celebrity party

[Rosie]

Hi, i have red at the Royal Danish Famliy website that the Royal Family

will take part of a 200 years celebrity party at the Royal Danish Ballet. Does anyone know if it´s going to be broadcosted on tv?

[Mel Johnson]

I certainly hope it is! I know that Her Majesty the Queen is very much involved with company activity, and provides additional brainpower and fine arts talent to the normally available pool. It can come to a point where there is too much involvement, though. I can recall one King who was such a balletomane, he wanted to be consulted on program selection and casting! But, I suppose, better to have him and not need him than to need him and not have him! :angel:

[Grissi]

Congratulations!!! In Spain we don't have it (a ballet company of this importance) and need it (royal support)...

[bart]

Queen Margarethe is herself an accomplished painter, book illustrator, and translator from English. Are there any other royals in this league?

Also, since the deaths of Princess Diana and the Earl of Harewood, is there anyone in the British royal family who has even the slightest ongoing interest -- i.e. personal interest -- in the higher arts?

And how about the US quasi-royal dynasties (Bushes, Clintons, etc.) Other than Caroline Kennedy, is there anyone from a Presidential family either engaged in the arts or deeply committed to supporting them?

[Renata]

I can't speak in general about the British Royal family's interest in the arts, but Prince Charles has had an ongoing interest in classical music. At one point he was a fairly decent cellist. He also is the head of the Royal College of Music in London and he actually does visit the school. My older daughter studied flute there a few years ago and was probably the only student unaware that a Royal visit was forthcoming. Naturally, he selected her as one of the two students with whom he spoke...he knocked on the door of her practice room and asked a number of thoughtful questions about the music she was practicing and about her flute and the reasons she had it set up as she did [gold headjoint; silver body]. So he appears to still be interested in classical music.

[carbro]

Other than Caroline Kennedy, is there anyone from a Presidential family either engaged in the arts or deeply committed to supporting them?

Chelsea Clinton is on SAB's board (remember, she was one of Victoria Leigh's students), and I imagine that onetime Graham dancer Betty Ford has a continuing interest, if not direct involvement in the dance world.

Ron Reagan, of course, was a member of Joffrey for a few years.

Didn't Amy Carter play violin? I have no idea how serious this musical interest was, or whether it continued past adolescence.