Future meetings

OnTuesday 17thSeptemberwe are pleased to welcome choreographer and former Royal Ballet PrincipalJohan Kobborgas our guest. This July, his new balletLucilereceived its premiere in Havana, performed by Ballet Nacional de Cuba. It will be repeated at the International Ballet Festival in Havana on the 30thOctober. The titleLucileis a reference to Lucile Grahn, the originalSylph in August Bournonville’sLa Sylphide.The fifty-five-minute dramatic ballet was set to music by Massenet, orchestrated by Gavin Sutherland, former Music Director of English National Ballet, with costumes designed by Natalia Stewart, former Costume Supervisor at the Royal Opera House, and lighting designs by Joseph Walls from Detroit. Johan will talk about this creation, a ballet that has been in his mind for some thirty years, as well as speaking about his other productions, including recentlyNapoli 1841andCoppeliain Poland. He has created regularly for Sarasota Ballet, where he will return shortly after this talk. Over the last year, he hasalso returned to the stage, including performing in Alina Cojocaru’s production ofLa Strada,based onFellini’s film. We can expect a fascinating evening touching on aspects of Johan’s very varied career. Thismeeting will be held in conjunction with the British Friends of Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

OnMonday 30th Septemberit is a pleasure to welcome Royal Ballet PrincipalMarcelino Sambéas our guest, a couple of days after his debut as the Knave inAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland.Born in Lisbon, Marcelino studied at the National Conservatory of Lisbon before joining The Royal Ballet Upper School, where he won the Ballet Association Award in both his First and Second years. He graduated into the Company during the 2012/13 season and was promoted to Principal in 2019. He has performed roles across theCompany’s repertoire, including recently Des Grieux, Woyzeck inDifferent Drummer, Florizel inThe Winter’s Tale, Prince Siegfried and Basilio inDon Quixote.He created Pedro in ChristopherWheeldon’sLike Water for Chocolateand the Cello in Cathy Marston’sThe Cellist,as well as many other creations. Marcelino is a keen choreographer and has created forDraft Works, as well as winning 2ndprizein the 2011 Ursula Morton Choreographic Awards. He won the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards forOutstanding Male Classical Performance in 2017 and Best Male Dancer in 2019. Always a lively speaker, we can expect Marcelino to give us an entertaining evening.

At our meeting onThursday 10thOctober,we are delighted to welcome two new Alices, First ArtistViola Pantusoand ArtistElla Newton Severgnini,as our guests. Both will have made their debuts as Alice inChristopher Wheeldon’sAlice’s Adventures in Wonderlandin the preceding couple of weeks. Both joined the Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme on graduating from the Royal Ballet School and entered the Company as Artists a year later, Viola in 2022 and Ella in 2023. Viola was born in Chicago and trained at the Joffrey Academy of Dance and at The Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program in New York, before being awarded the silver prize in the New York City finals of Youth America Grand Prix. In 2017 she joined The Royal Ballet School at White Lodge. At the Upper School she was awarded First Prize in the Lynn Seymour Competition for Expressive Dance. Whilst a student she performed in Joffrey’sLa Bayadère, Othello andThe Nutcrackerand ABT’sLe Corsaire.Whilst at The Royal Ballet School she danced inElite Syncopations, Mephisto Waltzand, at the Royal Opera House,The Cunning Little Vixen.In the Company, her roles include Clara and Perdita, and, as well as Alice, she is cast as Olga inOneginlater this season. Ella was born in Winchester and studied locally before she became a Junior Associate of The Royal Ballet School and soon after joined White Lodge. Whilst at the School, she was awarded the Valerie Adams Award for Exceptional Musicality and the Ashton Award, and danced with The Royal Ballet inSwan Lake, The Nutcracker, FrankensteinandWoolf Works.In School end of year performances, she danced inValentino Zucchetti’sPlayfully Soand Petal Miller Ashmole’sBottega.With the Company, roles include the Neapolitan Dance inSwan Lake, Anemoiand Joshua Junker’sNever Known.It is always a pleasure to welcome younger members of the Company as our guests and we can expect an enjoyable evening.

OnFriday 29thNovember, we are delighted to welcome Royal Ballet PrincipalYasmine Naghdias our guest. Born in London, Yasmine trained at The Royal Ballet School. She won the Young British Dancer of the Year competition in 2009 and joined The Royal Ballet in 2010. She has performed roles across theCompany’s repertoire, including recently Manon, Perdita, Titania, Odette/Odile and Kitri, as well as creatingroles in Gemma Bond’sBoundlessand Valentino Zucchetti’sPrima.Other roles have included both Baroness Mary Vetsera and Countess Marie Larisch inMayerling,Juliet, Cinderella, Tatiana, Giselle, Swanhilda, Aurora and Firebird. Away from the Royal her repertory includesLe Corsaire Grand Pas de deux, Sylvia Act III Pas de deux, Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Parc, Ben Stevenson’s Three Preludes and Heorge Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial.Last season, a series of children’s books that she has written were published,

Ballet Bestiesand her mother, Sabine, had a memoir,Tales of a Ballet Mumpublished. We can expect an entertaining evening. Please note that this is a change of date from that given previously.

Our AGM will be held onThursday 5thDecember.Our guest at the meeting after the AGM will be Royal Ballet PrincipalVadim Muntagirov.Our final meeting before Christmas will be onMonday 16thDecember.Unless otherwise stated, all our meetings will be at the American International Church, 79a Tottenham Court Road. It is next to Goodge Street tube station (Northern line). Turn left as you come out of the station. If you stand in Tottenham Court Road facing the front of the Church, you should go through the gate in the railings to the right-hand side (furthest side from tube station) and walk up the ramp. Entrance is through a door at the top of the ramp. The Sanctuary is on the left as you enter up 5 or 6 steps. There is a chairlift for disabled access. The Church is also within 10 minutes’walk of Euston Square, Warren Street, and Tottenham Court Rd stations. The nearest bus stop is Goodge Street which serves routes 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390. Doors officially open at 7.00pm, although you may be able to enter earlier at the discretion of the receptionist. Meetings begin at 7.30 p.m. Entrance at the door is £5 for members, £4 for concessions, £9 for guests. You may pay in advance via our website if you wish, at a slightly higher price to cover the site’s charges. Most of the seating is on pews, so we suggest you bring a cushion if you can.

For those who can’t attend meetings, a summary report is available on our website,www.balletassociation.co.ukonce the report has been checked by the guest speaker/s. Currently reports on almost all our meetings over the last twenty years are available on the site. If you do not have access to the internet and would like a copy of a report, please send an A5 stamped, addressed envelope to Roger Handley, 12 Pinewood, Willow Grove, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5BT. We are now up to date with reports of all our meetings since 2001.

Presidents

We are delighted to announce that the newly appointed Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet School,Iain Mackay,has agreed to become a President of the Association. Iain wrote: -“Thank you also for theinvitation to become a President of the Ballet Association, I of course accept this and look forward to continuing the special links our organisations hold and the opportunities we collectively create for these incredible talented young dancers. Many thanks once again for the wonderful support that the Ballet Association provides.”

We are also delighted to announce that the former Director of The Royal Ballet School,Christopher Powney,will continue as one of our Presidents. Chris wrote:-“It has also been my honour to have servedas a president of the Ballet Association for the past decade. It would be my absolute honour to remain as aPresident and I thank you for the invitation to remain.”

News

In addition to those named in the last newsletter, Royal Ballet SoloistHannah Grennellalso got married during the summer.

Members will be saddened to hear of the death on the 15thAugust of former Sadler’s Wells Ballet Principal Rowena Jacksonat the age of 98.

The Royal Ballet has announced that former PrincipalStuart Cassidyhas been appointed as a Répétiteur for the Principals. For the last season, Stuart has been teaching at The Royal Ballet Upper School and talked to the Association in January with students from the School. After leaving The Royal Ballet, Stuart danced for many years with K Ballet in Japan, before directing their school.

BRB’s Principal ConductorPaul Murphyhas become their Music Director. We also congratulate BRB SoloistKarla Doorbarand First ArtistHooliang Fengon their marriage last December and the birth of their daughter Lina Joy Feng in April. ArtistLynsey Sutherlandbrought baby Lowen Mills into the world last October.BRB’s Assistant DirectorDominic Antonucciis in training for a three-round exhibition matchat Birmingham’s Eastside Boxing Gym with former world champion Sam Eggington. In addition to thoselisted in the last newsletter, during the last year PrincipalCésar Morales, ArtistsEric Pinto Cata, Emma Price, Lennert Steegen, BRB ArtistNasrullah Abdur-Rahmanand Senior Ballet MasterMichael O’Hareleft BRB.