Hierarchy?

[cubanmiamiboy]

In your experience, have exceptions ever been made in this way of doing things? Have young corps members been allowed to dance major principal roles in the classics?

No, bart...i haven't seen it happened. On the contrary, i've seen the other way around. I remember watching wonderful ballerinas getting older and dancing 2 Willis, Pas de Trois and the like their whole life without being promoted, and that was sad to watch...One of the cases was Lorena Feijoo, who was never promoted to Principal and never even got her chance to dance Odette/Odile in Cuba...If she wouldn't have left the island, she would had never gone to the top, where she is now, as a SFB Principal...

[volcanohunter]

Another question: The Royal Ballet have apparently done away with the designation "corps de ballet" entirely, at least in their list of dancers. After Soloists come "First Artists" and "Artists". Is this a way of trying to avoid whatever negative images are conjured up by the term "corps de ballet"?

I don't think this is an especially recent thing. A Royal Ballet program I have from 1981 does not use the term corps de ballet and identifies dancers as principal dancers, solo artists, coryphees or artists (who included Phillip Broomhead, Deborah Bull and Alessandra Ferri). It makes me wonder whether the Royal Ballet ever used the term corps de ballet.

[Legwarmer]

What an interesting thread! I have been wondering the same thing for quite some time now, but I was too afraid to post, since you are all so smart... (: I thought you might think me stupid for asking.

Now, I feel very... confused. Many things were said, numerous topics were discussed, but have we come to an answer? I guess there is no such thing as an "answer" to debates, but I hoped I'd have more on my hands after reading these (very informative) three pages.