ENCORE. Celebrations We mark a decade of community partnerships. Day in the life Our volunteers share their stories

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1 ENCORE ISSUE 6 August 2014 Homecoming Distinguished alumni choreograph new work on students Day in the life Our volunteers share their stories A life in dance Interview with Darcey Bussell Celebrations We mark a decade of community partnerships

2 Welcome to the Summer edition of Encore The roar of the crowd at the end of our July Matinée performance at the Royal Opera House this year was as spine-tingling as ever perfectly symbolic of the overwhelming pride we feel as a School, as parents, relatives and friends. The students have made us incredibly proud again this year, and not just with their spectacular performances at the Royal Opera House. We are delighted to report that 100% of our graduating students have gained places at companies around the world (see right). This year we were lucky to have distinguished alumni Liam Scarlett, Martin Joyce, Kristen McNally, and Alexander Whitley create new choreography for our summer season performances, which we explore on p.3. We also pay tribute to our many volunteers in Day in the life, talking to three people who give up their time to help us in a range of capacities (p.5). And this issue there is a reason to celebrate as our outreach programme, Dance Partnership & Access, marks its 10th birthday and with it a decade of innovative, creative partnerships with primary and secondary schools around the country (p.9). Bright futures They have done it again 100% of our graduating students have gained contracts with leading international ballet companies. Congratulations to them all, and a special mention to Calvin Richardson and Adam Russell- Jones who jointly won our 2014 De Valois Award for most outstanding graduate. Calvin is going to The Royal Ballet and Adam is taking up a contract with Stuttgart Ballet. 27 students have secured contracts with 14 companies around the world this year: Reece Clarke - The Royal Ballet Calvin Richardson - The Royal Ballet Gina Storm-Jensen - The Royal Ballet Grace Blundell - The Royal Ballet (Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Programme) Grace Horler - The Royal Ballet (Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Programme) Alexander Bird - Birmingham Royal Ballet Edivaldo Souza da Silva - Birmingham Royal Ballet Maud-Hélène Treille - Bavarian State Ballet, Munich Adam Russell-Jones - Stuttgart Ballet Drew Nelson - Royal Danish Ballet Samuel Rees - Royal Danish Ballet Mica Bradbury - Royal Ballet of Flanders Fiona McGee - Royal Ballet of Flanders Minoru Kaneko - Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse Madeleine Dowdney - Zurich Ballet Kieran Brooks - Zurich Ballet Giordana Gallo - National Romanian Ballet Alessandro Audisio - National Romanian Ballet Ross McCaw - National Romanian Ballet Barnaby Rook Bishop - National Romanian Ballet Giorgio Garrett - National Ballet of Canada Hannah Bettes (2nd Year) - Boston Ballet Samuel Zaldivar - Boston Ballet Lily Howes - Sarasota Ballet Barny Sharratt - Sarasota Ballet Erin Holloway - National Ballet of Uruguay Dianyu Wu - Singapore Dance Theatre Above: Our graduating students Below: Raymonda Act III Lastly we say a warm welcome to Christopher Powney, our new Artistic Director, who officially takes up post in September. Christopher takes over from Acting Director Jay Jolley, who led the School this year during the illness of our Director Gailene Stock CBE AM, who sadly died in April (p.11). Photo: Johan Persson As ever you can keep in touch with all the School s activities on our website and by following us on Twitter and Facebook. Annalise Cunild Editor If you tweet, follow us on Twitter You can also like us on Facebook Cover: Chisato Katsura in Raymonda Act III Photo: Bill Cooper Left: Journeys Above: Barny Sharratt collecting his graduation certificate Right top to bottom: Acting Director Jay Jolley with Adam Russell-Jones and Calvin Richardson; The Dying Swan; Classical Symphony Photo: Johan Persson Photo: Johan Persson Photo: Johan Persson THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL 2

3 Going full circle Photo: Johan Persson Photo: Annalise Cunild Our students are often told about a golden thread that connects them with our rich heritage and, in particular with Madam Dame Ninette de Valois, who founded the School and the Royal Companies. This summer the sense of continuity characterised by that thread was particularly in evidence as we welcomed distinguished alumni back to the School to create new choreography for our students. Choreographers Martin Joyce, Kristen McNally and Alexander Whitley came together to produce a striking new piece of contemporary ballet entitled Concordance. Working with music producer and composer Marcas Lancester (who composed the music specifically for the piece), the former students produced an experimental triptych that tested the range and athleticism of our dancers to the maximum. left: Concordance Below top to bottom: Choreographer Liam Scarlett rehearsing the students in his ballet Classical Symphony; Choreographer Kristen McNally rehearsing students in Concordance What was your brief in creating the work? It was an open brief it just had to be something that would span the three year groups so we decided to create a three-part piece, not linking each of our sections stylistically but instead working with a composer to create a score that would link them through music. We also wanted to make something that would be fun for the students, which I think it was. What was the most challenging part of the process? The scheduling was very difficult fitting around the students and our own schedules was a challenge. It was also a test to make the ballet look like a whole piece, not three separate pieces shoved together. Another interesting challenge was getting the students to move differently to how they were used to especially after they had spent the day doing classical ballet. They all grasped it really quickly though. How did you find working with students? They were great they re an amazing group and super-talented. I don t usually work with young people but I loved it. I treated them how I would company artists and they responded really well. It s so different at The Royal Ballet School to when I was a student there s a real emphasis now on the physicality of dance so across the board they were really impressive. They really pulled it out of the bag for what was some very challenging choreography. What has been your favourite part of the process? We all enjoyed being back at School again it was like we never left! We were training 15 years ago so it has been great to see the developments that have happened since then. It s a really happy and healthy environment which is great to see. The three of us also loved working with Jay Jolley again he taught us when we were at School and has been incredibly supportive. The Royal Ballet s Artist in Residence, alumnus Liam Scarlett also created a magnificent new ballet on our Upper School students called Classical Symphony, set to Prokofiev s music of the same name for the end-of-year performances. The creative process took him back to his own training at School. The first piece of choreography Gailene Stock CBE AM commissioned me to do when I was in my second year of Upper School was to a piece of Prokofiev so it was nice to come back full circle, he said. My brief was to create something big and classical for the students and to show off all the training they ve received at the Upper School and create a big spectacle for the end of year, said Liam. It s amazing how disciplined the students are. Coming into a school environment and seeing 100 eager faces all hungry for it, is amazing. Explaining how his choreographic process changes from piece to piece he said: I don t like to just impose something upon what could be any group of bodies, I need to understand them each as a person and as a dancer to know how I can show them off to the best of their abilities. So coming into School, not knowing the students limitations it s nice to just get in there, have a conversation, have a collaborative process and figure things out as we go, and then it s really for them, as opposed to just done on them. Liam has also enjoyed working with the students: It s amazing how disciplined the students are. Coming into a school environment and seeing 100 eager faces all hungry for it, is amazing. Knowing what they are going through and the discipline and training schedule there is here, I ve been lenient and sympathetic with them but also tough! You can watch a video of the full interview with Liam Scarlett on our website. 3 THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL 4 k Baldwin

4 I wanted to be a volunteer at The Royal Ballet School as I was one of the original pupils at Barons Court before the junior school moved to White Lodge and the Upper School to Covent Garden. Vernie Sitwell Volunteer at White Lodge Museum Museum I often have to open it up, switch everything on and get it ready for visitors. When guests arrive I normally take them into the Salon to tell them about the history of White Lodge as a building, and then guide them to the Museum. We sometimes have primary school groups visiting to learn about the School and there are some lovely moments. For example when children were watching graduate year students demonstrating a pas de deux, a little girl asked: Are they in love? I ve been a volunteer now for eight years, helping out with anything that needs doing, from stuffing envelopes to stewarding visitors. It has enriched my life immensely. I had no hobbies before I came to ballet and frankly I was heading towards being a dreary old man, but learning about it has given me a new lease of life. It feels like my own little Narnia here. I m on a whole different level when I come in, the place has a magic about it I love it. Volunteer What I most love about volunteering is meeting different people I had one visitor who told me she was Ninette de Valois nurse at the end of her life and laid her out when she died. It was absolutely fascinating. I love to be able to give visitors a glimpse into the extraordinary world of ballet, and the history of White Lodge. When they leave, happy and content, having discovered something new, I feel fulfilled and full of joy. Nona Haslam Volunteer at White Lodge Museum Volunteers Ray and Geoffrey practise their retire Day in the life: Volunteers It is not just our generous donors and sponsors whose contribution to the School is so keenly appreciated. It is also the generosity of our dedicated team of volunteers, who donate their time to help us to continue to offer the best opportunities for our students and visitors. 5 THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL Retired solicitor Jane Heath is a prolific volunteer, giving her time not only to The Royal Ballet School, working in our Museum, but also volunteering at the Royal Opera House, Ham House in Richmond, as well as doing a patient library round at St George s Hospital in Tooting. I ve had an interest in ballet all my life I ve always loved it. I did it as a youngster but was lousy, and then during my working life I went to night school ballet classes. Volunteer Jane Heath I was already a Friend of the Royal Opera House when I decided to become a Friend of the Royal Ballet School. When they did a call out for volunteers I said I d be happy to do it. Every day volunteering varies, depending on what s happening. When I m working in the Photo: Anna Fineman Volunteer Geoffrey Spackman Former banker Geoffrey Spackman works part-time managing a vending-machine manufacturer s office and uses his days off to help, when needed, at The Royal Ballet School. I had no interest in ballet at all during my life until my mid-50s when I watched a film one night and everything changed the film was Billy Elliott. Up until that point I had never heard of The Royal Ballet School but I felt compelled to learn more about it. When I found out I could be a Friend of the School I signed up immediately, at which point I still hadn t been to see a ballet! I soon signed up to an event to watch students dance I didn t know what to expect but after seeing it I floated out of the room in tears. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Above left: Volunteer Charlotte Goodhill with a school group at White Lodge Museum Ray Wheaton has worked full-time as Page of the Chambers for HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace for the last 32 years. He gives up evenings and annual leave to volunteer for the School. I became a Friend of the School in 2002, soon after first watching the annual Matinée at the Royal Opera House on the invitation of a colleague. I d never seen any ballet before in my life and wasn t sure if I d like it, but after seeing the School perform I was hooked on ballet, big time. Volunteer Ray Wheaton, dressed as a Victorian footman at a White Lodge event When the School did a call-out for volunteers five years ago I was quick to sign up. It was quite a rigorous process, with background and medical records checks, but worth doing to be able to contribute to the School events in a more practical way. Over the years I have got so much pleasure from coming to Royal Ballet School events as a Friend that, for me, volunteering was a way to give something back to the School. There isn t such a thing as a typical day for volunteers, it s so varied. One thing I do a lot of is what I call meet, greet and seat at School events. But I ve also had less glamorous tasks including being given a mop and bucket when a toilet flooded, stuffing envelopes, and making sandwiches for more than 100 people. I ll do anything and everything that is required of me if the boss says jump I say how high, and do you want that in the 1st or 5th position? I enjoy everything I do here I ve had so many wonderful experiences over the years. I ll be forever grateful to my colleague for introducing me to the School and to ballet in general, something I m now so passionate about. THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL 6

5 Photos: Brian Slater From student to star A very special exhibition has been mounted this year to mark the fifth anniversary of White Lodge Museum & Ballet Resource Centre, housed at The Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park. Darcey Bussell: from Student to Star of The Royal Ballet charts Darcey Bussell s life as the nation s favourite ballerina, from her days as a young student of The Royal Ballet School, illustrated by records from The Royal Ballet School Collections, to her triumphant career with The Royal Ballet. Two of our Year 10 students, Emily and Joseph, interviewed Darcey at the opening of the exhibition, asking her questions submitted by students from across the School. What made you want to become a ballet dancer? My first impressions of dance when I was young were the films of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly, but I kind of fell into ballet, it wasn t my first passion. I slowly fell more and more in love with it but not so much the performance side initially. I loved being in the classroom and studying technique the lines and shapes so it was really my teachers who inspired me. What was your experience like as a student at White Lodge? It was hard but invaluable, I think I only now appreciate how important it was. In my first year I had a really tough time because I was very far behind everyone else (I came in two years late) and I hadn t done ballet that seriously so I thought oh no I m never going to catch up! I nearly stopped altogether at that point but I had just enough determination, grit and stubbornness to keep going and I then made a big improvement and suddenly it was the best thing ever. Do you have any rituals before you go on stage? I actually always try to keep away from those sorts of things. I didn t want to use anything as an excuse for something going wrong so I purposefully did everything differently every time I got ready. The only thing I did was not to go out the night before a show and during the day I would really pace myself, so more disciplines than rituals. What were some of your favourite roles? Out of the classics Odette/Odile in Swan Lake was my first when I was 20 so that was always very important to me. But then Juliet from Romeo and Juliet was probably my most favourite because you got to be an actress at the same time and I loved that. I did also enjoy working with choreographers, such as Kenneth MacMillan on Song of the Earth and Winter Dreams. It s too hard to choose one though! Which dancers most inspired you? Sylvie Guillem opened many doors for me because being a tall dancer (which both she and I were) was quite rare so it was hard to be accepted. She guested at The Royal Ballet the first year I got into the Company when I was 19 and that was a revelation because I saw there was another tall Principal so she made me feel confident and like I had a chance. What was your worst moment on stage? I ve had so many! It s just part of the job sadly. I fell badly in one of my first Principal roles, I was playing Gamzatti in La Bayadère and I slipped at the very beginning of my and Jonathan Cope s entrance. I slipped so badly in fact that I was concussed and I remember getting up and not really knowing where I was. That was a pretty bad experience! I came off stage and Natalia Makarova, whose production it was, was on side stage screaming at me: Come on! Come on! You can get it together! and I was saying No, no I really can t, feeling totally dazed and very bruised. I ve gone blank once too and I ll never forget that! Even though it seems like four minutes it s actually probably only four seconds. What advice would you give students coming out of The Royal Ballet School? Basically never say no, always say yes and don t be worried about change. Be open to everything that s thrown at you even if you think that s not me, try to think about what you can get out of the experience. In dance you can never stop learning and it all adds to your career. Were you rebellious at School? Yes I was it took me a while to put my energies in the right place! When I first arrived aged 13, I found it really hard to keep to the disciplines and I was a bit wild, to say the least! I don t want to say what I did but I never got suspended. It was just getting used to the disciplines and understanding they were there to help you. As you mature you realise how important they are and how they will carry Above left to right: Darcey Bussell at the launch of the exhibition at White Lodge Museum; photos and school reports from the exhibition; the pointe shoes Darcey wore for her last performance with The Royal Ballet in Song of the Earth; the costume Darcey wore in The Royal Ballet s production of The Prince of the Pagodas you through your life whatever path you choose. I ll never forget them and I m now trying to put them onto my own kids!! What s your favourite part of the exhibition? For me, to have my costumes up and looked after is the best thing ever. To be given them in the first place was amazing but I just didn t know how to look after them. They re very valuable, people have spent so much time on them and they re part of my memories so I d love them to be looked after and they couldn t be in a better place. Entrance to the exhibition is free, but visitors must book in advance because White Lodge is a working school. Find out more at or by calling +44 (0) THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL 8

6 Celebrating 10 years of Dance Partnership & Access Our Dance Partnership & Access Programme was established in 2004 by Jay Jolley to provide broader access to ballet and the work of the School to children and young people across England. From humble beginnings the programme, delivered by Ginny Brown and her team, has grown over the past decade to incorporate five primarysteps centres, a range of national advance projects for secondary schools and further education colleges, opportunities to visit The Royal Ballet School for day and residential courses and teacher training courses as well as a range of events at White Lodge Museum. Each year we work with approximately 2,000 children and young people in 70 schools on long term projects. Through these partnerships we hope to build sustained opportunities for young people to continue dancing through and beyond our programme. Indeed, this September, one of the first participants in our primarysteps programme, Sam Lee, will progress into Year 11 at White Lodge. In May this year we celebrated this important landmark with an event at White Lodge. There were performances from children on our primarysteps programme and, for the first time, the event marked the graduation of children from all five primarysteps centres. The audience was also shown a film of our advance project with local secondary schools entitled Firebird. In this unique collaboration our Year 10 students worked with pupils from Feltham Community College and Richmond Park Academy to stage an original piece of choreography set to Stravinsky s ballet score, performed by young musicians from Hounslow Music Service and Richmond Music Trust. Each year we work with approximately 2,000 children and young people in 70 schools on long term projects. This anniversary year also saw the launch of a new dance teachers course, due to start in September. The Diploma of Dance Teaching will provide a sound foundation in both technical and creative approaches to teaching ballet and on completion, students will be awarded a Trinity College London Diploma in Dance Teaching and Learning (Children and Young People). It will be delivered by Royal Ballet School staff and visiting lecturers in The Royal Ballet School s state of the art studios in Covent Garden and is aimed at professional dancers. Mark Annear, Head of Outreach and Access said: This new teachers course is particularly special because it not only offers flexibility in learning, but also gives teachers a broad body of knowledge on which to build a successful career in dance. Find out more about this work and the new course on our website. Above left to right: a primarysteps after school class; a rehearsal for the Firebird project; students perform together as part of advance at Upper School Below far left: Students rehearse together for advance National at White Lodge Main image: primarysteps graduates perform at the 10th birthday celebrations Below: The Dance Partnership & Access team celebrate 10 years of the programme Photos: Brian Slater 98 THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL 10 9

7 New staff members We are delighted to formerly welcome Christopher Powney, our new Artistic Director, to the School. Christopher has been working with us since April this year but officially takes up his post in September. A former teacher at The Royal Ballet Upper School, Christopher s previous job was as Artistic Director of Dutch National Ballet Academy. During his career he danced with Northern Ballet, English National Ballet and Ballet Rambert as well as working with some of the world s leading dancers and choreographers, including: Rudolf Nureyev, Christopher Gable, Jirí ˆ Kylián, Lynn Seymour, Christopher Bruce, Twyla Tharp, Frederick Franklin, Ohad Naharin and Glen Tetley. I am thrilled and honoured to have been selected to direct one of the world s most prestigious ballet schools and to return to my own country makes it even more special, said Christopher. This is a school full of exceptionally talented and motivated young dancers and it will be my pleasure to help them to realise their dreams. I look forward to working with the dedicated Board and team of The Royal Ballet School to ensure that the School remains at the forefront of dance education. As well as welcoming, Christopher, we are pleased to announce three new artistic staff, joining us to teach at the School from September 2014, all of whom have completed PDTC teacher training with leading institutions including our own teacher training course. Former Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Carol-Anne Millar joins us as new girls Artistic Teacher at White Lodge. Royal Ballet Soloist Kenta Kura has been appointed as the new boys Artistic Teacher at White Lodge, and former English National Ballet Principal Daria Klimentova will take up post as girls teacher for the new academic year at our Upper School. We are also thrilled to announce that current Acting Director Jay Jolley will take up post as Artistic Teacher and Programme Manager at our Upper School in Floral Street. Jay will also be Artistic Advisor for the School and will provide strategic support to Christopher Powney. Forthcoming events OPEN HOUSE LONDON Open House is a city-wide celebration of London s architecture, for which buildings of interest open their doors, for free, to the public. White Lodge will be taking part in the event, introducing new audiences to this incredible building, and the work of The Royal Ballet School. Saturday 20 September 9.30am-1.30pm Sunday 21 September 9.30am-1.30pm Venue: The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge There is no need to book simply turn up on the day. GEORGIAN PLEASURES: MUSICK FOR MASQUERADES AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENTS A concert by the Lovekyn Consort at White Lodge, inspired by the lively theatrical life of the Hanoverian period. Featuring music composed by Handel, Eccles, Dibdin and Croft, among others, it will be performed with period instruments and singers. Ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine. Adults 10; students 5; under 16s free. Saturday 27 September 7.30pm (Museum open from 6.30pm) Venue: The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge Tickets: A FOCUS ON CREATIVITY A series of seminars and workshops exploring creativity in ballet education and training with special guest speakers including Alastair Macauley, Jonothan Neelands PhD, DSc, FRSA and Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp OBE, FRSA. Adults 10; students 5; under 16s free. Sunday 26 October Dance Teachers Workshop Sunday 9 November Creativity in Ballet Education seminar Sunday 30 November Creativity in Ballet Training seminar Venue: The Royal Ballet School, Covent Garden For more details please visit INSIGHT DAY Visit the School to learn more about The Royal Ballet School, our students and their training. Visitors will be invited to watch a ballet class and will have the chance to ask staff and students questions. Cost: 5 Tuesday 25 November 11am-1pm Venue: The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge More details coming soon on our website. Above: Fragile by Rachele Pizzillo (2nd Year) Design: Annabel Clements Design Telephone: +44 (0) Facsimile: +44 (0) enquiries@royalballetschool.org.uk Registered Office: 46 Floral Street, London WC2E 9DA Registered Charity No: