Last night, 8 June 2019, The Royal Ballet celebrated the centenary of the birth of its most famous ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, who was born on 18 May 1919. A performance of The Firebird, currently in a triple bill, was followed by a gala of extracts from ballets representing some of Fonteyn’s most celebrated roles. Another dame, Dame Darcey Bussell, also appeared on stage … [Read more...] about Photos and full programme of Margot Fonteyn, A Celebration with The Royal Ballet
Yasmine Naghdi
The Royal Ballet in Japan and Los Angeles – dates and casting
The Royal Ballet tours to Japan and Los Angeles this summer, presenting signature work from the Company’s repertory, a world premiere by Wayne McGregor and community engagement projects. Tokyo, Bunka Kaikan Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote, 21 – 26 June Yokohama, Kanagawa Kenwin Hall Royal Ballet Gala, 29 – 30 June Los Angeles, The Music Center Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Kenneth … [Read more...] about The Royal Ballet in Japan and Los Angeles – dates and casting
Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s new triple bill
The Firebird / A Month in the Country / Symphony in C The curtain has just gone up on The Royal Ballet's latest triple bill and here are the first photos. The flash of a firebird, a family sent into a spin and a classical ballet explosion. Michel Fokine's The Firebird with Igor Stravinsky's music is a ground-breaking classic of the early 20th-century that draws on the story, … [Read more...] about Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s new triple bill
Marianela Nuñez dances to Nina Simone singing I’m Feeling Good with choreography by Will Tuckett
Three-and-a-half delightful minutes with Royal Ballet Principal Marianela Nuñez in a piece choreographed by Will Tuckett called Nela. More delightful again is that it is set to Nina Simone’s version of Feeling Good which, although it feels like an American blues classic, was written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for their musical The Roar of the … [Read more...] about Marianela Nuñez dances to Nina Simone singing I’m Feeling Good with choreography by Will Tuckett
Interview: For The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi it’s “Ready, Steady, Go”!
Interview with Yasmine Naghdi as she dances in the world premiere of Alastair Marriott’s The Unknown Soldier - with photos by Dasa Wharton I last interviewed Yasmine Naghdi in September of 2015 when she and Matthew Ball were preparing to dance Romeo and Juliet together. They were dancing the roles for the first time — she was a Soloist and he a First Artist. Time passes … [Read more...] about Interview: For The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi it’s “Ready, Steady, Go”!
Photo Album: first photos of tonight’s triple bill with The Royal Ballet
Two contrasting ballets from Wayne McGregor and George Balanchine return with a world premiere by Alastair Marriott. The classical and the contemporary meet in this programme of three complementary works. Alastair Marriott's new ballet to a commissioned score from Dario Marianelli marks the centenary of the ending of World War I in October 2018. The Unknown Soldier imagines … [Read more...] about Photo Album: first photos of tonight’s triple bill with The Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet Principal Francesca Hayward to appear in film adaptation of Cats
Francesca Hayward, Principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, has joined the cast of the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats, which will be directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl). The film has an exceptionally starry cast with Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy (played by a man in the stage version; Brian … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet Principal Francesca Hayward to appear in film adaptation of Cats
Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s triple bill by Tharp, Pita and Shechter
New work is as central to the repertory of The Royal Ballet as revivals of the classics. For Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’Hare, contemporary choreographers and dancers are ‘creating the classics of the 21st century’. In this mixed programme, O’Hare invites two choreographers to create new works for the Company – one making her long-overdue return, the other making his … [Read more...] about Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s triple bill by Tharp, Pita and Shechter
A female pas de deux from Royal Ballet dancers Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Yasmine Naghdi
It's relatively rare to see a female pas de deux in classical dance. In 2015, for her farewell tour, Sylvie Guillem asked Russell Maliphant to create a such a duet as she'd never danced with a female partner, so he created Here & After, which she danced all over the world with La Scala soloist Emanuela Montanari. Now, The Royal Ballet's Principal Character Artist Kristen … [Read more...] about A female pas de deux from Royal Ballet dancers Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Yasmine Naghdi
Royal Ballet’s 70th anniversary revival of The Sleeping Beauty – casting and photos
The Sleeping Beauty reopened the Royal Opera House after the war in February 1946 when the Company first took up residence in Covent Garden with Margot Fonteyn dancing the role of Princess Aurora. Now, 70 years later, The Royal Ballet will be performing their signature piece from Wednesday 21 December 2016 until Tuesday 14 March 2017. The 70th anniversary revival features … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet’s 70th anniversary revival of The Sleeping Beauty – casting and photos