The real challenge for the Royal Danish Ballet

[Effy]

A short look at the bios of the RDB Solo Dancers and Soloist shows that the company posess great talents, but not particulary young talents:

As far the solo dancers goes 12 out of 15 are +30 years old, 9 is past 35 and the 3 not yet 30 is respectively 26, 28 and 29

If you include the soloists you have a similar pattern 2 is past 35, 2 are past 30 and the 3 under 30 is 29, 26 and 23

With a pension age of 40, the company will loose 60% of their solo dancers within the nex 3 -5 years and half of the soloists as well.

Of the present soloists only Tina Højlund dances leading roles regulary. Re. the corps only Kristoffer Sakurai and Nicolaj Hansen (and to a lesser degree) Julien Ringdahl are getting soloists part with some regularity. Yao Wei have had a few leading roles, Sacha Haugland a few Bouronville leads and Femke Mølbach a few soloists parts but otherwise the young corps do not really counts experienced soloists.

So who will we look at in a few years time?

[jorgen]

Very worrying, yes. I don't even want to think about life without Silja Schandorff & Co on stage! There seem to be no new really outstanding young talents, but I like Cecilie Lassen 22 and Christina Olsen 20.

[Effy]

The tradition in the RDB is for a solo dancer to be appointed when approx. 23. A few talents even younger like Peter Martins,Ib Andersen and Nicolaj Hubbe at 20. Some late bloomers like Heidy Ryom at 27, but that is very unusual. So in short when a dancer reached 20 -21 you had a good inclination whether it was a potential solo dancer.

During my years as RDB-fan another tendency has been apperant, namely that talents came in bundles. Firstly there was the large group of extreemly talended dancers, Arne Villumsen, Ib Andersen, Mette-Ida Kirk, Annemarie Dybdal, Linda Hindberg, Heidi Ryom, Lis Jeppesen and Frank Andersen all born within a few years (Peter Schaufuss, Adam Lüders,Johnny Eliasen, Eva Kloborg and Anne Marie Vessel just a few years older). And then there was almost none for a period of 10 - 12 years, when the next great generation emerged, Peter Bo Bendixen, Niels Balle, Mette Bødcher, Alexander Kølpin, Aage Thordahl, Henriette Muus, Petruskja Broholm, Rose Gad, Christina Olsson, Silja Schandorff, Kenneth Greve, Michael Weidinger, Ulrik Vivel (Nilas Martins) emerged. With the intake of dancers in the same age bracket like Caroline Cavallo, Lloyd Riggins, Jean Lucien Massot, Marie Pierre Greve tou had a strong generation, followed by a little group consisting of

Johan Kobborg, Mads Blangstrup, Thomas Lund, Gitte Lindström, Tina Højlund, Martin Vedel and Gudrun Bojesen and then yet another gap. The Schandorff generation came very early to their staring roles after doing a lot of corps dancing when they were as young as 14 -15. The following period showed very few Danish dancers coming from the school to the company and the company became dependant on intakes from other countries. There have been several good dancers like Bowman coming in but 50% had moved on swifly as they realisted that they may not be solo dancers and decided to ty their luck elsewhere.

The challenge nw facing Fran Andersen is to build something for the next ballet master. That will include taking a serious look at the schhool and hopefully concluding that the present teachers need to be supplemented by other teachers and dancers, who have done the whole route to ensure supply. He needs also to come to his conclusion about who are the really talented in the crops and star to nuture and develop the talent, giving each one the ideal roles to grow in. It was not what he did best the last time around - but I hope he may have got the hng of it now.

[KayDenmark]

I must admit I don't follow the RDB too closely, but haven't they just opened two new feeder schools in Odensee and Horsens? Perhaps casting the net a bit wider will lead to some additional talent. I've been told that not all of the students in these schools are Danish - that, in fact, there are a number of Russians - but at least graduates will be thoroughly trained in the Bouronville style.

In the discussion of future talent, I thought Yao Wei really stood out in the corps of Anna Karinina, and that Julian Ringdahl showed a relaxed charisma in the corps of the Balanchine ballets.

[Effy]

Yes Yao Wei is a stand out and I am very pleased to see her get the Talent award as this year Reumerts. She is a dancer to build on. However, as experience shows not all talented dancers may get to fullfill their promise, so a handfull of talents may not be enough. Looking at past generations, Niels Balle was the most prominent of his generation up to a major injury, from which he never recovered his standing (He was James at I think 20 and was plannedsecond cast to Bendixen in Amled, when the injury occurred. He neber made one performance. Of the same generation Michael Weidinger was also out early.

It a good strategy to make more schools, but the quality of the teachers is paramount.

[Mary]

i think the current direction is so scared of letting new talents make their way into new roles, why Sakurai did not dance James i cannot understand,and why cavllo is still dancing the sylph i equally do not understand.

Edited August 9, 2004 by Mary