A CELEBRATION OTHE WORKS OF FREDRICK ASHTON
SWAN LAKE – PAS DE QUATRE
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Pëtr Il’ič Čajkovskij
THE DREAM – PAS DE DEUX
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Felix Mendelssohn
CINDERELLA – PAS DE DEUX
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
VOICES OF SPRING
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Johann Strauss II
MARGUERITE AND ARMAND
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Franz Liszt
RHAPSODY
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Sergej Rachmaninov
The Royal Ballet brings the genius of its founder and choreographer Frederick Ashton to the stage with a programme of his creations. One of the world’s leading companies, the Royal Ballet is renowned for the dynamism and versatility of its dancers. The stars of the company’s tour in Nervi will be the principal dancers Matthew Ball, William Bracewell, Lauren Cuthbertson, Mayara Magri, Yasmine Naghdi and Marianela Nuñez. The company members will also include Luca Acri, Giacomo Rovero, Ginevra Zambon and Valentino Zucchetti, who are looking forward to performing for audiences in their home country. The profusion of charm, wit and invention in Frederick Ashton’s creative imagination will be fully in evidence in the ballets and extracts presented in this programme. Alongside his one-act works Marguerite and Armand and Rhapsody there will be moments taken from Swan Lake, The Dream, Cinderella and Voices of Spring.
Royal Ballet Director Kevin O’Hare comments: ‘We are delighted to be performing at the Nervi Festival, which boasts such a rich cultural heritage. Sharing the creative genius of Frederick Ashton will be fantastic for our talented dancers and will be a special moment especially for the Italian dancers. Special thanks go to the festival’s artistic director Jacopo Bellussi, whom we have known since our time at the Royal Ballet School. We can’t wait to leave.’
THE ROYAL BALLET
Under the direction of Kevin O’Hare, The Royal Ballet combines tradition and innovation in world-class performances and is a driving force in the development of ballet as an art form. Based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, it brings together today’s most versatile dancers with a world-class orchestra and outstanding choreographers, composers, conductors, directors and creative teams to share important theatrical experiences with mixed audiences all over the world. The company’s vast repertoire includes 19th-century classics, the unique legacy of the works of founding choreographer Frederick Ashton and principal choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, new and compelling works by contemporary choreographers including resident choreographer Wayne McGregor and artistic collaborator Christopher Wheeldon, and the bold and complementary programming of the Linbury Theatre. Guest choreographers Kyle Abraham, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Cathy Marston, Arthur Pita, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Pam Tanowitz, Mthuthuzeli November, Jessica Lang, Gemma Bond and Twyla Tharp have also created works for the company.
