Annual Report 2007 - 2008 ‘White Lodge is a place which encourages pride, passion and creativity. The School deserves every encouragement, with the prospect of wonderful new facilities allied to its re-focused teaching curriculum.’ HRH The Prince of Wales, President ‘It is the policy of The Royal Ballet School not only to produce dancers of excellence but also dedicated, balanced, well-mannered, thinking individuals who will be an asset to any community and in any environment – not only a joy to watch but a pleasure to know.’ Gailene Stock AM, Director OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE • Offer students as many performing opportunities Below: A young James Hay Our mission is to train and educate outstanding as possible. with classmate, Lucy Emery. classical ballet dancers for The Royal Ballet, Birmingham James commenced his formative • Ensure that the students have close practical and Royal Ballet and other top international dance training at White Lodge in 2000, artistic access to The Royal Ballet companies. companies, and in doing so to set the standards in a firm foundation for his future dance training, nationally and internationally. • Maintain a high employment rate of graduating dancers, with many being recruited to The Royal The School offers an eight-year carefully structured Ballet or Birmingham Royal Ballet. dance course, aligned with an extensive academic programme, giving students the best possible education • Expand the international exposure of the students to equip them for a career in the world of dance. of the School by participating in international competitions and festivals. OUR GOALS ARE TO: • Provide, in a caring environment, artistic and • Provide new state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities academic training of the highest possible calibre, which will enhance the teaching and learning offering all students of the School a positive opportunities for the students. learning experience which is constantly monitored • Conduct an extensive Audition and Outreach for potential improvement. programme. •Achieve recognised accreditation for the vocational curriculum. 1 Chairman’s Report In March 2009, the School will have completed an extraordinary 10-year period of creative redevelopment culminating in the ‘Reawakening of White Lodge’, now a new jewel of a ballet school, set in Richmond Park after £22 million of investment. Clive Barda •The School achieved a satisfactory operating Lauren Cuthbertson, an English dancer of surplus of £189,000 in the year to 30 August striking potential, has done likewise, emerging, 2008; the White Lodge project has also been aged 24, as Principal of The Royal Ballet. delivered right on budget and on time. The Equally, Jenna Roberts, Joseph Caley, Alexander School’s operational finances are on a sound Campbell and Delia Mathews, our recent footing, but remain under pressure given rising Graduates, seem destined for similar acclaim costs and the desire to provide scholarships to at Birmingham Royal Ballet. those talented students (national and These achievements of the School are a tribute international) who require them. There also to the Director, her Staff and our Board of remains over £2 million of funding to be raised Governors, who have made exceptional David M Norman to achieve our requirement of £22 million for contributions in time and expertise (building, the White Lodge Redevelopment. We have financial, funding and vocational) over the This followed the £20 million building of the plans to achieve this during the coming year, past ten years. I salute each one of them, new Upper School in Floral Street in 2003 despite the current stringent economic and appreciatively and proudly; Gailene Stock, including the ‘Bridge of Aspiration’, linking the benefactor circumstances. The balance sheet net Jay Jolley, Charles Parker, Ricki Gail Conway, School pragmatically and symbolically to the assets of the School now stand at £31 million. Patrick Maxwell, Felicity Clark and Nicolas Royal Ballet Company at the Opera House in • The School has finally acquired a 35-year lease Chisholm deserve our special thanks. Covent Garden. on a first-class residential hall, for 40 of our I will now take my leave from the Equally significant, our Director, Gailene Stock, Upper School students, in Mercer Street - three Chairmanship of the School in August 2009, has wrought over the same decade a minutes’ walk from the School in Floral Street. after 10 years as Chairman and 30 years as a transformation in the balletic training, embracing We will spend £1 million on refurbishment Governor (definitively contrary to current a fundamentally revamped curriculum and there and at Wolf House for occupation in Corporate Governance practice and guidelines), teaching staff. This has led to a second year September 2009. confident and inspired as to its future as a running of 100% successful employment for OUR MISSION world leader and its ability to transcend the our Graduating Class of 25 students into 15 The School continues in its determination inevitable challenges. ballet companies around the world. This is to find, attract, develop and train the most surely formidable testimony to the quality of exceptional dancers, British and international, teaching at the School, alongside the first-class whilst strengthening our partnership with the GCSE and A-level BTEC Diploma academic Royal Ballet Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet results also achieved. and the DCSF. Significant other developments include: Taken overall, it is wholly encouraging that David M Norman • The vibrant and vital Partnership and Access The Royal Ballet School has emerged as a Chairman Programme with the Department for Children, quite outstanding British School, recognised March 2009 Schools and Families (DCSF), now expanded to be right at the forefront of its vocational to 30 Secondary and Primary Schools and profession internationally. It has become a impacting over 1,200 students annually through national and international resource serving teaching, seminars and joint performances. over 2,000 full-time, Associate, Summer School and Secondary/Primary School Students of • Our new White Lodge Ballet Museum which whom approximately 300 are from overseas. opened in February 2009 - providing a unique and fascinating, interactive exposition of the The students enjoy and respect an exceptional development of ballet from 1730 in France to training and learning experience -“It is the best” the 21st Century in Britain, initiated by the as was declared two years ago by our student inspired leadership of Dame Ninette de Valois and star graduate from the Ukraine, Sergei in 1926, who then moved the School to White Polunin - now already a Soloist with The Royal Lodge in 1955. A vibrant School has emerged Ballet Company after spending four years of from an 18th Century Palladian royal hunting training with us from the age of 13 at both the lodge. A constructive transformation! Lower and Upper School. 2 Phase 1 Patrick Baldwin Phase 2 Phase 3 Marius Arnold-Clarke Resplendent White Lodge A stunning three-year, three-phase redevelopment comes to fruition Phase 1: Completed September 2006 Phase 3: Completed March 2009 Extension of the Pavlova Studio; three Two new aesthetically perfect dance studios; new residential halls; staff flats; Principal’s and The Royal Ballet School Specialist house; and improvement to landscaping Collections and Permanent Ballet Museum, Phase 2: Completed December 2007 providing increased access to the general New dining hall, kitchen and courtyard; public and students modernization to 18th Century listed buildings; and the new Peter Harrison Library All photos BH&M Architects; or as credited Patrick Baldwin Brian Slater Marius Arnold-Clarke A 100% Royal Ballet School success story, James Hay, Outstanding Graduate of the Year. Joined The Royal Ballet in August 2008 Johan Persson Quality teaching time with Director of The Royal Ballet School, Gailene Stock Patrick Baldwin Director’s Report It is a reflection of the School’s unstinting hard work, commitment and pursuit of excellence that our Graduates have achieved a 100% employment rate for the second year running – no mean feat in these competitive times. Two male dancers were taken into The Royal Ballet: of classical ballet as an art form. The Kenneth Johan Persson Dawid Trzensimiech, who came to the Upper School MacMillan, Ninette de Valois and Ursula Moreton following the Prix de Lausanne, and James Hay, Choreographic Awards demonstrated once again how who completed his entire training at The Royal the present generation of dancers have embraced Ballet School. this aspect of their training, never ceasing to surprise us with their increasingly sophisticated choice of Showing such promise as an 8-year-old Junior music and use of dancers. Associate, it was no surprise that James progressed to the Lower School, then to Upper School, winning Success was resounding at the 2008 Youth America the 2006 Young British Dancer of the Year Award Grand Prix Award in New York when 2nd Year and a Prix de Lausanne along the way. Taking up students Vadim Muntagirov and Benjamin Ella won his professional contract with The Royal Ballet the Gold and Silver medals respectively. Back on UK Johan Persson completes the circle - a fitting reward for James’ shores, Lucas Lima (2nd Year) was presented with talent and hard work and most gratifying for the Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance everyone involved in his 11 years of training. (judged by Dame Monica Mason DBE and Nina Finburgh, who kindly donates the prize). Three very talented ladies were offered contracts with Birmingham Royal Ballet - Dusty Button, Delia The 2008 Young British Dancer of the Year Award, Mathews and Nicki Moffatt - all of whom have generously sponsored by Ricki Gail Conway, was collected many international awards throughout another chance for students to display their their training. One can see from the full list of potential with William Bracewell (1st Year) national and international contracts detailed on announced as the well-deserved winner. Lower page 27 that the School’s ‘net’ stretches far and School students Sean Bates and Brandon Lawrence Top: Roseanna Leney and Brandon wide indeed.