Lazuli Sky 22 – 24 Oct 2020

Home , Birmingham Royal Ballet, Momoko Hirata

Our Waltzes Vicente Nebrada Liebestod Valery Panov Lazuli Sky Will Tuckett BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET ROYAL BALLET SINFONIA Patron Her Majesty the Queen President HRH The Prince of Wales Vice-President The Lady Sarah Chatto

Director Founded by Prima Ballerina Assoluta Dame Ninette de Valois om, ch Dame Margot Fonteyn Carlos Acosta cbe Founder Choreographer Director Laureate Sir Frederick Ashton om, ch, cbe Sir Peter Wright cbe Chief Executive Officer Founder Music Director Music Director Laureate Caroline Miller obe Constant Lambert Barry Wordsworth

Music Director Koen Kessels WELCOME A warm welcome to Birmingham Repertory Theatre for our first public performances since the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the world in its tracks. This is my first season as Director and I am delighted to be forging partnerships with arts organisations across the City, including Sean Foley and the team here at The REP.

This season of ballets, all new to our repertory, features the specially commissioned Lazuli Sky by Birmingham-born choreographer Will Tuckett. This uplifting piece, using state-of-the-art technology, is set against two ballets that I am thrilled to introduce to the Company. Our Waltzes, which I performed aged 18, is a beautiful, Carlos Acosta. © Johan Persson technically challenging piece, and Liebestod is a stunning solo which puts our male dancers firmly in the spotlight.

I hope you enjoy this production – if you would like to watch it again, alongside insights into the creative process, it will be available online for seven days from noon on 1 November. Tickets cost just £10 and are available now at brb.org.uk/ Running Order lazuli-sky-film. I would like to thank Oak Foundation for its support of Lazuli Sky. I would also like to extend a very sincere thank you to Aud Jebsen for her Our Waltzes 30 minutes extraordinary support of my Directorship of Birmingham Royal Ballet across the Pause 5 minutes 2020/21 season.

Liebestod 8 minutes Looking ahead, I know may of you were upset that The Nutcracker had to be Pause 15 minutes cancelled at Birmingham Hippodrome. Everyone at Birmingham Royal Ballet desperately wants to perform for you this Christmas so don’t give up hope. We are Lazuli Sky 30 minutes working on something special for our audiences in Birmingham in December – please keep an eye on our website for an imminent announcement. We also hope you will join us when we return to our home venue, Birmingham Hippodrome, next Easter with Cinderella. Please visit brb.org.uk/cinderella for details.

Thank you for your support and please stay safe.

To join Birmingham Royal Ballet’s mailing list click here Our Waltzes Liebestod COMPANY PREMIERE COMPANY PREMIERE

Music: Teresa Carreño, Salvador Llamozas, Music: Richard Wagner (arranged by Ian Farrington) Manuel Guadalajara, Isabel de Maury, Choreography Valery Panov Sofia Limonta, Ramon Delgado Palacios, Lighting Peter Teigen Heraclio Fernández Sound design Yvonne Gilbert Choreography Vicente Nebrada Costume makers Phil Reynolds Costumes Lighting Peter Teigen Costume Supervisor Elaine Garlick Sound design Yvonne Gilbert

Costume makers Parkinson Gill Ltd and Phil Reynolds Costumes Liebestod offers a powerful, visceral solo for the Company’s Dyeing Sheila White male Principals. Valery Panov, Artistic director and founder Costume Supervisor Elaine Garlick of Israel’s Panov Ballet Theatre, is a former Principal of Kirov Ballet and was hailed as one of the most brilliant virtuoso Our Waltzes celebrates love, romance and passion and is dancers of his generation. danced to Latin-infused waltzes from Vicente Nebrada’s native Venezuela.

Cast Cast

Thursday 22 Oct, 7.30pm; Saturday 24 Oct, 2.30pm Thursday 22 Oct, 7.30pm Red couple Momoko Hirata, César Morales Brandon Lawrence Brown couple Yijing Zhang, Yasuo Atsuji Friday 23 Oct, 2.30pm Lilac couple Samara Downs, Tyrone Singleton Yasuo Atsuji Pink couple Yaoqian Shang, Mathias Dingman Orange couple Miki Mizutani, Tzu-Chao Chou Friday 23 Oct, 7.30pm Tzu-Chao Chou Friday 23 Oct, 2.30pm Saturday 24 Oct, 2.30pm Red couple Momoko Hirata, César Morales Brandon Lawrence Brown couple Yijing Zhang, Brandon Lawrence Lilac couple Samara Downs, Tyrone Singleton Saturday 24 Oct, 7.30pm Pink couple Yaoqian Shang, Mathias Dingman Yasuo Atsuji Orange couple Miki Mizutani, Tzu-Chao Chou

Friday 23 Oct, 7.30pm; Saturday 24 Oct, 7.30pm Red couple Momoko Hirata, César Morales Brown couple Yijing Zhang, Brandon Lawrence Lilac couple Samara Downs, Tyrone Singleton Pink couple Yaoqian Shang, Mathias Dingman Orange couple Beatrice Parma, Max Maslen

Pianist Jonathan Higgins

Sir David Bintley’s ★★★★★ Cinderella Birmingham Mail 31 Mar – 10 Apr 2021

Music John Adams (Shaker Loops, Chester Music Limited t/a The deep, speckled blue of lapis lazuli was the base for the G.Schirmer o/b/o Associated Music Publishers Inc.) most precious and expensive of colours in the Renaissance Choreography Will Tuckett painter’s palette, providing the clear sky blue so familiar in Design Samuel Wyer, Nina Dunn the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. Video design Nina Dunn Costume design Samuel Wyer During lockdown, the team was drawn to the open clarity Lighting Peter Teigen of sky, wind-shaped landscapes, and birdsong, without Sound design Yvonne Gilbert the distractions of normal everyday living. These are the inspiration and backdrop to this outward looking, hopeful Lazuli Sky is generously supported by Oak Foundation and regenerative ballet.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is extremely grateful to Aud Jebsen for her generous support of Lazuli Sky and for her support of Carlos Acosta’s Directorship of the Company and artistic plans across the 2020/21 season. Cast Production Video Engineer Harrison Cooke Video Programmer Luigi Sardi Damen Axtens, Laura Day, Karla Doorbar, Video Engineer Matt Somerville Notch Artist Luigi Sardi Ryan Felix, Haoliang Feng, Kit Holder, Animator Nathan Fernée Production Co-ordinator Laura Salmi Yu Kurihara, Gus Payne, Emma Price, Creative Technologist (AR) James Simpson Tom Rogers, Eilis Small, Yuki Sugiura Costume makers Phil Reynolds Costumes, Dyeing Sheila White Costume Supervisor Elaine Garlick Members of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia Conductor Paul Murphy Robert Gibbs (Leader), Vanessa David (First Violin), “In the Renaissance, this Mary Martin (Second Violin), Errika Horsley (Viola), Antonio Novais (Cello), Jane Rainey (Cello), metamorphic rock was Vera Pereira (Bass) ground to create the hugely valuable pigment. Similarly, to regain our open skies, we have had to pay an enormous price”

Will Tuckett

Ryan Felix Tom Rogers and Yu Kurihara

Birmingham Royal Ballet Technical Team for this production Please let us know what you think Company Manager Will Mauchline Assistant Company Manager Tristan Rusdale Please share your views on this production Technical Director Paul Grace via our short survey. Abigail Reeves Producer Your feedback is invaluable to us as an organisation and will help us to understand Senior Stage Manager Diana Childs and measure the impact of what we do. Deputy Stage Manager Eliska Robenn click here Head of Stage Ben Leveson Deputy Head of Stage Paul Moore Stage Technicians Paul Fisher-Bazan, Tom Reilly Head of Lighting Johnny Westall-Eyre Deputy Head of Lighting Andy Wilson Senior Lighting Technicians Alastair Phillips, Andy Rumble Lighting Technician Scott Smith Apprentice Lighting Technician Marcus Trombley Sound Engineer Mark Noble Head of Costume / Costume Supervisor Elaine Garlick Senior Costume Technicians Stella Mansfield, Samantha Priest Costume Technicians Jennifer Priestley, Gabrielle Raven Shoe Supervisor Michael Clifford Production Assistant Leanne Ward

For a list of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s generous supporters click here