The Royal Opera House is very quiet on a Sunday morning but on this particular Sunday morning, an enthusiastic group of students from Dance Forward was warming up in advance of a session with the Royal Ballet principal Yasmine Naghdi.
Accompanied by Olga on the piano, Yasmine led the 16 young dancers through a 90-minute class. With great attention to detail and lots of encouragement, Yasmine led the students through a thorough barre. Thoughtful corrections were given, and the youngsters took them to heart. Following centre work and a short pause, the toe shoes went on and pointe work ensued. By now, the dancers were completely warmed up and ready to take on a solo. Not an easy solo either as Yasmine chose Gamzatti’s 2nd Act Variation from Natalia Makarova’s production of La Bayadere. The students rose to the challenge.
It was a huge privilege for the members of The London Ballet Circle to be in the studio watching one of ballet’s superstars passing on her knowledge. With lots of imagery and helpful tips to inspire them, we could see the dancers improving before our eyes. And, of course, they were enjoying every minute of it. As were we!
Thank you to Andrew Ward of Dance Forward for the opportunity and thank you to Yasmine for giving us such a special treat.
There is still space for the November Dance Forward visit. Roberta Marquez will be teaching class and Fumi Kaneko will be teaching a solo. Not to be missed!!!