Eva Kistrup

US TOUR 2011 Royal Danish Ballet School, a success story

As the Royal Danish Ballet will tour USA May - June 2011, I am writing a number of articles leading up to the tour presenting ballets, dancers and the company history.  We will kick off the series with an interview with Niels Balle, the leader of the ballet school and possible the most important person in securing the company's future.

A Late Siegfried

The Peter Martins production has been a part of the standard repertoire of the Royal Danish Ballet for most of Thomas Lund's career. Yet up till now he has only done the fool and some of the divertissements. But this year he finds himself cast as Siegfried and for some reson his performances with guest star Jurgita Dronina is placed at the end of the run. This has obviously given Lund the opportunity to prepare well for this opportunity and his dancing also demonstrated how much thought and care had been invested in each steps and phrases. It also raises the question, Can a dancer be over prepared?

Reaching out

 

Dance to go

George Balanchine: Serenade

Jorma Uotinen: Earth

Marius Petipa: Don Quixote Pas De Deux 

Ann Crosset and the Ballet children:

Hvem f…”#%! Er Nijinskij?
(Who the H... is Nijiinsky?)

The Royal Danish Ballet, October 2010

 

As many other ballet companies, The Royal Danish Ballet is actively working to broaden the audience base. Especially reaching a younger public. This it not a new strategy. It has been going on for at least 30 years. I for one was caught by a reach out activity in my high school days. But the success rate has not been high. Many small scale activities have been tried. Probably all school children in Copenhagen have been invited to a gen rep etc. The great change in Nikolaj Hübbe's strategy is than instead of showing ballet at 50% of its potential he chooses to show ballet at the highest level, but at an affordable price.