The story of the ballet

Transcription

1 Nutcracker

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3 The story of the ballet Act I Clara s bedroom It is Christmas Eve; Clara s family is having a party and everyone is invited. All the family is excited, especially Clara and Freddie who are looking forward to seeing their friends and St Nicholas. Clara is particularly excited about seeing her best friend Charlotte whilst her mother and big sister Louise look on fondly. Outside people skate on the frozen Thames. The Party Dr Drosselmeyer, a rather mysterious old family friend, arrives. With him is his nephew, fresh from Military School. The guests arrive, presents are starting to gather under the Christmas tree and the children s excitement builds. Dr Drosselmeyer introduces a puppet theatre, in which puppets perform to the delight of the guests. Louise and her three admirers are inspired to dance by the puppets performance. Dr Drosselmeyer presents Clara with her Christmas present a Nutcracker doll. Clara is thrilled and begins to dance with her new much-loved gift. Freddie grabs the doll so enthusiastically from Clara that he manages to break it. In despair, Clara turns to Dr Drosselmeyer for help. He, as if by magic, manages to put the doll back together again. Clara is delighted and forgives her brother. The guests depart, the children go up to bed and the house becomes eerily quiet. The Battle Clara has a nightmare in which her Nutcracker is attacked by the evil Mouse King. The clock strikes midnight. Giant rats and mice led by the Mouse King appear as the living room undergoes a transformation. The Nutcracker becomes a dashing soldier and a battle between the two sides ensues. The Mouse King and his army are victorious and the Nutcracker is injured. Everything melts away to leave Clara and the Nutcracker alone as snow starts to fall. The Land of Snow The living room is magically turned into a winter wonderland filled with sparkling snowflakes. Clara dances with the Nutcracker who seems to transform into Drosselmeyer s nephew. The Mouse King pursues Clara through the snow. Clara, the nephew and Dr Drosselmeyer escape in a balloon, flying across the glistening, frosty landscape with the Mouse King clinging onto the side. Interval Act II The Puppet Theatre The balloon lands beside the puppet theatre. Dancers from all over the world representing China, Arabia, Russia and Spain come to life and leap out of the theatre. The Mouse King is finally vanquished by the heroic nephew and a magnificent celebration begins. The dancers perform divertissements. The puppet theatre disappears to reveal a beautiful garden, amongst which dancers perform the Waltz of the Flowers. Finally, Clara dances a glorious pas de deux as the Sugar Plum Fairy with the nephew as the Prince. They are joined by all the characters from around the world. Suddenly Clara wakes up with a jolt back in her bedroom. Freddie and Clara run outside into the snow to wave a final goodbye to Dr Drosselmeyer and his nephew.

4 Clara and Freddie

5 Skaters on the ice

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7 Patron HRH The Duke of York, KG President Dame Beryl Grey DBE Artistic Director Tamara Rojo Executive Director Caroline Thomson Music Director Gavin Sutherland Nutcracker 11 December January 2015 London Coliseum Choreography Wayne Eagling Based on a concept by Toer van Schayk and Wayne Eagling Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Design Peter Farmer Lighting David Richardson Front cover: The Snowflakes. Photo: Caroline Holden Inside front cover: Elena Glurdjidze as Clara escapes from the mice. Photo: Annabel Moeller Opposite: Tamara Rojo as Clara. Photography by ASH is a registered charity:

8 The Mouse King

9 A word from Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director Welcome to the London Coliseum and s traditional Christmas production of Nutcracker. This is one of the great pillars of the classical ballet repertoire. It tells the story of Clara enjoying her parents Christmas party with family and friends when the arrival of Dr Drosselmeyer and his gift of the Nutcracker Doll changes everything! Tchaikovsky s sumptuous score, Wayne Eagling s exuberant choreography and Peter Farmer s beautiful designs deliver a Christmas story full of magic and wonder which continues to thrill audiences of all ages. During these performances I would like to welcome the following international guest artists, Mathias Dingman from Birmingham Royal Ballet, Casey Herd from Dutch National Ballet and a welcome back to Vitor Luiz from San Francisco Ballet. As Artistic Director of English National Ballet I want to keep the classics alive, relevant, and preserve our heritage for future generations. I also want to make sure that we invest in the classics of tomorrow by introducing brave news works. You will find us at Sadler s Wells in 2015 with two exciting programmes of contemporary ballet. Details of the rest of next year s season are found at the back of this programme or you can keep in touch via our website I would like to thank Arts Council England, Westminster City Council, our loyal sponsors and supporters as well as, of course, all of you in the audience for your support. I know that for many here today this will be their first encounter with ballet and I hope that it will be the start of an enriching journey and a lasting friendship. After Nutcracker closes we will still be at the London Coliseum performing Swan Lake, for many the quintessential classical ballet, and I hope that we can tempt you back to join us then.

10 The Battle

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12 The changing face of s Nutcrackers Nutcracker has been at the heart of s repertoire since the Company was established in August Indeed Act II, designed by George Kirsta, was included in its inaugural performance. This second act divertissement of sweets had already become popular in Britain but it was the full production by London Festival Ballet (as was originally called) in Europe and George Balanchine s production for New York City Ballet in the USA which put the complete Nutcracker securely on the international map in the 1950s. Wayne Eagling s Nutcracker is the Company s 10th production and with each eminent designers have placed the action in different societies from 19th century Germany and Tchaikovsky s Russia to 1990s nouveau riche Britain. Visually, productions have ranged from Christmas card glitter to contemporary caricatures and, with the ballets three distinct locations, as well as transformation scenes, there is considerable opportunity for fresh interpretation. The most renowned production of Nutcracker was choreographed by David Lichine in 1957 designed by Russian artist, Alexandre Benois. The young Benois had been disappointed by the first staging in St Petersburg in He thought the party scene set in the salon of some rich parvenu banker was stupid, coarse, heavy and dark [revealing an] absolute lack of taste. He subsequently designed a whole line of Nutcrackers bringing a sense of magic to the original approach while retaining some of the traditional elements such as the white snowballs on the tutus and head-dresses of the snowflakes. For London Festival Ballet he created an ingenious setting for the Royal Festival Hall s challenging stage, in which the scenic elements rotated. Benois s designs had to be reworked by Norman McDowell (assisted by Philip Prowse and Peter Docherty) to enable the production to tour in Jack Carter s popular 1965 staging. A complete change came with Peter Docherty s own set for Ronald Hynd s

13 Top left: The Party scene from Christopher Hampson s 2002 production Opposite left: Peter Farmer s design of the Nutcracker doll Top right: The Land of Snow from Christopher Hampson s 2002 production Below right: Peter Farmer s set designs of the interior and exterior of the house recreated his designs, originally created for Houston Ballet. This extremely pretty production returned the ballet to its original synopsis with a lightness of touch evidenced by the flying cooks in the Kingdom of the Sweets. Five years later, in 1997, Derek Deane updated the ballet with striking designs by Sue Blane in which the dancers dressed in chic black outfits for the party set in an all-white Belgravia home and the sweets of Act II were immediately recognisable as Smarties and Liquorice Allsorts production which was based around the grandfather clock. This dominated the room in Act I and then opened up into the oriental set for the Kingdom of Sweets leaving the clock face as a window through which Clara and Drosselmeyer could watch the action. David Walker s charming designs for Peter Schaufuss in 1986 placed the action in Imperial Russia with the party set at the home of Tchaikovsky s beloved sister, Sasha, and the composer appearing as the Drosselmeyer figure saw a more traditional approach when Desmond Heeley adapted and In 2002, Christopher Hampson s unconventionally modern reworking of Nutcracker was designed by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. The set included a viewing platform from boxes of chocolates looking to ice-cream mountains and the snowflakes and jack frosts jumped out of a freezer. Danced for eight years, this production featured Clara on the wings of Drosselmeyer s paper bird passing through the clouds in the opening of Act II. This current production was premiered in Peter Farmer s designs conjure up the magic of a traditional snowy Christmas while simultaneously showing a darker vision of Nutcracker. The threatening presence of the Mouse King is felt right through the ballet, until finally good triumphs over evil.

14 The Snowflakes

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17 Facts and Figues Some fascinating statistics from the Wardrobe Department Each Sugar Plum Fairy top skirt takes one day to make there are nine Sugar Plum tutus made for the dancers taking the Principal role. The top skirt is just the final layer of the tutu, under which there are about 16 layers of net Over 3,000 metres of fabric were used for the costumes for Nutcracker Before every piece of fabric is used in a costume it has to be washed so that it will not shrink once the costumes are made. In one year the washing machine in the Wardrobe does 1,440 washes Each Flower man s shirt takes 16 hours to make and each waistcoat takes 34 hours to make. There are 20 of these costumes in the entire production Each Sugar Plum Fairy costume requires over 2,000 worth of man hours and fabric. This does not include the cost of the Swarovski elements which were generously donated The value of the Swarovski elements used on the costumes is approximately 10,000 in total There are 400 Swarovski elements sewn onto each of the nine Sugar Plum Fairy costumes 400 costumes were made in total for the production. In addition, jewellery, shoes, tights and wigs were especially made for Nutcracker Each dancer has a minimum of two fittings per costume to ensure they are tailored correctly to their needs. That s at least 800 fittings each taking between 20 and 30 minutes The fabrics are from all over the world including German faux fur, American stretch faux fur, German lycra, brocade from India and France and English moleskin and braid for the soldiers There were 24 people working on the costumes; three wig makers; one head dressmaker; one milliner; two dyers/ distressers (who make the new fabric look worn-in, for example the mice and rats cannot look pristine) The first costumes were made in April and May 2010 for photoshoots to promote the production Erina Takahashi as the Sugar Plum Fairy

18 Tales from the Sugar Plum Fairies Begoña Cao and Esteban Berlanga Tamara Rojo As there is no tradition of Nutcracker in Spain, I didn t get to see it until I arrived at Scottish Ballet as a guest artist. I was already 19 and suddenly had to dance it two weeks later! Sitting in the audience, I was surprised to see families bringing their children and grandchildren and I realised it was, for many, a tradition that was passed from generation to generation and also the first contact with the wonderful world of ballet. As a performer, I have always remembered this and tried to bring to Nutcracker all the magic of Christmas. Alina Cojocaru I first danced Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy with Kiev Ballet Company when I was 18 even before I had the chance to experience the magic of Nutcracker on stage! I always enjoyed being Clara who ends up becoming a Princess and dancing the grand pas de deux with her Prince. I am very excited to now discover the magic of Wayne s Nutcracker and also to have the opportunity to fly in a hot air balloon! I believe Nutcracker brings joy and encourages us to believe in dreams and magic. Elena Glurdjidze Whilst a pupil at the Vaganova Academy, St Petersburg each New Year all of us appeared on stage at the famous Mariinsky Theatre in Nutcracker. It was something we were encouraged to appear in each year and throughout my training I performed in so many different roles on that stage. It was truly wonderful dancing on such a huge stage where so many legendary ballerinas had danced. Since then I have appeared as Clara in many productions. When the clock strikes midnight and the magic begins it brings back so many memories. These performances mark my farewell to the Company where I have had great pleasure performing in all the leading roles since joining in Fernanda Oliveira My first experience with Nutcracker was when I moved to the U.K. as a student at the Royal Ballet School. I had never seen this ballet before whilst in Brazil and for me it made it more magical and special with the Christmas atmosphere in London. The first time I danced the role of Clara/Sugar Plum was in Derek Deane s Production. I think I enjoyed the role of Clara because she is telling the story throughout and her imagination takes her as far as becoming the Sugar Plum Fairy at the end. Erina Takahashi I will never forget the day I stood on stage as the Sugar Plum Fairy, every girls dream and it made it even bigger as it was the first principal role I had ever danced. But the memory started long before that, I was lucky enough to perform the Sugar Plum Fairy solo in Japan before coming to England, but the first time I danced the whole ballet with is a memory I will never forget. From curtain-up until the bows at the end. I remember every minute. It was my dream come true and I never thought I would ever get the chance to do it on such an amazing stage alongside such amazing dancers! I have danced Clara /Sugar Plum in so many performances over the years, sometimes changing Princes daily but every show is filled with excitement. For me Nutcracker is Christmas and Christmas wouldn t be the same without it.

19 Shiori Kase and Yonah Acosta Begoña Cao I first appeared in Nutcracker with whilst I was still at school in a version by Ben Stevenson. I appeared in both the party scene and in Act II the whole experience I felt as such a young child was simply awe inspiring. Since joining the Company I have now appeared in three other versions, firstly Derek Deane s, then Christopher Hampson s and currently Wayne Eagling s, each of them having a magic of their own. Christmas would never be the same for me without Nutcracker and whilst we are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of such busy lifes when Nutcracker returns each time it brings a calming and peaceful existence to the festive season. Dancing the grand pas de deux at the end, is thrilling and the response at the curtain call is something to cherish forever. Laurretta Summerscales I performed my very first Clara/Sugar Plum last year and it was simply amazing! The music is so powerful that you get swept up in the story. I have only danced Clara three times so the role is very new to me, I really try to think about the character and pass the magic of this ballet across, especially to the little girls as I remember what it was like for me to be inspired to dance. I love the Battle and snow scenes. It is so busy and very exciting, full of life and energy! The Mouse King is one of my favourite characters, and the grand pas de deux has the most satisfying feeling for me as my dream was always to be the ballerina. I just hope I have given other people magic and dreams as someone gave these to me. Shiori Kase My first Nutcracker was when I was in Japan at my old ballet school. I got to dance Clara at the end of the year performance. I now find myself appearing as Clara/Sugar Plum in Wayne Eagling s version and this marks my fourth year performing this role. Each time I appear in this part it feels like a different experience which makes it so exciting and refreshing. I especially love the snow scene at and of course the grand pas de deux in Act II. I find the snow scene very emotional and the music during the grand pas catches me completely! I am extremely excited to be performing this wonderful role once again. Ksenia Ovsyanick This is going to be my first Clara in Nutcracker. I have danced this ballet many times dancing all the other parts, but I can t begin to describe how excited I am to finally be Clara on this fairy tale journey and dancing to this magnificent music in the grand pas de deux. It is a wonderful festive ballet bringing lots of joy and magic to the audience and I m really looking forward to bringing this across to them from the stage. Katja Khaniukova I first danced Clara when I was just 18 when I joined the National Opera of Ukraine this was my first ever principal role I still remember how excited I was! I have also danced Clara with the Ochi International Ballet in Nagoya, Japan. Nutcracker was also my final performance in Kiev earlier this year; it was unforgettable for many reasons because of all the historical changes challenging my country and what its people were fighting for. I never imagined I would someday move to London and be part of such an incredible Company and appear as Clara - all made possible by Tamara Rojo. This production of Nutcracker is absolutely stunning and so magical I am living my fairy tale dream. I believe that good people always win in the end, this Christmas is a dream come true and I wish the same for you all.

20 Alison McWhinney as a Snowflake

21 Erina Takahashi as Clara

22 Tchaikovsky and Nutcracker Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky s first ballet, was not an initial success at its Moscow premiere in In fact it was so badly received at its opening that Tchaikovsky turned his back on ballet music for 13 years. But in 1890 he returned to dance and the outcome was Nutcracker in He had read Hoffmann s original story and thought it was an excellent tale, and began composing the score for the ballet despite worries about the simplicity of the story and continuity between the acts. In April 1891, Tchaikovsky was to fulfil a long-standing wish to go on a conducting tour of the United States. The first stage of the journey took him to Paris where his work on Nutcracker continued. He seems to have been strongly influenced by the charms of the city. In place of the majestic romanticism of Swan Lake he fell back on finely detailed work and a ballet of charm and daintiness began to emerge. In Paris, he became acquainted with a new instrument, the celesta, which produces a sound of ringing glass bells. Having also found a human emotional motivation for the character of the Sugar Plum Fairy in his much loved sister, Alexandra, the music began to fall into place. The celesta was introduced as the fairy s instrument. Caption Tchaikovsky continued to work closely with Petipa and Ivanov (the ballet s original choreographers) in the production preparations, gradually losing his initial reservations about the setting. Nutcracker debuted on 17 December 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre. Though the public embraced Nutcracker at its premiere in 1892, critical opinion was not kind. Some reactionary pundits considered Tchaikovsky to be a great composer who was unaccountably demeaning himself by stooping to write something so insignificant as ballet

23 Opposite: Alina Cojocaru as Clara and Junor Souza as the Nutcracker Above: Elena Glurdjidze as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Arionel Vargas as the Prince music, while many of the ballet cognoscenti thought his music far too symphonic and branded it undanceable. One critic s comment was that the music is a long way from what is necessary for ballet. Whatever the views of his contemporaries however, audiences worldwide and that Tchaikovsky s Nutcracker remains one of the best-loved and most popular ballets ever created.

24 Performing Akram Khan s Dust at Glastonbury Festival Image Patrick Balls

25 We love taking ballet to as many people as we can, sharing our passion in as many ways as we can think of. 65dancers from 26 countries Our artists dance an average of 2,032 hours a year (or 39h a week) 4,992 pointe shoes used last year In 2013, we travelled over 3,900 miles around the UK 191 performances and events put on in last season 650,000 visits to our website last season 243,190 tickets sold in 2013/14 We performed for over 30,000 people on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival and 43,000 watched us on BBC iplayer Dance for Parkinson s classes took place in London, Oxford, Liverpool and now Ipswich and Cardiff 14,325 attendances to our evening ballet classes 11,387 under-16s worked with us 63 schools engaged with our work across the UK, where we delivered 100 workshops Over 33,000 people enjoyed our children-friendly production My First Ballet: Coppélia

26 Engagement and Creative Learning Reaching over 38,000 people per year, offers opportunities to participate, experience and be inspired by ballet through our nationwide engagement and learning programme. An eventful 2014 It s been a busy and exciting year for the Engagement department. As well as a full programme of schools workshops and theatre events, Dance for Health and Dance for Parkinson s classes, we have been delighted to work with a variety of partners to deliver high quality performance projects. In February, to accompany the tour of Le Corsaire, we presented George Williamson s choreography inspired by the production in the magnificent Manchester Town Hall building. With funding from John Lyon s Charity, we had rehearsals for Dance Journeys at Hammersmith Academy and Capital City Academy. The project culminated in a stunning and incredibly moving performance at the Barbican Theatre during the run of Lest We Forget in April. The west London highlight of Big Dance 2014 was a special commission for choreographer Cameron McMillan. He worked with ENBYouthCo dancers to create a site-specific piece for performance at Westfield London in July. Also over the Summer we were delighted to work with students from Knole Academy. Choreographer Hubert Essakow created a piece for a performance at the school in Sevenoaks, inspired by Romeo & Juliet. In September we were delighted to continue our collaboration with Music@Malling, focused this year on HK Gruber s Frankenstein performed by Chamber Domaine. English National Ballet First Soloist, Fabian Reimair, choreographed a solo for Artist of the Company Daniele Silingardi, to perform alongside local school children for the festival s schools concerts in West Malling and Ashford, Kent. This October the Engagement team began working with Arts 4 Dementia, a charity who works in partnership with arts organisations to develop workshops that re-energise and inspire people living with dementia in the community. Weekly dance sessions, held at English National Ballet s studios in Kensington, connected participants to Company repertoire and provide a creative outlet for artistic engagement with dance and music. The term focused on English National Ballet s Nutcracker exploring themes and characters from the ballet to live musical accompaniment and concluded with a theatre visit for all participants and their carers to the London Coliseum to see the production. Looking forward, 2015 is set to be another eventful year filled with exciting new partnerships, events and projects including the continuation of our highly successful creative learning project with young people, Dance Journeys. For more information on all the work the Engagement team have coming up, or have done, please visit the website ballet.org.uk/learning. Dance Journeys in rehearsal

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28 Emerging Dancer and People s Choice Award 2015 Emerging Dancer Award 23 March 2015, Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall Emerging Dancer Award, now in its sixth year, is an annual competition for to recognise and nurture talent, and encourage excellence and potential within the Company. The 2015 Emerging Dancer nominees will be announced early The winner will be decided by a panel of judges at the awards ceremony on Monday 23 March 2015 at Southbank Centre s Queen Elizabeth Hall and will be open to the public. For further details and to book tickets, please visit or telephone Southbank Centre People s Choice Award Play your part your vote counts! You decide who will be the 2015 People s Choice Award winner all dancers, excluding Lead Principals and Principals are eligible. Simply select your favourite dancer by ticking the box found on the back of the cast sheet or alternatively online. Each vote is entered into a prize draw for the opportunity to win tickets to the final. Voting closes 6 February joint winners Alison McWhinney and Junor Souza Matt Hinds, Managing Partner Talbot Hughes McKillop We are proud to support this fantastic competition which gives dancers a platform to shine and which is now firmly established as an annual fixture in the calendar of our firm and its clients. It was wonderful once again to celebrate and enjoy the talent of all nominees and, in particular, the brilliant joint winners of the 2014 competition; Alison McWhinney and Junor Souza. Generously supported by Talbot Hughes McKillop, the restructuring experts

29 Modern Masters Icons of 20th Century Choreography March 2015 Petite Mort Kylián Spring And Fall Neumeier In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated Forsythe ballet.org.uk/modernmasters James Forbat and Ksenia Ovsyanick in Petite Mort Photo: David Jensen Design: Charlotte Wilkinson Studio Registered Charity no Sadler s Wells Theatre sadlerswells.com Angel

30 Join Us brings world-class ballet to audiences throughout the UK. We champion excellence, innovative collaborations and engaging ways that honour and enhance traditional ballet making it accessible to everyone. This is only possible with the support of our Friends and Supporters. By joining you enjoy special access to our work and make a vital contribution towards the future of our Company. FRIENDS From only 50 a year, Friends membership is a fantastic way of becoming more closely involved in. Benefits include: Access to working stage rehearsals and Company Classes Invitations to special events including studio rehearsals and masterclasses Discounts on tickets for productions and events Priority booking for productions and events Advance notification of casting, regular updates and the annual In the Wings magazine CIRCLE Circle memberships start at 500 or just a month. As our closest supporters, Circle members enjoy special access and insight into the creative process. We invite Circle members to studio rehearsals and special events, and bring you into the heart of the Company. Othert benefits are: A personalised booking service Access to special ticket allocations The opportunity to come and watch rehearsals in our studios Special Circle events including drinks receptions and Q & As Circle membership also includes a donation to, making a vital contribution to the Company s future and enabling us to make our ambitions a reality. JOIN TODAY Visit support@ballet.org.uk Phone Tamara Rojo as Clara

31 With thanks to our supporters We are grateful to all the individuals, companies and charitable trusts and foundations who support. Thank you for your generosity, passion and commitment to our work. Major Donors Alta Advisors Mr Justin Bickle Mrs Aud Jebsen Mr and Mrs Maurice Pinto Talbot Hughes McKillop The Quercus Trust Jennifer and John Talbot Sian and Matthew Westerman Corporate Partners Backes and Strauss Capezio Chanel The Dorchester Odgers Berndtson MAC Cosmetics Swarovski Sweaty Betty Talbot Hughes McKillop Sponsor a Dancer XL Group Sponsor of Junor Souza Members Barre Amanda Anderson & Associates Aviva Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Enders Analysis RPC LLP In-Kind Sponsors Bluthner Pianos Bodega Raffy Brand Remedy Laura Kuy Laurent Perrier Lavender Green Flowers Lambert Smith Hampton Group Limited Powerplate Purbrooks Richmond Associates Simmons & Simmons St Martin s Lane Hotel The Gore and Pelham Hotels The Goring Trusts and Foundations Anonymous The Ammco Trust Andor Charitable Trust The John S Cohen Foundation The D Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dolly Knowles Charitable Trust The Idlewild Trust J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust John Lyon s Charity The Leverhulme Trust The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust P H Holt Foundation Paul Hamlyn Foundation Schroder Charity Trust Stoller Charitable Trust The Circle Directors Circle Anonymous Wendy Becker and David Benello Mr Justin Bickle Sir John and Lady Buchanan Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation Sarah and Lloyd Dorfman CBE Dorothy and John Ind Ray and Jenny Jenner David Lloyd Aideen Masterson Steve and Charlotte Sacks Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson Grenville Turner Creative Circle Anonymous Mrs Carol Brigstocke Sue Butcher Alan Firmin Ltd Charles Glanville Peggy Hale Martyn Rees Bruno and Suzanne Schroder Jennifer and John Talbot Mrs Louis Urvois Mme Gerard Wertheimer The Wigoder Family Foundation Premiere Circle Anonymous Mr and Mrs L Al Swaidi Judy and Ian Barlow Vanessa and Peter Blackmore Mr and Mrs J. Bloomer Peter and Sally Cadbury Sir Roger and Lady Stephanie Carr Glenn Carroll Claire Cohen Richard and Jennie Cunis Anne Curran Annette Dart Nicholas Ferguson The Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Foundation Annette and Peter Ellis Diana, Lady Farnham, DCVO Michael and Claire Francies Michael and Margaret Garner Ann-Marie Goodbody Bart Gorissen Lady Shauna Gosling Michael Harrison Gillian Holgate Natasha Kaplinsky and Justin Bower Sherry Kernan Dr A W King and Miss F A Delaney Michael and Micheline Kingston Ida Levine Richard Luck-Hille The Simon Marks Charitable Trust Cecilia McAnulty and Ian Hadden Heather McCubbin David Morgan-Hewitt Dr Alessia Nicotra Eric Peel and Jacky Cowdrey Elizabeth and Maurice Pinto Kristina Rogge Mr and Mrs James Smillie Eileen Lam Smith Steve Springford Mr and Mrs Julian Stanford Mr and Mrs Brian Steer Marsha Taylor Allen Thomas John and Lynn Turner Peter and Karen Ventress Monica B. Voldstad Adrienne Waterfield Paddy Wells Jennifer Wills Ken Yang and Ted Lakey Dance Circle Anonymous David M Bain Mrs Susan Carter Mrs Felicia Foreman Olivia Ha de Grandchamp Pamela, Lady Harlech Roger Helmer MEP Sir Anthony Holland and Lady Holland John B Jones Mary Jordan Sylvie Matz Rosie Miller Stephen Moger Russell Race Tara Robinson Sir Norman Rosenthal Michael Smith and Nicholas Bartlett Claire Soulal Norita van der Velde and Keith Goody Nutcracker Christmas Gala Committee 2013 Joint Chairs Rosemary Saïd Dorothy Ind Maria Abaroa Marie Alexander Serena Balfour Gabby Bassatne Tamara Beckwith Marisa Brenninkmeyer Rosemary Buchanan Penny Deben Tania Fares Sarah Henderson Veronica Henderson Iona Ind Natasha Kaplinsky Arda Kassabian Latifa Kosta Jayne Lewis Homeyra Monckton Becky Quintavalle Melanie Roberts Nouneh Sarkissian Yana Sheptitskaya Fiona Swallow Nadja Swarovski Sally Tennant Lieve Turtelboom Gala Committee 2014 Chairman David Morgan-Hewitt Amanda Anderson Patrick Brennan Alejandra Caro Lynda Cooke The Baroness de Mandat Grancey Dorothy Ind Gudrun Jensen Natasha Kaplinsky Mona Khasshoggi Richard Luck-Hille Eva McGaw Zenouska Mowatt Jennifer Talbot Lynn Turner To find out more about the different ways in which to support please contact the Development Department on or support@ballet.org.uk

32 Dancers Philharmonic Lead Principals Alina Cojocaru Elena Glurdjidze Dmitri Gruzdyev Fernanda Oliveira Erina Takahashi Guest Artists Mathias Dingman Casey Herd Vitor Luiz Principals Yonah Acosta Begoña Cao Arionel Vargas Alejandro Virelles Character Artists Michael Coleman* Jane Haworth First Soloists Crystal Costa James Forbat Shiori Kase Adela Ramírez Fabian Reimair Junor Souza Laurretta Summerscales Soloists Désirée Ballantyne Fernando Bufalá Ksenia Ovsyanick Junior Soloists Kei Akahoshi Katja Khaniukova Senri Kou Daniel Kraus Laurent Liotardo Anton Lukovkin Juan Rodríguez James Streeter Max Westwell First Artists Madison Keesler Alison McWhinney Van Le Ngoc Makoto Nakamura Ken Saruhashi Tamarin Stott *Guest Artists Artists of the Company Precious Adams Francisco Bosch Isabelle Brouwers Yoko Callegari Jung ah Choi Jessica Clyde Cesar Corrales Barry Drummond Shevelle Dynott Paloma Gavalda Ruz Jennie Harrington Tiffany Hedman Anjuli Hudson Amber Hunt Jeanette Kakareka Sarah Kundi Pedro Lapetra Joshua McSherry-Gray Adriana Lizardi Simona Marsibilio Guilherme Menezes Vitor Menezes Merritt Moore Stina Quagebeur Grant Rae Maria José Sales Maria Sascha Khan Daniele Silingardi Angela Wood Nathan Young Seo-Yeon Yu Joan Sebastian Zamora Jia Zhang Jinhao Zhang Actors Lesley Dring Lynda Green Richard Luck-Hille Andrew Marchant Alex McLeod Students appearing from English National Ballet School Jordan Bautista Diogo Barbosa Naomi Bottomer Georgia Bould Michelle Chaviano Maksim De Baets Emanuele Del Celo Miquel Duran Torrents Conal Francis-Martin Mario Gaglione Gabriella Ghiaroni Joshua Legge Olivia Lindon Kaylee Marko Johnathan Milton Timothee Mochamps Stefano Nappo George Nightingale Daniela Norman Marco Palamone Archie Sullivan Yuto Tanaka Marcio Teixiera Silva Emiel Vandenburghe Seamus Wilkinson Children appearing from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Children rehearsed by David Rhys and appear by kind permission of Rachel Rist, Director of Dance at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. or call Clara Sereina Mowlem Louise Rigby Mizuki Kawamura (Understudy) Poppy Wager-Leigh (Understudy) Freddie Basil James William Darby Matthew Cotton (Understudy) Jacob Edwards (Understudy) Party Girls Phoebe Affleck Caley-Maria Cavan Holly Duckham Lillie-Annabelle Eames Megan Giles Evie Jackson Mizuki Kawamura Holly Lavery Verity Marlow Sophie McGowan Holly Pearce Charlotte Rostron Poppy Shaw Grace Taylor Molly Thomas Poppy Wager-Leigh Party Boys Ossie Crick Matthew Cotton Jacob Edwards Daniel Hole Noah Spiers James Stobie James Thompson Spencer Vale Violin I Matthew Scrivener (Leader) Rachel Allen Emil Chakalov Anne Martin Ruth Knell Linda McClaren Fiona Chesterman Carl Beddow Anya Birchill Helena Buckie Edward Brenton Sioni Williams Violin II Alain Petitclerc Susan Croot Caroline Barnes Catherine Smart Stephen Dinwoodie Karin Newcombe Damon Flanagan Gill Ripley Joanne Chen Henry Salmon Viola Alex Koustas David Danford Linda Kidwell Liz Sharpe Emily Frith Richard Cookson Sheila Holdsworth Phil D Arcy Cello Gary Stevens Anne Lines Naomi Elliott Rosemary Edwards Lars Payne Erica Simpson Emma Vidgeon Claire Constable Double Bass Jeremy Gordon Dominic Black Cath Ricketts Christina Cooper Martin Henderson Richard Driver Flute Christopher Green Emilia Zakrzewska Piccolo Helen Keen Oboe Gareth Hulse Katie Bennington Cor Anglais Lauren Weavers Clarinet Derek Hannigan Natalie Harris Bass Clarinet Paul Allen Bassoon John McDougall Howard Legge French Horn Mark Johnson Alexandra Carr Richard Dilley Andrew Paterson Duncan Fuller Trumpet Andrew Mitchell Patricia Reid Trombone Michael Crowther Emma Bassett Bass Trombone Les Storey Tuba Martin Knowles Harp Isabel Frayling-Cork Janice Bevan Tympani Kate Eyre Percussion Kevin Nutty Austin Beattie Polly Chimes Celeste Chris Swithinbank Julia Richter Section Principal

33 Artistic Director Tamara Rojo Tamara Rojo was appointed Artistic Director of in She combines this role with her dancing career, performing as Lead Principal with the Company. Trained in Madrid at the Victor Ullate School. Galina Samsova asked her to join Scottish Ballet where she danced many principal roles. She won a Gold Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition and a Special Jury Award unanimously given by a judging panel led by Natalia Makarova, Vladimir Vassiliev and Galina Samsova. Whilst at Scottish Ballet she danced the principal roles in Swan Lake, Cranko s Romeo & Juliet and Bournonville s La Sylphide. Upon joining within six months was promoted to Principal. She danced the full range of the Company s principal roles. Derek Deane created the roles of Juliet (Romeo & Juliet) and Clara (The Nutcracker) for her. Her performances as Clara broke all box office records at the London Coliseum and The Times named her Dance Revelation of the Year. She collaborated once again with Derek Deane for the creation of Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008 and 2011 with. Tamara joined The Royal Ballet as a Principal at the invitation of Sir Anthony Dowell shortly after her highly acclaimed Guest Artist debut with the Company in Sir Peter Wright s Giselle. During her 12 years she danced all the classics as well as works by MacMillan, Mats Ek, Forysthe, Kylián and Ashton. Tamara has been repeatedly recognised for her artistic excellence. She won the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production with Goldberg: the Brandstrup-Rojo Project. King Juan Carlos has decorated Tamara with Spain s three highest Honours, The Prince of Asturias Award, the Gold Medal of Fine Arts and Encomienda de Número de Isabel la Católica. She has also received the Benois de la Danse Award, The Times Dance Revelation of the Year, Critics Circle National Dance Award, Barclay s Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award, Positano Dance Award, Leonide Massine Premio al Valore, the Italian Critic s Award, and from the City of Madrid, both the International Medal of the Arts and the Interpretation Award. She is on the Board of Arts Council East, Dance UK, the Anglo-Spanish Society, a Patron of the Ipswichbased DanceEast Academy and Adviser to Spain s Superior Counsel of Artistic Studies.

34 and Conductors Caroline Thomson Executive Director Gavin Sutherland Music Director Simon Thew Guest Conductor Alex Ingram Guest Conductor London, UK Graduated from York with a degree in History and Economics. BBC Journalism trainee Previous companies Deputy Director General of the BBC (responsible for all non-programme parts across the entire organisation except Finance, operating budgets in excess of 800m). Channel 4 (in charge of science/business programmes and latterly as Joined 2013 Chair of Digital UK (responsible for digital terrestrial television); Non-executive Director of CN Media Group; Deputy Chair of the National Gallery and a trustee of Tullie House Gallery, Cumbria County Durham, UK First-Class Honours and Master s in Conducting, Orchestration and Piano; Kruczynski Prize for Piano and Davidson Prize for Distinction brought to the Institution Northern Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Norwegian National Ballet, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Münchner Rundfunkorchester. Currently principal conductor for Australian Philharmonic Orchestra Appointed Music Director June Arranged and orchestrated Tchaikovsky s Sleeping Beauty for Angelina s Star Performance and Angelina Ballerina s Big Audition. Orchestrations include: Wayne Eagling s Men Y Men set to My First Sleeping Beauty and, in 2013, My First Cinderella and My First Ballet: Coppélia in 2014 Recorded over 80 CDs; broadcast worldwide; regular conductor for BBC Radio 2 s Friday Night is Music Night. His musical Little Women enjoyed two runs in London, and his other compositions and arrangements are in considerable demand. Frequent appearances as piano soloist and in chamber music. Appointed chairman of the Light Music Society in 2009 Sydney, Australia Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Master of Performance (Conducting). Private study in Vienna, as guest of members of the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin, and Barcelona. Teachers/ mentors included Richard Bonynge AC, CBE, Commandeur de l Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres; Nicolette Fraillon; Sebastian Weigle; and Harry Spence Lyth Other companies The Australian Ballet, Guest Assistant Conductor, including La Bayadère; Suite en blanc; Ballet Imperial; Manon and Telstra Ballet in the Bowl (2014); Ratmansky s Cinderella; Paquita and La Sylphide (2013). Guest Conductor with Opera Australia s Oz Opera touring La traviata (2010); Opera Australia, Assistant Conductor La bohème (2008) and A Streetcar Named Desire (2007) This is his debut with the Company Simon holds the following accolades Churchill Fellowship (2011), awarded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, The Australian Ballet Conducting Fellow (2011) and the Hephzibah Tintner Fellowship (2010). In 2007 he was the first and only conductor to receive the Dame Joan Sutherland/ Richard Bonynge travel scholarship from the Australian Opera Auditions Committee enabling him to undertake further study in Europe, and take up the position of Music Intern at the Bayreuth Festival for Wagner s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in 2008 London, UK Education Cambridge University; Guildhall School of Music and Drama and National Opera Studio Previous companies The Royal Ballet (Guest Conductor); English National Opera (Resident Conductor); State Opera of South Australia (Music Director); Welsh National Opera and Kieler Oper The Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet, Le Corsaire and Swan Lake Career highlights Conducting Swan Lake at the Wiener Staatsoper with Svetlana Zakharova and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (2014) Other Info He has conducted frequently for Sylvie Guillem (ROH, Japan, China and Australia). In 2007 he conducted Didy Veldman s new Cinderella for Göteborg Ballet. Alex also has a repertoire of over 50 Operas and has conducted more than 150 performances at the London Coliseum

35 Creatives Wayne Eagling Choreography Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Composer Peter Farmer Designer David Richardson Lighting Montreal, Canada Patricia Ramsey School of Dance Arts, California Royal Ballet School Previous Companies The Royal Ballet ; Dutch National Ballet, Artistic Director ; English National Ballet, Artistic Director Created Resolution (2008), nominated for Best Classical Choreography at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards; Men Y Men (2009); Nutcracker (2010); Jeux (2012) Career highlights Partnering Dame Margot Fonteyn in Les Sylphides and Hamlet and Ophelia, working with Sir Kenneth MacMillan and choreographing I Want to Break Free for Freddie Mercury and Queen Created works for the Royal Ballet School and The Royal Ballet (Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast); Carla Fracci, La Scala, Milan (Queen of Spades and Alma Malhar); Dutch National Ballet (Nutcracker, Magic Flute and Rite of Spring); Hong Kong Ballet (The Last Emperor); Rome Opera (Mary, Queen of Scots and Thaïs) and Kremlin Ballet, Moscow (Blue God and Beauty and the Beast). Vice President of The London Ballet Circle; Trustee of Capital City Academy, London and Chairman of Seoul International Ballet Competition. His Nutcracker has been produced in Amsterdam, Helsinki and Warsaw. A new production of The Sleeping Beauty, 2014, for The New National Theatre, Tokyo and Men Y Men will be staged in Tokyo, February Enjoys golf, scuba diving and old cars Kamski-Votkinsk, Russia ( ) Qualified as a lawyer in St Petersburg Affiliations Resigned his government post in 1862, Moscow Conservatoire (teacher), Composer and conductor (Russia, Europe, USA) Created work Operas including Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades. Ballets including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker Recipient of Order of Vladimir (1884), Nominated Member of the Académie Francaise (1892), Honorary Doctorate in Music from Cambridge University Luton, UK Previous affiliations The Kirov Ballet, Vienna State Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, Berlin and Rome Opera Houses, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Rambert Dance Theatre and London City Ballet Created work Designs for the Company include Night Shadow, Coppélia, Cinderella, Bourée Fantastique, Verdi Variations and The Storm, Swan Lake and Wayne Eagling s The Nutcracker (2010) He is a successful painter and has had numerous one man exhibitions. In May 2013 he won the prestigious Benois de la Danse Award for a Lifetime Achievement prize Crawley, UK National Youth Theatre Lighting designed for The Sleeping Beauty, Angelina s Star Performance, Angelina Ballerina s Big Audition, Wayne Eagling s world premieres of Resolution (2008), Men Y Men (2009) and The Nutcracker (2010) for English National Ballet, Dance Umbrella and many productions at Riverside Studios Previous affiliations include Shaw Theatre, Riverside Studios Joined 1986, Chief Electrician Worked with many international companies at Riverside Studios and toured with Cirque Imaginaire

36 Artistic Loipa Araújo Associate Artistic Director Farooq Chaudhry Producer Hua Fang Zhang Ballet Mistress and Repetiteur Yohei Sasaki Ballet Master and Repetiteur Havana, Cuba Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical with Alberto Alonso and Leon Fokine. Alicia Alonso Ballet School with Alicia and Fernando Alonso, Raymond Franchetti, José Parés and Asaf Messerer Previous companies Principal with Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Ballet de Marseille. Guest performances with Bolshoi Ballet, Maly Theatre, Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and Béjart Ballet, Lausanne, Switzerland Created roles Roland Petit s Coppélia and L Arlésienne Joined September 2012 Known as one of the Four Jewels of Cuban Ballet, highly respected and sought after across the world for her unique style and teaching skills. Principal Teacher, Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Principal Guest Teacher, Teatro dell Opera, Rome, Teatro alla Scala, Operá Nacional de Bordeaux, Maggio Fiorentino, Florence, Teatro di San Carlos, Naples, Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Béjart Ballet. Won the Gold Medal in Varna in 1965 and a Silver in Moscow in Gold star, Champs Elysées Ballet Festival in Chevalier de la Légion d Honneur, France. Orden Félix Varela, Cuba Lahore, Pakistan MA Arts Management from City University London. Certificate in Choreography and Contemporary Dance from London Contemporary Dance School Affiliations Farooq danced professionally across the globe in the 80s and 90s and was awarded an Asian Achievement Award for his work as a dancer in He is Cofounder and Producer of Akram Khan Company, Co-director of Khan Chaudhry Productions Joined 2013 Chair of Dance UK; Board Member of AKCT; Member of the Strategic Advisory Committee for Clore Leadership Programme and Witness for the School for Social Entrepreneurs. Awarded an honorary doctorate from De Montfort University for services to dance in 2014 Shanghai, People s Republic of China Beijing Dance Academy Previous companies Principal dancer Hong Kong Ballet; First Soloist National Ballet of China, Beijing; Guest performer Singapore Dance Theatre, Singapore; Ballet Mistress, National Ballet of China, Beijing; Ballet Mistress, LaLala Human Steps, Montreal, Canada; First International Dance Festival, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Second International Dance Festival, Miami, Florida; Ballet Mistress, Ballet Jazz, Montreal, Canada Joined September 2012 As a teacher Hua Fang has coached many dancers throughout the world including the Beijing International Ballet Competition, the USA International Ballet Competition and the Helsinki International Ballet competition and was Rehearsal Director for the film Amelia by Edouard Lock Morioka, Japan Tomoko Kurosawa Ballet Studio, Japan and the Royal Ballet Upper School (scholarship awarded by the Prix de Lausanne) Previous affiliations First Soloist with The Royal Ballet Repetoire Franz (Coppélia), Prince (The Nutcracker), Principal roles in Gloria, Danses Concertantes, Les Rendezvous, La Valse, Scènes de ballet, Rhapsody, Symphonic Variations and many other roles in works by Petipa, de Valois, Ashton, MacMillan and Balanchine. Created roles include works by David Bintley, Ashley Page, Christopher Wheeldon, William Tuckett and Michael Corder Guest appearances with Irek Mukhamedov and Company both in London and Finland, K-Ballet Company in Japan and A Royal Christmas Tour in the United States presented by Princeton Entertainment. Yohei completed the professional dancers teaching course at the Royal Ballet School and as a Guest Teacher he has taught for Ballet Black and Michael Clark Company as well as various vocational schools including School, the Royal Ballet School and Young Dancers Academy

37 Artistic and Pianists Antonio Castilla Ballet Master and Repetiteur George Williamson Associate Artist Julia Richter Company Pianist Chris Swithinbank Company Pianist Barcelona, Spain Brussels Conservatoire Royal de la Monnaie underjosé Pares, María de Avila Estudio, Zaragoza with María de Avila, Cristina Miñana and Lola de Avila.National Ballet of Spain with Azari Plissetsky and in New York with David Howard and Stanley Williams Previous companies Principal with Ballet de Zaragoza, Ballet Clásico Nacional de España and San Francisco Ballet Joined December 2013 rmation His teaching career began at the San Francisco Ballet School ( ) under the guidance of Lola de Avila and Aurora Bosch, and continues in London at Central School of Ballet directing their touring graduating company. In 2005 joined the Royal Ballet School s White Lodge. Has worked as guest teacher with Northern Ballet and in Summer Schools in Spain and Italy. As a choreographer his work has been seen with the Lawrence Pech Dance Co (San Francisco), San Francisco Ballet School, Central School of Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. Won the Gold Medal and the Grand Prix in Couples at the1986 Paris International Ballet Competition Worcestershire, UK Academy Dance, Worcester and School Previous company Polish National Ballet, Warsaw Created work Whilst at English National Ballet School George won the Choreographic Competition for three consecutive years and the CTRL-ALT-SHIFT Award. Ballets created included, Round the Corner (2009) presented at the Peacock Theatre and the City of London Festival. In 2010 created Ana-Chro- Po for School s Summer performance. For Polish National Ballet he created Animus in For New English Ballet Theatre he created Threefold in Firebird for receiving its world premiere at the London Coliseum in My First Cinderella, premiered at the Peacock Theatre, That same year George received a nomination for the Benois de la Danse Award for Firebird and created Tempus for Her Majesty The Queen s Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace. For Dutch National Ballet s Junior Company created Dawn Dances and recently with New York Choreographic Institute creating Four On The Floor. In 2014 produced My First Ballet: Coppélia and for 2015 will create My First Ballet: Swan Lake Belfast, Northern Ireland Royal College of Music, studied with Phyllis Sellick and Hubert Dawkes. Advanced study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama - accompanist and répétiteur - winner of the Michael James Music Trust Scholarship Previous affiliations Head Pianist Royal Ballet Upper School, company pianist - Birmingham Royal Ballet, pianist - National Opera and New Music Theatre Labs, and BBC Imagineering Lab Joined December 2012 A Tribute to Nureyev - Petrushka (solo piano) and Raymonda Act III. Lest We Forget No Man s Land (solo piano Cantique d amour F Liszt) and Stina Quagebeur s Vera (solo piano Sleep Ivor Gurney) The Royal Ballet, Australian Ballet, the Place, pianist/celesta/ harpsichord for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, orchestra of the Royal Opera House and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Extensive recital and chamber music - has played in all major concert halls. Solo pianist in Henze s Elegy for Young Lovers (Opéra de Lausanne); Berio s Coro (BBC Proms); Samuel s Clytemnestra (BBC Wales); tutor, piano and chamber music (McKinsey European Music Festival) and The Knack (ENO and Council for Music in Hospitals) Cavendish, Suffolk Ely Cathedral and Royal College of Music Previous affiliations Ballet Rambert, Rambert Dance Company, Incantation (Top of the Pops in 1982), Stephen Petronio, Merce Cunningham, Steven Berkoff (Salome) and The Royal Ballet Compositions for Rambert Dance Company and Lincolnshire Youth Dance Co; solo pianist in English National Ballet s Who Cares? (Strictly Gershwin); Sinfonietta Giocosa Rhapsody in Blue (Strictly Gershwin); Faun(e) (Debussy); Vue a l autre (Einaudi) and Petite Mort (Mozart)

38 Guest Artists Michael Coleman s Dr Coppelius one of the The Daily Telegraph Jane Haworth has developed a wonderful persona up there with the best Ballet.co.uk Mathias Dingman as the Salamander Prince was Dance Europe A phenomenal partner and versatile in both the classical The Alexandra Radius Award Jury Michael Coleman* Character Artist London, UK Royal Ballet School Previous affiliations The Royal Ballet touring company, The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden First danced with the Company as a Guest Artist in 1995 and has regularly appeared as Dr Coppelius in Ronald Hynd s Coppélia; The Tutor and Master of Ceremonies in Derek Deane s productions of Swan Lake and Swan Lake in-the-round and as Friar Lawrence and Escalus, Prince of Verona in Nureyev s Romeo & Juliet and most recently Deane s in-the-round production at the Royal Albert Hall Favourite roles The husband in Jerome Robbins The Concert Personal info Enjoys spending time with his son Jane Haworth Artistic Co-ordinator/ Character Artist Walthamstow, UK Royal Ballet School Joined 1983, Senior Soloist 1990, Artistic Co-ordinator 2002 Favourite roles Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet, Sylph in La Sylphide Career highlight Guest appearance in 1990 in La Sylphide with Peter Schaufuss and performing Lady Capulet at the Royal Albert Hall Created role of the Woman in Robert North s A Stranger I Came. This year marks Jane s 30th anniversary with the Company Personal info Enjoys the countryside and cooking and is an Ambassador for The Hunger Project UK, a global, non-profit organisation committed to the sustainable end of world hunger in Africa, South Asia and Latin America Best part about touring No more tubes or commuting and also seeing the camaraderie and family atmosphere between everyone Partner you would like to dance with Having danced with Nureyev, who could ask for more? Mathias Dingman* Guest Artist South Carolina, USA Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington DC Current company Birmingham Royal Ballet (joined 2006, First Artist 2010, Soloist 2011, First Soloist 2012) Repertoire includes The Sleeping Beauty (Prince Florimund, Bluebird), The Nutcracker (Prince), Cinderella (Prince), Aladdin (title role), The Prince of the Pagodas (Salamander Prince), Swan Lake (Benno), Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio), The Dream (Puck), Giselle (Harvest pas deux), Carmina burana (Second Seminarian), Far from the Madding Crowd (Gabriel Oak), Card Game (Joker), La Fille mal gardée (Alain), Concerto (First Movement), In the Upper Room, Grosse Fuge, Still Life at the Penguin Café (Brazilian Woolly Monkey), E=mc 2 ( Celeritas 2 ) and Take Five ( Flying Solo ) This marks his debut with the Company He won the Gold Medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition (2006) Casey Herd* Guest Artist Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington DC; Ballet West Conservatory, Salt Lake City Current company Dutch National Ballet (Guest Soloist 2007, Principal 2008) Previous companies ABT ( ); Pacific Northwest Ballet ( ); and as a Guest Principal he has appeared with San Francisco Ballet ( ); Pacific Northwest (2013) and Lithuanian National Ballet (2014) Repertoire includes Leading roles by choreographers such as George Balanchine; William Forsythe; Nacho Duato; Twyla Tharp; Glen Tetley; Jerome Robbins; David Dawson; Alexei Ratmansky; Rudy Van Dantzig; Hans van Manen; Helgi Tomasson; Christopher Wheeldon; Jean-Christophe Maillot; Paul Taylor; David Parsons; Merce Cunningham; Ulysses Dove; Jorma Elo; Lar Lubovitch and many more This marks his debut with the Company In 2011 Dance Europe placed Casey 19th in their top 100 international dancers who made outstanding achievements. In 2012 he received The Alexandra Radius Award *Guest Artists

39 Guest Artists and Lead Principals Examiner.com Cojocaru s line, beautiful extensions, airy jumps, her wraithlike, weightless quality are all gorgeous. This is technique rendered invisible by artistry The New York Times hauntingly and compellingly The Observer Dmitri Gruzdyev, noble, discreet and powerfully occupying the stage, as well as The Daily Telegraph Vitor Luiz* Guest Artist Alina Cojocaru Lead Principal Elena Glurdjidze Lead Principal Dmitri Gruzdyev Lead Principal Juiz de Fora, Brazil Victor Navarro, Dalal Achcar, Pedro Kraszczuck and the Royal Ballet School Current Company Principal at San Francisco Ballet, after Birmingham Royal Ballet and Municipal Theater Ballet, Rio de Janeiro Repertoire includes Albrecht in Wright/Tomasson s Giselle; Nutcracker Prince and King of the Snow Achcar/ Tomasson s Nutcracker; Romeo in Raphael s Romeo & Juliet; Mercutio in Vassiliev/Tomasson s Romeo & Juliet; Prince Siegfried in Pankova/Fedorova/ Molajoli/ Tomasson s Swan Lake; Basilio in Tomasson/Possokhov s Don Quixote; Franz in Balanchine/ Martinez s Coppélia; Onegin and Lensky in Cranko s Onegin; Lutencio in Taming of the Shrew; MacMillan s Winter Dreams, Colas in Ashton s La Fille mal gardée; Dante Sonata; Symphonic Variations; Scènes de ballet and The Two Pigeons; Adam in Scholz s The Creation; Tetley s Voluntaries and Jean de Brienne in Nureyev s Raymonda. He created roles in Tomasson s Trio and Caprice; Possokov s Raku and Talk to Her; Ratmansky s From Foreign Lands; Zanela s Underskin; Scarlet s Hummingbird; Page s Guide to Strange Places; Liang s Symphonic Dances; Caniparoli s Tears and Wheeldon s Number Nine and Ghosts Luiz won the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Ensemble Performance in 2010 Bucharest, Romania Kiev State Choreographic Institute and Royal Ballet Upper School Previous companies Kiev Ballet (Principal dancer 1998), The Royal Ballet (Corps de ballet 1999, Soloist 2000, Principal 2001) Joined 2013 Favourite roles Giselle, Julie (Liliom), Marguerite Gautier (The Lady of the Camellias), Tatiana (Onegin) and Manon Career highlights Every minute spent in the studio with John Neumeier and being on stage in his ballets and every role prepared and performed with Johan Kobborg Dancer of the year German Dance Critics Award (2012); Benois de la Danse (2012 Best Female Dancer, Liliom); Ballerina of the Decade Award (Moscow 2010); VIP Romanian Music and Performing Arts Award (2010); The Nijinsky Award (2004 Best Female Dancer); Benois de la Danse (2004 Best Female Dancer, Giselle); 1 Internationaler Movimentos Tanz Preis (2004 Best Female Dancer); Nagoya International Ballet Competition (Gold Medal); Prix de Lausanne (1997 winner); Critics Circle Dance Award (2002 Best female dancer); April 2002 she was given by the President of Romania Ion Iliescu, the medal of Cavaler of Romania (Ordinul national Pentru Merit in gradul de cavaler) Tbilisi, Georgia Tbilisi Choreographic School, Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, St Petersburg Joined 2002, Principal Dancer, Lead Principal 2007 Favourite roles Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Manon Favourite production Manon Career highlights Created leading role of the Gypsy Girl in Michael Corder s The Snow Queen and Virginia in The Canterville Ghost. Appreared in Van Le Ngoc s Vue de l autre, Katie Melua s It s Only Pain, and the BBC s production The Impressionists 2009 nominated for Best Female Dancer, Critics Circle Awards. Winner of 2007 and 2008 Ballet.co.uk Audience Poll for Best Female Dancer, Best Partner Award at 7th Perm Open Competition (2002), and 8th Paris International Competition of Soloists (1998). Married and has a son, Alexander Abashidze. Speaks Georgian, Russian and English St Petersburg, Russia Vaganova Ballet Academy Previous companies Kirov Ballet Joined 1993 Favourite roles Albrecht in Giselle, Solor in La bayadère, Des Grieux in Manon Career highlights Working with Glen Tetley and Natalia Makarova and meeting Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev First prize at the first Vaganova Ballet Competition (1988) Personal info Has two beautiful children *Guest Artists

40 Lead Principals and Principals The Independent on Sunday...I could have watched the all night The Daily Telegraph blessed with an easy athleticism and a seductive The Daily Telegraph The beautiful Begoña Cao was a standout in Derek Deane s The Times Fernanda Oliveira Lead Principal Erina Takahashi Lead Principal Yonah Acosta Principal Begoña Cao Principal Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Centro de Dança Rio, Royal Ballet Upper School Previous company Ballet Nacional de Santiago de Chile Joined 2000, Coryphée 2002, Soloist 2003, First Soloist 2004, Principal dancer 2007, Lead Principal 2009 Favourite roles Juliet, Swanilda in Coppélia, title role in Manon Favourite productions Romeo & Juliet and Manon Career highlights Performing in Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium and creating the role of Gerda in The Snow Queen Won first prize and grand prix in Buenos Aires and first prize in Conselho Brasileiro da Dança. Married to First Soloist Fabian Reimair and gave birth to their son Liam in July 2010 Kushiro, Japan Kushiro Ballet Academy by Kou Yano, English National Ballet School Joined 1996, Principal 2000, Lead Principal 2007 Favourite roles Giselle, Juliet, The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring Favourite production Mary Skeaping s Giselle Career highlights Creating role of Aurora in Deane s The Sleeping Beauty and Clara in Christopher Hampson s The Nutcracker Best Female Newcomer in 2002 Critics Circle Awards. Enjoys reading in English and Japanese and doing yoga. Erina is married to Junior Soloist, James Streeter Havana, Cuba Cuban National Ballet School Previous Company Ballet Nacional de Cuba Joined 2011 as First Artist, promoted Junior Soloist Summer 2011 and Principal in Roles include Eagling s Men Y Men and Ashton s pas de quatre in Deane s Swan Lake. The Young Man in Roland Petit s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort and made his debut as the Nephew/ Prince in Eagling s production of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum, Christmas Autumn 2012 danced Bluebird and Prince Désiré in MacMillan s The Sleeping Beauty. July 2013 appeared opposite Tamara Rojo in Nureyev s Raymonda Act III and Autumn 2013 danced the leading roles of Conrad, Ali and Birbanto in Le Corsaire. In 2014 made his debut as Franz in Ronald Hynd s Coppélia and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake Role would love to dance Count Albrecht 2007 won Silver medal at the First Beijing Ballet Competition Grand Prix in the International Ballet Competition of Cuba won Gold, Shanghai International Ballet Competition won Gold in Korea International Ballet Competition. Winner of both the 2012 Emerging Dancer and People s Choice Awards. In 2011 and 2012 winner of the Mr Virtuoso Award at the International Ballet Festival Dance Open, St Petersburg, Russia London, UK Arts Educational School London, Royal Ballet Upper School Joined 1997, Junior Soloist 2000, Soloist 2003, First Soloist 2008, Principal 2009 Favourite roles Aurora, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet (Nureyev), Giselle (Skeaping), Zobeide in Schéhérazade, Manon Career highlights A Million Kisses to my Skin by David Dawson and creating roles in Wayne Eagling s Resolution and Derek Deane s Strictly Gershwin leading role in Roland Petit s Carmen Has toured with Carlos Acosta and hosted a Dance Gala In 2009 in aid of two London children s charities

41 Principals and First Soloists He is very handsome and tall, with generous Cuban arms and quiet, clean footwork The Daily Telegraph A tall, lean, handsome young man with amazing extension and the kind of control you DanceTabs Arionel Vargas Principal Alejandro Virelles Principal Crystal Costa First Soloist James Forbat First Soloist Pinar del Rio, Cuba National Ballet School of Cuba Laura Alonso and Ivan Monreal Previous company Royal Winnipeg Ballet of Canada Joined 2004 Favourite roles Albrecht in Giselle, Romeo, Des Grieux in Manon Career highlights Dancing with Evelyn Hart and Carlos Acosta Won gold medal in Brazil International Ballet Competition 1994 and bronze in New York International Ballet Competition Enjoys music and spending time with his family Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Escuela Vocacional de Arte, Santiago de Cuba; Escuela Profesional de Ballet, Camaguey; Escuela Nacional de Ballet, La Habana Previous companies Ballet Nacional de Cuba; Angel Corella s Barcelona Ballet and Boston Ballet Joined as Principal 2014 and has appeared as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and as Franz in Coppélia Roles would like to dance Des Grieux in Manon and Conrad in Corsaire Alejandro has danced leading roles in many of the classics and neo-classical works and was Silver Medal winner at the Varna International Competition in In 2002 he won Gold and Special Prize at the International Ballet Competition of Ballet Schools, Havana and won Gold Medal once again in 2004 Vancouver, Canada In Vancouver and The National Ballet School in Toronto Previous company Hong Kong Ballet as Principal Dancer Joined 2007, First Soloist 2008 Favourite role Giselle Favourite productions Giselle and Les Sylphides Won the Peter Dwyer Award for Most Promising Dancer. Had roles created for her in Natalie Weir s Turandot and Madama Butterfly. Choreographed her first short work Mirror for Hong Kong Ballet s choreographic workshop in She loves to cook and enjoys playing the drums. Crystal was the winner of the 2010 People s Choice Award London, UK Royal Ballet School Joined 2005, First Artist 2008, Soloist 2009, First Soloist 2013 Favourite roles Hans van Manen s Trois Gnossiennes and Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty Roles would like to dance Romeo, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake Favourite productions Nureyev s Romeo & Juliet, David Dawson s A Million Kisses to my Skin Career highlights Performing in New York and Tokyo and at the Herod Atticus Amphitheatre in Athens. Dancing Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty and the Prince in The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum Enjoys playing the piano and cooking. Has two brothers who are not dancers

42 First Soloists Shiori Kase First Soloist Adela Ramírez First Soloist Fabian Reimair First Soloist Junor Souza First Soloist Tokyo, Japan Joined 2009, Soloist 2013, First Soloist 2014 Hirose Kato Ballet School, Royal Ballet School Favourite production Manon Career highlights Dancing Peasant pas de deux in Giselle and dancing at NBT s 40th Anniversary gala representing English National Ballet. Other roles include Gulnare in Corsaire and the leading role of Swanilda in Ronald Hynd s production of Coppélia. Autumn 2014 made her debut as Odette/Odile an Swan Lake Role you would love to dance Manon Awards Won third prize in the 2006 Youth America Grand Prix and was the winner of the 2011 Emerging Dancer Award. Shiori won the Gold Medal at the 2014 USA International Ballet Competition Barcelona, Spain Pastora Martos School, Joan Magriña School, English National Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School Previous companies London City Ballet, Vienna Staatsoper Ballet Joined 1998, First Artist 2003, Soloist 2004, First Soloist 2008 Favourite roles Trois Gnossiennes, Odette/ Odile, Stepsister in Corder s Cinderella, Le Corsaire, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, would love to dance the title role in Giselle Career highlight Dancing Gerda in The Snow Queen with Juan Rodriguez as Kay Enjoys time off with friends, shopping and wishes her dog could join her from Spain! Vienna, Austria Vienna State Opera Ballet School, Marika Besobrasova in Monte Carlo Previous company Vienna State Opera Joined 2002, Soloist 2003, First Soloist 2007 Favourite roles Albrecht in Giselle, Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet Favourite production Romeo & Juliet Career highlights Dancing Lescaut in Manon and performing as Rothbart at Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium Would most like to dance with his wife, Lead Principal Fernanda Oliveira Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Joined 2008, First Artist 2010, Junior Soloist 2011, First Soloist 2014 Escola de Danca, English National Ballet School Role would love to dance Solor in La bayadère Career highlights The Prince in The Nutcracker, Albrecht in Giselle, Romeo in both Nureyev s Romeo & Juliet and Derek Deane s in-the round production. Prince Siegfried in Deane s Swan Lake and all three male leads in Corsaire Conrad, Ali and Lankendem. In 2014 Junor was nominated for the Emerging Dancer Award winning both titles of Emerging Dancer and People s Choice Awards Performed in the Roseta Mauri Competition and loves to sing Partner you would like to dance with Monique Loudières Sponsored by XL Group

43 First Soloists and Soloists Laurretta Summerscales First Soloist Désirée Ballantyne Soloist Fernando Bufalá Soloist Ksenia Ovsyanick Soloist Surrey, UK Joined 2009, First Soloist 2013 Karen Clarke Theatre School (Tracey Summerscales: for 14 years) Susan Robinson School of Ballet (for 11 years) English National Ballet School (2 years) Favourite role Odette/Odile in Swan Lake Career highlights Include being invited to join the Company and dancing the leading role of Myrtha, Queen of the Willis in Giselle at the London Coliseum, January George Williamson creating the role of Purist in Firebird (2012). Debut as the Lilac Fairy in Kenneth MacMillan s production of The Sleeping Beauty and in June 2013 appearing at the Royal Albert Hall as Odette/ Odile in Derek Deane s Swan Lake in-the-round Roles would love to dance Juliet, Aurora and The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring Won the Joyce Percy Memorial Award, Stella Mann Award, Baines-Hewitt Award, Young Dancer of the Year and Molly Lake Award. Laurretta loves art and hates bad weather! She one day hopes to achieve her ultimate ambition of becoming a Lead Principal dancer. Finalist (2011) Emerging Dancer Award and was nominated for the 2013 Emerging Dancer Competition winning the People s Choice Award. In July 2013 Laurretta won the Gold Medal at the Beijing International Ballet Competition Toronto, Canada Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School Joined 1999, First Artist 2004, Soloist 2007 Favourite roles Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Dream Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Clara in The Nutcracker (Hampson) Career highlight Dancing the girl in Hampson s Trapéze at Sadler s Wells Toured to China with Zürich Ballet whilst still a student, interested in independent film and contemporary music, she grew up and trained in London Madrid, Spain Joined 2013 Royal Ballet School Previous companies Barcelona Ballet (Corella Ballet) , English National Ballet Favourite roles Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and Ali in Le Corsaire Favourite productions A Million Kisses to my Skin, Romeo & Juliet Career highlights Dance for 4 Christopher Wheeldon s in the City Center (New York), Siegfried in La Zarzuela (Madrid), and the principal role in Etudes (London) Likes photography, cooking, and has a small dog named Chloe! Tihvin, Russia Belarus State Ballet College, School Joined 2008, First Artist 2013, Soloist 2014 Favourite role Odette/Odile and Firebird Favourite production Manon Role I would love to dance Manon Repertoire includes Aurora, Sleeping Beauty; Odette/Odile, Swan Lake; Medora and Gulnare, Corsaire; Clara, Nutcracker; Spectre de la Rose; Schéhérazade; title roles in Giselle; Firebird; Petite Mort; No Man s Land as well as a variety of Soloist roles in the Company repertoire Received Outstanding Female Performance (Classical) at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards Prize winner at a number of competitions including the Prix de Lausanne; Beijing International Ballet Competition; Harkov International Ballet Competition, Ukraine. Danced her first Giselle at the tender age of 20 and nominated for the Company s Emerging Dancer Award Career highlight Benois de la Danse nomination for Best Female Dancer, Moscow 2013 and creating the title role in the world premiere of George Williamson s Firebird Partner you would like to dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov

44 Junior Soloists Kei Akahoshi Junior Soloist Okayama, Japan Elmhurst School Katja Khaniukova Junior Soloist Kiev, Ukraine Kiev State Choreographic Institute Senri Kou Junior Soloist Gifu, Japan Nana Kawashima Ballet Studio, London Studio Centre Daniel Kraus Junior Soloist Madrid, Spain Previous companies Ballet Mediterraneo, European Ballet, K Ballet Laurent Liotardo Junior Soloist Marseille, France Previous companies Opéra de Paris, Opéra de Bordeaux, Ballet National de Marseille Anton Lukovkin Junior Soloist St Petersburg, Russia Previous company Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Juan Rodríguez Junior Soloist Bilbao, Spain Role would like to dance The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring James Streeter Junior Soloist Rochford, UK Joined 2004, First Artist 2007, Junior Soloist 2011 Max Westwell Junior Soloist London, UK Joined 2004, First Artist 2009, Junior Soloist 2011

45 First Artists and Artists of the Company Madison Keesler First Artist Carlsbad, California USA Alison McWhinney First Artist Port MacQuarie, Australia Van Le Ngoc First Artist Hanoi, Vietnam Makoto Nakamura First Artist Tokyo, Japan Ken Saruhashi First Artist Shiga, Japan Tamarin Stott First Artist Farnborough, UK Precious Adams Artist of the Company Canton, Michigan, USA Francisco Bosch Artist of the Company Valencia, Spain Isabelle Brouwers Artist of the Company Bonn, Germany Yoko Callegari Artist of the Company Yorktown Heights, NY, USA Jung ah Choi Artist of the Company Seoul, South Korea Paloma Gavalda Ruz Artist of the Company Tarragona, Spain Jessica Clyde Artist of the Company Sheffield, UK Cesar Corrales Artist of the Company Mexico City, Mexico Barry Drummond Artist of the Company Callander, Scotland Shevelle Dynott Artist of the Company London, UK Jennie Harrington Artist of the Company Middlesex, UK Tiffany Hedman Artist of the Company California, USA Anjuli Hudson Artist of the Company New Haven, CT, USA Amber Hunt Artist of the Company Auckland, New Zealand

46 Artists of the Company Jeanette Kakareka Artist of the Company Pennsylvania, USA Sarah Kundi Artist of the Company London, UK Joshua McSherry-Gray Artist of the Company Hull, UK Pedro Lapetra Artist of the Company Zaragoza, Spain Adriana Lizardi Artist of the Company San Juan, Puerto Rico Simona Marsibilio Artist of the Company Bari, Italy Guilherme Menezes Artist of the Company São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil Vitor Menezes Artist of the Company São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil Merritt Moore Artist of the Company California, USA Stina Quagebeur Artist of the Company Sint Lievens Houtem, Belgium Grant Rae Artist of the Company Glasgow, UK Maria José Sales Artist of the Company Valencia, Spain Maria Sascha Khan Artist of the Company Pray, Montana, USA Daniele Silingardi Artist of the Company Castelfranco Veneto, Italy Angela Wood Artist of the Company Denver, USA Nathan Young Artist of the Company Mackay, Australia Seo-Yeon Yu Artist of the Company Seoul, South Korea Joan Sebastian Zamora Artist of the Company Cali, Colombia Jia Zhang Artist of the Company Liao Ning, China Jinhao Zhang Artist of the Company Shanghai, China

47 Production Credits For this production of Nutcracker Photographs For the London Coliseum Costume Supervisor Cathy Hill Assistant to the Supervisor Geraldine Tiernan Costumes made by Fran Alderson Robert Allsopp and Associates Anna Barcock Amanda Barrow Bristol Costume Services Lally Broome Tracy Caulfield Rose Chandler Janet Comber Janet Christmas Lal d Abo Serena Fusai Steven Gregory Jackie Hallatt Julia Mason Andrea Moon Sue Pearl Antonella Petraccaro Ingrid Pryer Trevor Morson and Ted Scott Will Skeet Sally Spratley Elsa Threadgold Mary Tryfonos Tony Rutherford Wearmoi dancewear Mervyn Wallace Dyeing and Painting Symone Frost Jennifer Smith Wig Makers Ameilia Carrington-Lee Katie Ince Lucy Smith Facials Sarah Weatherburn & Co Associate Costume Designer and Supervisor Wizzy Shawyer Make-up provided by Crystals provided by Scenic Artist John Campbell Additional set designs by Louie Whitemore Sets built by Terry Murphy Scenery Ltd Dovetail Scenery Ltd Cloths supplied by J D McDougals Ltd Simon Read Simon Thompson Props by Melissa Snelling Russell Beck Studios Oliver Hipwell Douglas Andrews (Wheelwright) Photography by ASH Patrick Baldwin Chris Catalan David Burgess Caroline Holden Belinda Lawley Laurent Liotardo Annabel Moeller Siân Trenberth David Watson Choir Elizabeth Allen Bonnie Callaghan Freya Edgeworth Sara Hill Peppie Johnson Rebecca McElroy Ellie McPhee Ellie Swithinbank Sophie Swithinbank Executive Director Henriette Götz Technical Resources Manager Dewi Evans Director of Theatre Management Lynne Adam Theatre Management Coordinator Helen Beardsley House Management Nicola Courtenay Daniel McHale Keith Parker Box Office Barbara James Paul Hackney Richard Wiedemann Catering Rupert Walsh Elena Vasilica Ana Lecic Chris Carabine Security Mick Madden ENO Technical Staff Millinery Debbie Boyd Robotics by David Buckland Headdresses and Jewellery Linda Rowland Flying effects by Freedom Flying Shoes Freed of London The Theatrical Footwear Company Theatrical Shoe Makers Pluma Julie Heggie is funded by Arts Council England Arts Council England is an independent country-wide body that distributes government money for the arts. Grants are made to professional organisations and individual artists engaged in drama, music and dance, the visual arts and literature. The Council also funds art centres, community arts, runs exhibitions in London and on tour and also dance and theatre touring. For further information write to: The Information Officer, Arts Council England, 14 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3NQ. Follow Us is funded by Westminster City Council Westminster City Council provides substantial support for the arts each year. Local arts organisations of international repute, as well as community arts groups, are funded to deliver community and education arts programmes for Westminster residents, especially those living in areas of deprivation. All of the funded programmes of activity give opportunities for direct participation by local people. English National Ballet s funding from the council supports the work of the Department of Learning. This programme has been designed and printed by John Good Ltd

48 Patron HRH The Duke of York, KG President Dame Beryl Grey, DBE Artistic Director Tamara Rojo Executive Director Caroline Thomson Music Director Gavin Sutherland Executive Assistant Sarah Malin Board of Governors Chairman Justin Bickle Deputy Chairman Ed Williams Wendy Becker Susan Boster Kirsty Cooper Val Gooding Natasha Kaplinsky Sir Norman Rosenthal Steve Sacks Grenville Turner Robert F. Wallace Sian Westerman International Ambassador The Baroness de Mandat Grancey Markova House Trustee Sir Anish Kapoor Assessor for Arts Council England (London) Cate Canniffe Company Secretary Claire Hawk Artistic Associate Artistic Director Loipa Araújo Ballet Mistress and Repetiteur Hua Fang Zhang Ballet Master and Repetiteur Yohei Sasaki Ballet Master and Repetiteur Antonio Castilla Associate Artist George Williamson Artistic Co-ordinator Jane Haworth Artistic Assistant Lia Buddle Music Music Administration Manager Paul Allen Pianists Julia Richter Chris Swithinbank Music Librarian Lars Payne Orchestra Attendant Andrew Paterson Operations Producer Farooq Chaudhry Associate Producer Louise Shand-Brown Company Manager Sarah Cannon-Jones Physiotherapist Jackie Pelly Company Masseur and Acupuncturist Dominic Hickie Company Doctor Dr. Chris James MB, ChB, FRCGP Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon Prof. WJ Ribbans, PhD, FRCS Orth FFSEM Pilates Sarah Lindsey, APPI Sports Scientists Frank Appel Patrick Rump Christoph Thormann Additional Masseuse/Masseur Graham Stones Helen Wellington Health and Safety Advisor Dave Allen Administration Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development Claire Hawk HR and Organisational Development Advisor Nick Arthur HR Co-ordinator Stasia Skolik Archive Consultant Jane Pritchard MBE Archives Assistant/Cataloguer Michael Reed Engagement Director of Engagement Kiki Gale Fleur Derbyshire-Fox (Maternity leave) Learning Project Manager Ruby Wolk Creative Associate Laura Harvey Learning and Participation Officer Kate Hartley Creative Associate Danielle Jones Learning Administrator Lottie Coombes Finance and Facilities Interim Finance Director Barry Shine Interim Finance Manager Tricia Lewis Finance and System Officer David Rowles Finance Officer Xian Zhang Payroll Assistant James Palmer Facilities Manager Steve Hastings Facilities Officers Anton Green Karl Holder Alan Vass Receptionists Suzanne Omer Laura Wilkins IT Support Manager Alex Bursik Communications Director of Marketing and Communications Heather Clark Charrington Communications Consultant Sue Lynas PR Manager Robert James Press Officer Alice Gibson Marketing Manager Benjamin Lalague Digital Media Manager David Watson Marketing Officers Stephanie Cumbley Adam Lawford Development Development Director Nicole Newman Head of Corporate Development Alyssa Bonic Head of Major Giving Gaby Styles Development Manager Michelle McGing Individual Giving Manager Silvia Melchior Corporate Manager Debbie Stevens Trusts and Foundations Manager Anne Biggs Acting Events Manager Imogen Curtis Technical Technical Director Alan Riches Technical Operations Manager Emily Mitchell Stage Manager Kerry Lewis (on the book) Assistant Stage Managers Hélène Davies (book cover) Beth Reed Chief Electrician David Richardson Chief Mechanist David Baxter Deputy Chief Mechanist Andy Morrison Touring Mechanists Todd Baxter Marc Dussert Paul Dwyer Austen Haffenden Ted Kittle Simon Read Costume Supervisor Cathy Hill Stock Controller/Buyer Geraldine Tiernan Dyer/Painter Symone Frost Costumier/Cutter Serena Fusai Touring Wardrobe Manager Lola Stott Senior Wardrobe Assistant Anna Evripidou Touring Wardrobe Assistants Lauren Isles Sam Gilsenan Katherine Rogers Shoe Supervisor Julie Heggie Wig Supervisor Amelia Carrington-Lee Wig Assistants Lizzie Sharples Lucy Smith

49 Philharmonic Music Director: Gavin Sutherland Leader: Matthew Scrivener Since Dame Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin founded what is now English National Ballet in 1950, the Company has always been committed to achieving the highest musical as well as dancing standards. From the very beginning, the English National Ballet Philharmonic has played an important part in creating the magic which is a vital part of every live performance. The dancers and the musicians do not usually see each other until the dress rehearsal, instead rehearsing separately. However, the conductor will attend as many of the dancers rehearsals as possible so they know the tempi at which the ballet should be played. This is not an easy task each Principal dancer will want his or her solo at a specific speed whilst every other divertissement must be at a consistent tempo so the other dancers know what to expect. The music also guides much of the drama of the productions, and the orchestra has a very keen theatrical sense which provides the perfect pace for any scene. They are accompanying silent soloists so they are reliant on the conductor s beat to synchronise the different aspects of a production. As a result the musicianship and musicality of both dancers and orchestra are allowed to shine in every performance. The Philharmonic is made up of many of the country s top musicians, and boasts considerable experience in all forms of music-making. Recent notable events have included galas at both the London Coliseum and Royal Opera House, accompanying visiting ballet companies, appearances in concert (including the Bath and City of London Festivals) and, most recently, providing the music for the Royal Academy of Dance s children s ballet syllabus grades. They also play a significant part in the Engagement Department s school visits and workshops, taking a taste of the music of ballet to tomorrow s audience. Howard J. Legge Second Bassoon and Contrabassoon I started learning the Bassoon aged 11 with Lynda Nealgrove at senior school and continued orchestra and chamber music studies at the Watford School of Music. After GCSE s and A levels, I went on to study for four years at the Royal Academy of Music learning Bassoon with Gwydion Brooke, where I was the first recipient of the Florence Woodbridge Competition for Bassoon playing. On leaving the Academy, I started Contrabassoon lessons with John Burness. In 1984 I joined the Philharmonic, joining the orchestra Committee two years later and carried on to become the orchestra Steward and Health and Safety Adviser for the Musicians Union. As well as playing Second Bassoon and Contrabassoon in the orchestra, I also have freelance work and teaching and coaching duties at The Haberdashers Aske s Boys School in Elstree and the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra in London Gavin Sutherland delivered the best narrative ballet score of the 20th century with considerable aplomb, wringing out every scintilla of the extreme richness of emotion to heighten the drama throughout this outstanding performance Londondance.com

50 A gripping and impressive Traviata Daily Telegraph Verdi s LA TRAVIATA 9 Feb 13 Mar 2015 ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA London Coliseum Tickets from only 12 * Book now eno.org Find us on

51 Don t just reach your potential, surpass it! The Official School of Preliminary Auditions 10 January Barcelona, Spain 13 & 14 January Catina, Sicily 18 & 19 January Florence, Italy 24 January & 28 February London, UK 14 February Madrid, Spain Preliminary Audition for Overseas Candidates Only 20 March London, UK Final Audition for Selected Candidates Only 21 March London, UK For more information visit: Photo: 2014 graduates Isabelle Brouwers and Jin Hao Zhang both now dancing with. Photo Tim Cross

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54 3 YEAR DANCE COURSE Leading to the Diploma in Professional Dance (Trinity) Classical Ballet Contemporary Dance Jazz Final year students perform with Encore Dance company on tour in the UK Scholarships available GOOD LUCK to all our pupils in Nutcracker AUDITIONS & TOURS To book contact or Tel or tel Photo: Brian O Carroll Registered charity no

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56 Queen s Gate School offers girls a warm, supportive environment, where individuality is nurtured, and academic standards are high. Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sports Scholarships, and means-tested bursaries worth up to 100% of fees, are available to assist girls to join us. See our website for details of our Open Events for entry in September For a prospectus, or to make a private visit to the School, please contact the Registrar, Miss Janette Micklewright, on or , registrar@queensgate.org.uk. Queen s Gate School, 133 Queen s Gate, London SW7 5LE Become the best possible dancer you can and want to be Central School of Ballet 10 Herbal Hill, Clerkenwell Road London EC1R 5EG Tel: info@csbschool.co.uk centralschoolofballet.co.uk Central School of Ballet is an affiliate of The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama Dancers: Léa Bridarolli (now dancing with Kale Companhia de Dança, Portugal) and Thomas Edwards (now dancing with Scottish Ballet) in Resmi Malko s Vocalise. Photo: Bill Cooper

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58 A little girl called Clara, becomes attached to a Christmas gift a nutcracker toy, which magically transforms into a prince and takes her on a mysterious journey to an oriental paradise. But why? Decipher the mystery in: The Original Nutcracker Ballet A Hidden Allegory by Margaret Fleming-Markarian More information at:

59 SLP College LEEDS 3 Year Musical Theatre Course 3 Year Professional Dance Course Funded places awarded under the Government s Dance & Drama Award Scheme SLP College is accredited by the Council for Dance Education and 1 Year Foundation Course Follow SLP talentnorth Applications for Auditions, Student & Visitor Days, Free Jazz Days & Junior Associates for under 16 yrs SLP College Chapel Lane Garforth Leeds LS25 1AG Tel info@slpcollege.co.uk

60 RENT OR BUY IN STUNNING HIGH-DEFINITION Le Corsaire a roaring success Financial Times, Clement Crisp STARRING Alina Cojocaru as Medora Vadim Muntagirov as Conrad Erina Takahashi as Gulnare Dmitri Gruzdyev as Lankendem Junor Souza as Ali Yonah Acosta as Birbanto and Philharmonic Watch online, download to your desktop or view through DigitalTheatre.com s mobile and tablet apps or via Samsung Smart TV. Visit DigitalTheatre.com today!

61 One of the best stagings of Carmen around The Sunday Telegraph Bizet s CARMEN 20 May 3 July 2015 ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA London Coliseum Tickets from only 12 * Book now eno.org Find us on

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63 The Times ROYAL ALBERT HALL 28 December January 2016 A Royal Albert Hall, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Raymond Gubbay presentation royalalberthall.com

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66 BALLET BUDDIES GROWING TOGETHER Ever wondered how ballet dancers learn their steps? How do you stand on your tippy toes? What goes on behind-the-scenes? Become a Ballet Buddy to discover the world of ballet, learn our secrets and enjoy special events. As a Ballet Buddy you also help to support our future, ensuring you can enjoy our performances for many years to come! Ballet Buddies receive: Access to special events including Ballet Buddy Open Days, Company classes and rehearsals Priority booking and discounts Your name in the My First Ballet programmes Annual magazine In the Wings and monthly e-newsletter Unique membership card Ballet Buddy badge Limited edition poster Birthday card on Buddy s Birthday Perfect for children aged 3-10 years JOIN TODAY FOR ONLY 25 ballet.org.uk/buddies support@ballet.org.uk Photograph by ASH

67 Performances at-a-glance Nutcracker London Coliseum Dec January 2-15 Swan Lake London Coliseum January 2015 Modern Masters Sadler s Wells, London Mar 2015 Emerging Dancer Southbank Centre Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Mar 2015 Choreographics Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler s Wells, London June 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake Peacock Theatre, London Apr 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake Lighthouse, Poole Apr 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake New Victoria Theatre, Woking Apr 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake Palace Theatre, Manchester May 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake The Bristol Hippodrome May 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake Wimbledon Theatre, London May 2015 My First Ballet: Swan Lake Curve Theatre, Leicester May 2015 To find out more about s performance schedule and productions visit Keep us on our toes During our last season our dancers got through a staggering 2,860 pairs of pointe shoes an annual bill of 143,000 for! We hope watching our dancers perform and rehearse will inspire you to make a contribution to our Pointe Shoe Appeal. Whatever the size of your donation, it will make a really valuable difference and keep our dancers performing to audiences around the UK and beyond. Pointe shoes are not just a commodity, they are a necessity... my shoes mean trust and freedom. I can perform safe in the knowledge that my shoes fit me to perfection and will allow me to move in the way I want to. They are the tools of my trade and are always there for me Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director and Lead Principal Your gift directly supports our dancers 1, pairs of pointe shoes for one dancer 500 a month s allocation of pointe shoes for one dancer 100 two pairs of pointe shoes 50 one pair of pointe shoes 20 contribute towards a pair of pointe shoes 10 contribute towards pointe shoe ribbon or toe tape How to donate You can donate in a variety of ways. Please get in touch with us. Phone : Online: Post: You can send a cheque made payable to to: Pointe Shoe Appeal, Development Office, Markova House, 39 Jay Mews, London SW7 2ES Your contribution will be acknowledged on our Pointe Shoe Appeal thank you page. Should you wish to remain anonymous, simply let us know when you make your donation.

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