Principal Dancer

franco fagioli © thibault stipal, 2014

Franco Fagioli answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Yasmine Naghdi in rehearsal for Tarantella, The Royal Ballet © 2017 ROH. Photograph by Bill Cooper

[Interview] The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi: a time to reflect

Luca Pisaroni as Leporello in Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne   photo by Bill Cooper

In conversation with Luca Pisaroni: back to Milan with his La Scala debut

Gregory Kunde as Otello, photo by Matthias Baus, Teatro alla Scala 2015

Top opera singers discuss how they choose and prepare new roles

Thomas Hampson by Jiyang Chen

Thomas Hampson answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

How to stage a ballet… Maina Gielgud explains

The Tricks of the Trocks: powder, ice and pointe shoes

GRAHAM SPICER

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. I was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. My scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. I write the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or follow my Facebook page.

Referred-to-by

SEARCH

Copyright © 2023 · Gramilano · All rights reserved

about me · contact me · privacy and cookies

Would you like to receive an email whenever we publish a new post?

SUBSCRIBE