March
28
Tags
See the Royal Ballet this April at the Royal Opera House
CONTEMPORARY, CLASSICAL AND CARNIVALESQUE DANCE COLLIDE AT THE ROYAL BALLET THIS SPRING
This April, The Royal Ballet presents a distinctive triple- bill featuring works from three of its Resident Choreographers- Wayne McGregor, Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. Obsidian Tear, Marguerite and Armand and Elite Syncopations are revived on the Covent Garden stage in a unique showcase of the diversity of The Royal Ballet repertory and virtuosity of the Company.
Premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2016, McGregor’s Obsidian Tear is inspired by Essa-Pekka Salonen‘s score Nyx, and set to his haunting violin solo, Lachen varlernt. Performed by an all-male ensemble cast, the ballet explores notions of tribalism and conflict, deploying McGregor’s unique style to stunning dramatic effect. This first revival will feature debuts from William Bracewell and Joseph Sissens.
Ashton’s classical masterpiece Marguerite and Armand was created on Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in 1963, as a celebration of their unique stage partnership. Inspired by La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, Ashton’s ballet encompasses passionate pas de deux, and is set against the backdrop of sweeping designs by Cecil Beaton. This run sees Alessandra Ferri and Natalia Osipova returning to the role of Marguerite, alongside Federico Bonelli and Vladimir Shklyarov as Armand respectively. Lauren Cuthbertson, Marianela Nuñez, Matthew Ball and Vadim Muntagirov also make their debuts during this revival.
A favourite from The Royal Ballet repertoire, Elite Syncopations is revived having most recently been performed as part of the Kenneth MacMillan: A National Celebration festival in October 2017. A sassy and stylish celebration of a myriad of different social dances, MacMillan’s ballet incorporates an array of ragtime rhythms, composed by Scott Joplin and performed by an on-stage band. Melissa Hamilton, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Nehemiah Kish and Reece Clarkeall debut in Elite Syncopations throughout the course of this run.