Australian Ballet at the ROH, August 2023

[volcanohunter]

The Australian Ballet will perform Kunstkamer, choreographed by Paul Lightfoot, Sol Léon, Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke, at the Royal Opera House on 2-6 August.

Honestly, I am glad to see the ROH present a visiting company other than the Mariinsky or Bolshoi performing something other than Swan Lake or Don Quixote. The Australian Ballet last visited London in 2016, but those performances took place at the Coliseum. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by volcanohunter

[volcanohunter]

I don't know whether it had anything to do with Marco Goecke's contribution to Kunstkamer, but the tour repertoire has changed to Jewels and a gala.

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/jewels-by-the-australian-ballet-details 

 

[Mashinka]

Delighted about the change.  No one empties the ROH faster than Crystal Pite.  The tickets for her last outing were sold at a lower price level than usual but even then they sold so badly thy were reduced to papering the house.

[volcanohunter]

I am a little surprised by the choice, given that the Royal Ballet presents Jewels fairly regularly. Wasn't "Diamonds" performed in the autumn? 

[volcanohunter]

There are storm clouds over Australian Ballet as it prepares for a run of Jewels, including a livestream on July 6th, and its visit to London in August. For now the dancers are planning to delay a scheduled performance by 15 minutes, but it's the first industrial action the company's dancers have taken in 42 years.

"The key issue at stake in this dispute is a clause in the existing enterprise bargaining agreement under which the company agrees to top up dancers’ salaries if the pay rise falls short of CPI. The Australian Ballet is seeking to have that clause struck out, a move the dancers are vigorously resisting."

https://www.theage.com.au/culture/dance/australian-ballet-dancers-to-take-first-industrial-action-in-42-years-20230621-p5dicm.html

I was astonished to read that in 1981 "eight of the company’s lead dancers were offer[ed] reduced conditions of employment (as soloists rather than principals) for the 1982 season. On that occasion, the dancers cancelled a performance of The Three Musketeers, and ultimately went on strike for 26 days."