Royal Ballet School Summer Performances Balance Innovation with Classical Heritage
Summer performances at The Royal Ballet School presented three newly commissioned works alongside classical repertoire, demonstrating institutional commitment to expanding creative territories while honoring ballet’s traditional foundations.
Choreographers created works specifically for Upper School students across year levels, providing opportunities to explore contemporary artistic directions while developing performance skills within established frameworks.
Contemporary Choreographic Development
American choreographer Jessica Lang developed Sweet Morning Blooms for 1st Year students, drawing inspiration from her training at Juilliard. Lang described her experience with Royal Ballet School students as exceptional: “At this level they are extremely talented, extremely hungry and motivated to learn and be articulate with their artistry at this age. It’s really quite stunning to see what they’re capable of at this time of their life.”
The ballet’s conceptual foundation emerged from memories of her teacher Hector Saraspe. Lang recalled his philosophy about individual development within ensemble contexts: “Every few weeks he would take time to tell us how we were such individual and unique beauties. He would point out our strengths, which made us feel seen and validated, but then he would add, ‘As a group when you come together, it’s the beauty of the bouquet.”
Lang articulated her artistic vision: “It’s as if we were each individual flowers. When we come together we bring and unite our individualism, but together we form the most beautiful and sweet perfume. I wanted to dedicate this piece to him.”
London-based choreographer Hannah Joseph developed Gridlock for 2nd Year students, exploring individuality through synchronicity. Olivier award-winning choreographer Arielle Smith created Culmination for Pre-professional students, set to Quincy Jones compositions as the cohort’s final collaborative performance.
Historical Reconstruction Challenges
Classical repertoire featured Anthony Dowell’s Aurora’s Wedding including “The Three Ivans” variation. Alumni and former Character teacher Amanda Maxwell led the reconstruction process using limited historical documentation.
Maxwell explained the reconstruction’s complexity: “Sir Anthony and Jonathan asked me if I could reconstruct the Three Ivans, which is long lost from productions of The Sleeping Beauty generally. This is the Petipa version, danced by the Diaghilev Company from 1921-22 onwards. It was originally a disaster, but Bronislava Nijinska created this Three Ivans variation in 1921.”
Working from one surviving film clip, Maxwell balanced historical authenticity with student capabilities: “I remember looking at the film in the office and saying, ‘I can’t get the students to do that.’ So we had a discussion. I made my connections and went away and thought about it, adapting where possible. I think I’ve kept what appear to be the original patterns and some of the original steps.”
Technical Precision Requirements
Maxwell emphasised the demanding technical standards required for “The Three Ivans,” comparing execution demands to mechanical precision: “It’s like precision engineering. If one component is out of place, that’s it. A half beat off in the dancer’s case, and the thing is likely to fall apart because you’ve lost control.”
Physical demands encompass extreme movement ranges within compressed timeframes: “One minute and nineteen seconds—you don’t have time to stop and think. You barely have time to breathe, which is why I’m talking to them now about learning how to think about their breathing through this. You go from the extremes—right down on the floor to literally up in the air. It’s the extreme version of everything.”
Mental preparation must enable automatic execution: “It’s knowing in their heads that they can recite the steps in the rhythm of the music in their sleep if they have to. That’s already a great step forward.”
Professional Coaching Integration
Dame Darcey Bussell, former Royal Ballet Principal and School alumna, provided coaching for Aurora’s Wedding performances. She emphasised student engagement quality: “Coming into the school for any rehearsals and helping them out is always wonderful because you can see that raw talent. It’s exciting to see how hungry they are to learn and absorb so much information and to be able to adapt.”
Dame Darcey highlighted information processing capabilities: “Lots of people give you information and you have to take it on board. It’s wonderful to see who can take that in as quickly as possible and how they absorb it al.l”
She characterized The Sleeping Beauty as embodying ballet’s fundamental elements: “I feel like it’s the celebration of classical ballet in all its forms—the placement on stage, being able to stay in character all the way through, the music, and being one with your partner.”
Educational Framework
Dame Darcey emphasised classical repertoire’s developmental value: “I think getting a taste of that—and that’s why it’s so important to do these classics when you’re a student—to get that first taste of what it is to perform in that style and manner is the challenge. But they’ll shine, I know they will.”
The School’s Summer Performances establish practical learning environments where students develop technical proficiency alongside artistic interpretation, preparing them for professional careers requiring classical mastery and contemporary adaptability. The combination of commissioned works with historical reconstruction reflects educational philosophy balancing innovation with tradition while providing comprehensive exposure to ballet’s artistic spectrum.
