Visit to CENTRAL SCHOOL OF BALLET class
LBC members and their guests watched a rehearsal by students of Central School of Ballet from their current tour
VISIT TO CENTRAL SCHOOL OF BALLET
22 June
It was a hot day and we were warmly welcomed by the School with some refreshments and an introduction to the Ballet Central tour. This gives graduating students the opportunity to perform at a variety of theatres around England and experience a range of choreography, old and new.
Even though the tour has been on the road since May, there is still the need to rehearse to prepare for the challenges of different venues and changes in casting. We saw a full run through of 2 of the 4 works being performed - a re-staging of Kenneth MacMillan’s Solitaire and a new commission of Bolero 18 from Cameron McMillan. As it was at the end of a long working day, students would get detailed feedback the following morning.
Solitaire is an early work of MacMillan from 1956 to Malcolm Arnold’s English Dances. It is being staged by Lynn Wallis OBE who was there to oversee and give us a brief outline of the scenario of a girl who has a number of interactions, real or imagined, all ultimately unsuccessful.
Bolero 18 is to the familiar score by Ravel, the 18 referring to the number of repeats of the theme.
Both works require complex ensemble exchanges and individual characterisations, which the students achieved admirably. It was actually difficult to believe there was 70 years between the pieces as they were both relevant to modern audiences.
Ballet Central are at the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music on 15 and 16 July.
Report by Keith White © The London Ballet Circle
