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Budding Starlets of the Royal Ballet


jcaguioa

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We are well into The Royal Ballet's 'New Works' season and this gives a chance to the dancers and us a veiw of the best yet to come from the younger members of the company. They perform "new works" which may or may have not been choreographed on them in the Linbury studio at the Royal Opera House and tour Great Britan and perform for new audiences.

There are some stunning young dancers from thr corps who get to perform exciting roles and really get to show themselves off. There are 2 ballerinas in the fort at the moment (my opinion). The first you may have heard of, the 18 year old romainian Alina Cojocaru. She won a prize at the Prix de Lausanne in 1997 at only 14 and stunned audiences in her contempary solo with backflips! Joining the Royal Ballet only last season she was chosen to perform the Lead Girl in Ashton's Symphonic Variation's partnerd by Principal Bruce Sansom after being in the company for only 3 months! She was stunning and got good reveiws in the papers. She has a stron techniqe and shows great mauturity for a young age of only 18. She performed Michael Corder's Masquerade at the New Works Program last week and show flexibility and again a strong and fast technique with neat and beatiful footwork and a stunning presentation, my bets are on her for the futre of the Royal Ballet.

The Second Girl from Argentina,Marinella Nunez. Joining a company at only 14, she later joined The Royal Ballet school at 15 to dance the Lead in Raymonda act 3 for the school's annual summer performance. She stunned audiences with perfecion of techniqe. Her balances can only be described as amazing and she never fails to do five pirouettes on pointe. After joining the company later that year she was to amaze audiences again,as she performed the same ballet this time in the Pas de trois. She too has an amazing technique. She doesn't posses swollen insteps and Sylvie Guilliem extentions but the strength of somebody like Susan Jaffe. She has the gift of turning and can make even the Principals of the Royal Ballet Gasp at 8 slow an controlled pirouttes on pointe. This year she performs the Lead once again in Raymonda in The Royal Ballet School's performances at Holland Park and Carlos Acosta, Principal of Royal Ballet requested she dance the Diana an Acehton pas de deux with him at the White Nights Gala later this month at The Royal Opera House with Stars of both Royal And Kirov Ballet Companies. What an Acheivement! If you have seen either of these stunning ballerinas or would like to know more about them I would love to hear from you!

Jonny Caguioa

[This message has been edited by jcaguioa (edited June 28, 2000).]

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Thank you for the insights, Johny! Well, I am now dying to see both young ladies dance. Perhaps the "White Nights Gala" will be filmed for video/DVD on Phillips...a rumor that I heard from a little birdie while I was in London. Not televised but simply filmed. It would be great to have the 'Diana & Action pdd' (Carlos Acosta & Marinella Nunez) saved for posterity.

By the way, I was very impressed by Mara Galeazzi in the telecast of Coppelia, back in February. She danced the first solo in Act III ("Dawn, I think) and impressed me far more than the Swanhilda or any of the others. I'm keeping my eye on her.

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I would love to hear more about these ballerinas you have just posted about. They sound so amazing. I heard from an English friend that the English aren't the best at turning so it must be awesome to see someone turn like that. Is Marinella not in the company? Why isn't she (if she isn't). Give us the scoop on these two ballerinas! Thanks!

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Both Ballerinas studied in their native countries,Romainia and Argentina. Marianella actually studied with the same teacher Paloma Herrera had- Olga Ferri. Marianella has also been asked by Julio Bocca to dance with him and his company- as a soloist of course!, yet she declined due to an engagement with Royal.

I do also think Mara is stunning, and yes she is definately going to be the future of the Royal Ballet. She did perform Juliet in a special gala in London and was adored. Jaime Tapper from Canada is also one to look out for, I have often heard comment in the audience about her being a mini Darcey!

Boys to look out for are Ivan Putrov,from Ukraine, Kenta Kura,from Japan, and Rupert Pennefather from U.K -Mara's boyfriend. (All from the corps). One boy who will leave from the corps to join ABT is the wonderful Jerry Douglas. Jerry started dancing at a late age of 15 (he did jazz before). Jerry was selected by David Bintley at 17 to be the lead in a new ballet 'The Spiders Feast' in The Royal Ballet School's annual Summer Performance Jerry being the Spider of course! He recieved rave reveiws along with a contract for the Royal Ballet. He made headlines in both papers and news bulletens about being the first Black dancer to join The Royal Ballet. Look out for him as he joins ABT!!!

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I agree that Alina and Marianella are two amazing dancers who definitely will not be in the corps de ballet for much longer, along with dancers like Natasha Oughtred, Melissa Wishinsky, Ivan Putrov and Naomi Reynolds. Alina, for me, represents the future of the royal ballet- her movement is natural and delicate, and she emmerses herself in the part she is dancing so completely. Rumour has it she's learning Manon- and she is 18!

Marianella is possibly the most techniqually secure dancer in the company, and she has a scintillating stage presence.

But someone who is closer to the top already who hasn't recieved the amount of public acknowledgement yet which she deserves is first soloist Jamie Tapper. She is a stunning dancer to watch, and her every movement exudes feminine perfection.

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Guy, Thankyou for your comments. Recently Marianella has been reahersing Diana and Acteon with the utterly amazing Carlos Acosta and she looks incredible. She dazzled the onlookers in the reahersal when during her variation she accidently pulled off 9 pirouettesand totally missed out a phrase of choreography only to fall into 3 triple lame ducks en de dons with the most stunning port de bras! Gasps and Cheers filled the atmospere yet Marianella seemed unphased by the whole matter! I really hope this performance is to be released on video as everyone must se this utterly incredible ballerina!

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Recently the Royal Have been performing the New Works program at the Linbury Studio,ROH. Alina Cojocaru performed 2 of the works, Ad Infinitum and A new Christopher Wheeldon ballet. She showed incredible mauturity and a pure technique and wowed audiences. Ivan Putrov from Ukraine also wowed audiences in His performance of Siren Song.

Has any body seen these performances recently?

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Very interesting reading. I don't live in London so I can't get to everything, but I am coming to the Royal Ballet School matinee on July 19th. Do you RBS students have any tips on who/what to look out for? Are you involved in it?

I thought Natasha Oughtred was still at the school, but see she's in the corps now. She seems to have won a lot of prizes. Naomi Reynolds also interests me, largely because of her appearance as Clara on TV when she was twelve. I saw Alina C. in Symphonic Variations, and thought she was a real budding star. As you say, I think the future of the RB is safe!

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Helena,

In the matinee, the younger students will perform act2 of Don Quixote. Students to watch are, Laruen Cuthbertson (recently won 2nd prize at the Young Britih Dancer Competition),and Anniek Soobroy, both being petite and stunning little dancers with amazing qulities and abilites for 16 year olds. In La Valse performed by the older students of RBS simply look at the principals and Bethany Keating in the cops along with Kosuke Yamamoto the Japanese supreme of the school.

Jonny

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Thanks, Guy. I was waiting for someone to mention Jaimie Tapper. She is deffinately one to watch in the future. Before she joined the Royal, she was on a fast rise at the National Ballet of Canada, an audience favourite. We miss her now! She was beautiful as terphischore in Apollo, and as a soloist danced Swanilda and Juliet. I agree, she's a delight to watch, because you can just tell that she's enjoying herself up there and feels completely at ease performing.

Watch for her boyfriend, and former National Ballet principal, Johan Persson, he's joining the Royal this fall ( not as a principal though).

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Actually Johan Persson has already started taking class with the Royal Ballet in late June, but I don't know if he has started rehearsing yet with the company. I spoke to Persson and Jaimie Tapper briefly at Covent Garden about 2 weeks ago.

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First of all, major news flash: Marianella has been promoted to FIRST SOLOIST at only 18!! The promotion is probably on account of her spectacular performance with Carlos Acosta in the White Nights gala at the ROH on wednesday. Well done, she deserves it and, as we predicted, she is rising up the ranks fast as lightning!!

These past few days at the Holland Park performances in which Marianella danced the Lead in Raymonda (she and Ivan were asked by the school to dance in these shows) have been a tremendous opurtunity to have a closer look at this prodigous talent who has bags of energy and not an ounce of big headedness. She may be the cleanest dancer in the world, and that is no exaggeration!

And now to answer your question Helena: Though I do not know the white lodgers as well as Jonathen (I only joined upper school in september) I can clearly see that Anniek, and especially Lauren are indeed truly lovely dancers and have a great maturity in their dancing for their age. However the third girl that is dancing a solo role in Don Q's dryad scene on the 19th July is also truly stunning, and in my opinion has the potential to be the next Darcey- her name is Grace Poole.(they are a very talented year by the way)

The main girl in La Valse is a 3rd year at upper school by the name of Hitomi Kuhara, and she will be replacing Fernanda Oliviera, who was originally cast for the role, but has accepted a contract with ENB as junior soloist which starts in september. She decided not to finish off the year, but to go home and rest(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she studied privately with Cecilia Kerche). Fernanda is a gorgeous dancer, with spectacular arches, extensions and technique and it is a shame she will not be dancing in the school performance but i'm sure will become a star with ENB and we will get to see her a lot with that company.

Hitomi is an amazing technichian, but something in me would prefer to see the girl who is understudying her in the role: A first year upper school student by the name of Emma Maguire, winner of the Paul Clarke award and Phyliss Bydells award. She is a pure and finished product of the royal ballet school, and a shining example of the English style.

Anita Hutchins, who dances with vivid freshness and Ernst Meisner, a polished and elegant dutchman who were both recently offered Royal contracts will also be dancing leads in La Valse and they will surely blow you away with their captivating stage presence.

Don't miss Genny Murphy who dances the third female lead in La Valse, though you may have to strain your eyes-she is so painfully skinny that I'm not sure you will be able to see her from certain parts of the amphitheatre! only joking biggrin.gif

Hope I didn't bore you too much!

P.S I will be dancing in La Valse as a corps couple! me and my partner will be the third couple from the right with our back to the audience as the curtain goes up.

[This message has been edited by Guy Fletcher (edited July 14, 2000).]

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Guy -

Many thanks for all this information. I'm certainly not bored. I shall be kept very busy trying to spot all these people!

Great news about Marianela - not that I've ever seen her to my knowledge, but I expect I shall!

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For those not familiar with the RB's rankings, Nunez has been promoted 3 levels in the company - from corps de ballet to the level below principal. It has come as a complete suprise to almost everyone, as she has only done a couple of small soloist roles at Covent Garden and is absolutely unknown to the general public.

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Paquita,

Persson is actaully scheduled to perform Prince Seigfried in Swan Lake next season with Leanne Benjamin! Thanks for the info, I'll certainly go and see him!

Nunez's Promotion isn't that unusual. Jaime Tapper is fairly unknown to the british public, yet Nunez's recent gala will have certainly rased her profile. Mr Dowell (Director of Royal) actually promoted her in tears of joy, her told her how regretful he was of not noticing her before and she should be performing Sugar Plum in Royal's winter season. The gala has been a great step to her career and she will be remembered for her performance, (thanks to Carlos).

Basilio17,

Kate Cornish has actually left Royal (School), and gone back to Austrailia to open a Nightclub with a new friend she met at Royal. She has now unfortuneately given up.

Jonny

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Helena!

Today I found out that James Wilkie (member on this site) will dance the lead in "Pas de dix" on the Matinee. You're lucky to see him as he is certainly next in line for a contract! But remember that he only found out today so he has only had a week to rehearse this role!

Jonny

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Helena, do watch out for James on the 19th, it is a great oppurtunity for him and it makes me very happy that he will be dancing on this matinee because he deserves a solo dance of this type, which will show him off and introduce him to the British public, who i'm sure will adore him and his great potential to become England's finest male dancer to date!

Basilio, it is a shame but Kate Cornish has indeed given up. The year didn't start off too well for her, I think she put on a bit of weight due to injury and got depressed. She quickly lost stamina and motivation and the year she spent here at royal was devoted mainly to partying and drinking rather than to what it should have been.

It is a loss to the ballet world.

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That is really sad about what happend to Kate. She had so much potential. Do you know what her injury was? She went to Royal because she won a scholarship to go there at Prix. So many people could have taken that scholarship and used it well. Oh well, I guess that is life though.

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