Masterclass by Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano

VISIT TO VANESSA FENTON MASTERCLASS

19 October 2025

Members were invited to this masterclass, which focussed on the famous (Conrad and Medora) pas de deux from Le Corsaire, led by Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano.

But first, students warmed up to class taken by Vanessa, who as always adds Royal Ballet and Ashton touches suitable for our venue in the De Valois studio. She also has the added value of an experienced ballet pianist on a Steinway piano able to improvise with great understanding of ballet movement.

Sarah and Ryoichi amended some of the difficult lifts and pirouettes to accommodate the varied range of student abilities but not without showing us first the normal version. Some aspects were very technical, for example the distancing between the couple and the hand grips needed to achieve a successful promenade. Elsewhere it was about timing, preparation and understanding your partner’s steps as well as your own. But though the intensive 2 hour masterclass there was always some good humour to lighten the mood.

These masterclasses offer a privileged opportunity at close quarters to see principal dancers explaining and passing on their art to others. The money from members helps to keep this programme going and make it affordable for students.

Keith White