Gregory Dean:
”The Forgotten Children”
Royal Danish Ballet School
October 12, 2017
The Old Stage
The same week the historic Danish amusement park TIVOLI get slammed for naming a new ride “The Haunted Orphanage”, the Royal Danish Ballet School premiers their annually children’s ballet, “The Forgotten Children”, which also includes haunted children and beyond death experiences. However, contrary to TIVOLI, they receive loud and jubilant applause from an audience consisting of school classes and a handful of ballet reviewers.
This seasons children's ballet is choreographed by Principal Dancer Gregory Dean, based on a libretto by Danish writer Kim Fupz Aakeson. Gregory Dean is also involved in the designs of costumes and stage design, both being innovative and tasteful.
Fairy Tale and Fables
The RDB has presented children’s ballets for a longer period. For many years, the annual or biannual run consisted of ballets based on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, choreographed by the late Lise la Cour and often starring the very young Thomas Lund. After a longer hiatus, the tradition was re-instated with Thomas Lund himself as the creator of “Teddy goes Ballet”, based on a very popular children’s television series, which became a great hit. For the last seasons Esther Lee Wilkinson’s and Shane Brox’s production, ”The Fable Maker” has entertained the children in their autumn break. For this season Nikolaj Hübbe has ask his leading man, Gregory Dean to create a show piece for the ballet school.
A Two-faced Career
Gregory Dean, who joined RDB in Nikolaj Hübbe’s first year, is one of the best male dancers who has joined the company, and he has developed to be an outstanding Danseur Noble and dramatic dancer.
However, he also have shown himself as an interesting choreographer, mainly in Silja Schandorff & Nikolaj Hübbe’s “Swan Lake”, where he choreographed two of the divertissements in Act three. while fellow dancer/choreographer Oliver Starpov took care of the other two.
Since then Starpov have had the opportunity to create a ballet for the company, “Beginnings and Endings” which became a great hit. He will also choreograph a new work for the spring season. Dean has displayed a few smaller pieces, but nothing on the scale of what Starpov has been charged with.
It may be that Dean’s career as a leading male dancer somewhat limits his opportunities as a choreographer. Last season he danced among others Albrecht in “Giselle”, Siegfried in “Swan Lake”, Jack in “Alice”, “Other Dances”, “Infra” and “Diamonds”.
With “The Forgotten Children”, he presents a carefully crafted ballet, costumes and design and most importantly a production, who clearly and strongly believes that classical ballet can speak to even the youngest audience. There is no “let us get this dancing part over as fast as possible”.
“The Forgotten Children” respects it audience and its young dancers. The choreography is varied and inventive. The story is told not only by the young dancers´ steps but also by character dancer Morten Eggert as leading mouse. The two character roles, the dancing teacher and Miss Master are handled well, not by seasoned character dancers , but by Jo Dolson, who joined the RDB last year and Carling Talcott-Stenstra as the villainess of the story. For the later role, Dean has included Miss Master as a child, who gets her dream of becoming a dancer, smashed. The little ballet pupil handling the role is well directed and prepared, so it becomes not only heart rendering, but also adds understanding and acceptance to the role. It is here we really see what Dean brings to the production. In all, every little performer - and there are many of them - seems perfectly prepared for the roles and act comfortable on the stage.
Were the young audience not bored by the classical approach? No, they loved every bit of it and gave as big an applause as any big RDB hit would earn. They also stayed to the last curtain call.
By insisting on keeping the ballet content high, the story telling clear, and preparing his young cast imatrically, Gregory Dean shows that children can enjoy ballet on its own level. Here is no need to water down the components.
Hopefully, Gregory Dean will soon get a chance to show that he can entertain grownups as well as children. He clearly believes in classical ballet. Let us believe in Gregory Dean.
Photos by Henrik Stenberg (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
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