Prior to her retirement from the Royal Ballet at the end of this season, the London Ballet Circle was delighted to host Laura Morera “in conversation” with Gerald Dowler at the Royal Ballet School.
Laura has been at the Royal Ballet for over 20 years, and the evening’s conversation started with Gerald asking Laura how she would characterise such an illustrious career. She replied, “Colourful, varied” and said: “Every time I’m on stage, there hasn’t been a role I haven’t loved.”
She recalled falling in love with the Royal Ballet aged 12 after seeing a performance of Swan Lake. Another attraction of the company was the Macmillan and Ashton repertoire, and Laura elaborated on why she enjoyed performing roles in these ballets so much: “There’s an ability to speak through the work. With Macmillan particularly, how I do a shape affects the narrative, so you can create emotion and carry the story through.” On the topic of choreographers, Laura also talked about her close choreographic relationship with Liam Scarlett, who created a number of roles for Laura – in works such as Hansel and Gretel, Frankenstein and Asphodel Meadows.
Only a matter of days after our “in conversation” event, Laura makes her debut in the title role in Ashton’s Cinderella. She talked about her preparation for this role, the challenges of the choreography and said she was: “Proud I took on this challenge. I always feel lucky to dance Ashton.”
The discussion continued to take in Laura’s new coaching role – moving from stage to studio – and her responsibility for the Macmillan repertoire, as well as her favourite dance partners and her final performances at the Opera House in Anastasia later this year.
Laura captivated the audience at the Royal Ballet School with her humour, charm, and fascinating insights into what has been a long and successful career. Laura will be much missed on stage, but we wish her the best with her exciting future plans.
A full report of this event will be available on this website in due course and a recording made available to members.