NEXT GENERATION LINBURY THEATRE, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Wednesday 16 June 2021, 7.45pm Thursday 17 June 2021, 7.45pm 1 NEXT GENERATION PROGRAMME Altogether Sir Richard Alston CBE How to Leave Connor Scott Hey Honey Vidya Patel A Thousand Shepherds (excerpt) Jose Agudo Interval Junun (Madness of Love) Darshan Singh Bhuller Un(i)Form Sonatas Cameron McMillan A People Sound Robbie Ordoña Overflow Monique Jonas This performance will last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including one 30-minute interval. 2 NEXT GENERATION WELCOME WELCOME FROM WELCOME FROM AMANDA BRITTON LOUISE VERRILL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PRINCIPAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHAIR OF TRUSTEES Founded in 1920 by Marie Rambert, Rambert School is recognised as one Rambert School marked its centenary of the world’s finest professional dance last year. However, as the COVID institutions and I was extremely proud pandemic spread across the globe our to take over as its Chair in July 2020. planned celebrations never took place, Despite the enormous challenges of and the choreography specially COVID the School, under the brilliant created in 2020 to mark an incredible leadership of Amanda Britton, 100 years of Rambert School was has gone from strength to strength, sadly never performed in public. building on its 101 year history and We are therefore all tremendously excited to see the continuing to raise the bar on excellence. students back on stage in this, their first performance The challenges of the last year have provided an invaluable in eighteen months. Tonight both second and third year insight into the DNA of the School. The ability and complexities students will be featured in no less than eight new works to change and adapt without warning, recognising the which have been created for them by guest choreographers importance of individual vulnerability and, critically, Darshan Singh Bhuller and Sir Richard Alston CBE (second collaborative support to all. The School has shown itself to year students), and Cameron McMillan, Robbie Ordoña, be a “real” family, caring, nurturing and understanding Monique Jonas, Jose Agudo, Connor Scott and Vidya Patel fundamentally the importance of creativity to the human (third year students). All of these works have come to psyche. Combining these sensitivities with standards of being since 8 March 2021, when students were allowed to excellence is a rare commodity. return to our studios following the most recent lockdown. Creating this body of work in a very short time is a Over the next few years plans are afoot to push our tremendous achievement, and a testament to the immense boundaries ever further giving more opportunities for dedication and hard work by all at Rambert School: the innovation, creativity, and state of the art facilities. This students, the choreographers, and every member of staff. is a phenomenal time in the life of the School and we would be thrilled if you would join us on this exceptional and The students remained in their small training ‘bubbles’ exciting journey. throughout the creation processes, and physical contact between them was necessarily limited, so the choreography is, for the most part, socially distanced. Due to the logistical challenges brought about by COVID, the students’ own choreography does not feature in this programme. However, they have continued to create their own work during the pandemic: filmed works have been shared online, and new live works will be seen at our Platform l Student Choreography performances to be held at Rambert School in July. Every single member of our School community has shown incredible resilience during these hugely challenging times and there has been some interesting learning too. We have recognised the fundamental importance of creativity to us all as human beings. We have used technology in new ways but learned that there is no substitute for real human contact. Above all we have seen that a mere global pandemic is not going to get in the way of our students’ passion to create and perform! I feel unbelievably proud of what everyone has achieved over the past eighteen months in the most difficult of circumstances. Tonight’s performance is dedicated to the memory of Rambert School’s longstanding Patron, Sir Robert Cohan, who so generously gave us his wisdom, support and encouragement over many years. 3 NEXT GENERATION RAMBERT SCHOOL Rambert School is a world-leading centre of ballet and individual physical differences and which fosters contemporary dance training; a dance education innovator, personal reflection and research. This holistic approach to we shape new generations of dance professionals to the nurturing talent is what sets a Rambert School graduate highest standard. Our international influence and apart from their peers, making them the first choice for reputation honours the name of Marie Rambert, the iconic Artistic Directors. Polish dance pioneer of the Ballet Russes who founded the School in the UK in 1920. Under Marie Rambert’s guiding In recent years we have launched Rambert2 and Rambert light, Rambert School and the Ballet Rambert dance Grades with Rambert (dance company). Rambert2 is a company which flowered from it became synonymous with one-year MA course in Professional Dance Performance technical excellence and thrilling creativity, qualities that and has played a major part in strengthening our cultural continue to define the School to this day. significance and impact taking distinctive, world-class dance to more people in more places. Rambert Grades Fuelled by innovation and creativity, we play a key part aims to broaden, enthuse, develop and support grass-roots in the professional dance sector. We train the very best dance accessibility by providing a graded syllabus for the in dance talent producing industry ready dancers and study of contemporary dance. As Rambert Grades develops choreographers. We are the only Conservatoire level school and is adopted across grass-roots dance, we will consider in the UK to offer a degree programme with dual focus in how we might use it to identify and support a broader range both ballet and contemporary dance, ensuring we give of learners to gain access to Rambert School’s training. our students a sound technical training. We have also worked hard to play our part in widening Our students represent the very best in dance talent. participation in dance and the School’s new Learning and They are the future of the creative industries and our very Participation programme is a key focus for the School. existence is to ensure we help them reach their potential. Community classes and projects with local schools and Graduates of the School have included some of history’s colleges across the region have the aim of increasing most significant dancers, teachers, choreographers, diversity and igniting passion in the next generation of academics, producers and directors and with a history dance professionals. spanning 100 years Rambert School has and continues to make a significant impact on the cultural sector both In the past five years we have undergone a rapid nationally and internationally. period of change, both cementing the core philosophies of the training and opening doors for new developments The essence of the School is creativity, passion, and and innovations. Whilst we celebrate our success, we expression and this is found in all of our students. We believe we are only at the beginning of our journey taking receive approximately four hundred applications each year the School into its next century. We have ambitious plans and award just forty-five places in our first year based to further our work, increase our reach both nationally purely on talent. 46% of our students come from overseas. and internationally and remain a driving force of Each individual is carefully supported during training, dance education with an international reputation through a programme which is flexible enough to cater for of significance. 5 NEXT GENERATION THIRD YEAR STUDENTS 2020/21 Nana-Yaa Appiah Íris Ásmundardóttir Anna Barbieri Llewelyn Brown Aurora Casatori Amber Clark Ryan Clinton Power Matteo Cogliandro Sellaroli Berwyn Cooper William Darby Alexandra De La Bastide Gabrielle De Souza Jacquet Kaiden De’Souza-Spencer Samuel Dilkes Dominika Dosedlova Kana Goto Seirian Griffiths Chia-Yu Hsu Towa Iwase William James 6 NEXT GENERATION Anya Kahn Kurumi Kamayachi James Knott Maharu Kumakawa Tierney Lawlor Rosanna Lindsey Tenaya Long Holly McLaughlin Casper Mott Ciaran Oakley Pearl Okada Hikaru Okuno Sophie Ormiston Sarah Saad Atsuro Sakata Diletta Savini Gerard White Janacek Wood William Wright-Neblett Chih-Yuan Yang 7 NEXT GENERATION PROGRAMME INFORMATION ALTOGETHER HOW TO LEAVE HEY HONEY Choreography Choreography Choreography Sir Richard Alston CBE Connor Scott and dancers Vidya Patel and dancers With thanks to my rehearsal assistant Rehearsal assistant Original music score Liam Riddick Holly Vallis Shammi Pithia Music Music Dancers (from third year) Cinques Melodies Populaires Grecques, Johnny Cash, Moss Kissing and Íris Ásmundardóttir, Anna Barbieri, tenor Ilja Aksionov and Kaddish, tenor Donnie & Joe Emerson Llewelyn Brown, Amber Clark, Lazlo Keringer both Maurice Ravel Costumes Matteo Cogliandro Sellaroli, Costumes Kurumi Kamayachi, Rosanna Lindsey, Kat Collings and Connor Scott Co-ordinated by Paul Clarke Tenaya Long, Holly McLaughlin, Special thanks Casper Mott, Hikaru Okuno, Dancers (from second year) Lauren Scott and Cassie Adams Diletta Savini Wednesday 16 June: Sky Bebbington, Elisa Blasi, Dancers (from third year) Hey Honey draws inspiration from the life Felicity Chadwick, Anna Daly, Aurora Casatori, Berwyn Cooper, of honeybees, their social interactions Maddie Duffield, Harri Eiffert, Kaiden De’Souza-Spencer, Sam Dilkes, and symbolic references within folklore, Hannah Kremer, Sophie O’Leary, Dominika Dosedlova, Kana Goto, mythology and religion across the world Anna Smith, Thalia Tulkens, Towa Iwase, Anya Kahn, James Knott, relating to birth, death life cycles, divine Harry Wilson Tierney Lawlor, Pearl Okada, femininity and nature as well as spiritual Atsuro Sakata, Janecek Wood Thursday 17 June: beliefs of honeybees within worlds of Swami Biliotti, Milla Brinsden, afterlife and on earth.