Watch The Royal Ballet as the whole Company reunites on their home stage to perform a spectacular collection of highlights from their repertory. After an absence of seven months, The Royal Ballet are joined by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House to broadcast this live performance from the Main Stage to wherever you are in the world in a celebration of ballet.

This celebration, curated by Royal Ballet Director, Kevin O’Hare, will shine a light on the acclaimed artistry and incredible talent of the dancers, the dazzling breadth of the Company’s distinctive repertory and the brilliance of the Royal Opera House creative and production teams.

Royal Ballet Principals Matthew Ball, Federico Bonelli, Alexander Campbell, Francesca Hayward, Ryoichi Hirano, Sarah Lamb, Laura Morera, Vadim Muntagirov, Yasmine Naghdi, Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova, Marcelino Sambé, Akane Takada and Edward Watson return to the stage with the full Company, joined by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and conducted by Jonathan Lo.

This performance is dedicated to the late Ian Taylor, in grateful recognition of his service as Chair of the Board of Trustees, his long standing passionate advocacy for the arts, and along with his wife, Tina, for exceptional philanthropic support of the Royal Opera House.

Please note that all ROH performances and participating artists are subject to change due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

In order to ensure the safety of the dancers and prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, mitigations have included strict social distancing in the studio alongside testing for those dancers in physical contact during rehearsals. 

Programme 

Introduced by Anita Rani

Overture from The Sleeping Beauty  

Music Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Performed by Orchestra of the Royal Opera House 

Excerpt from Untouchable

Choreography Hofesh Shechter; Music Hofesh Shechter and Nell Catchpole 

Dancers Luca Acri, Mica Bradbury, Annette Buvoli, Harry Churches, Ashley Dean, Leo Dixon, Téo Dubreuil, Benjamin Ella, Isabella Gasparini, Hannah Grennell, James Hay, Joshua Junker, Paul Kay, Isabel Lubach, Kristen McNally, Aiden O’Brien, Romany Pajdak, Calvin Richardson, Francisco Serrano, David Yudes 

Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake 

Choreography Lev Ivanov; Music Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky; Costume designer John Macfarlane 

Dancers Akane Takada (Odette), Federico Bonelli (Prince Siegfried) 

In Our Wishes 

Choreography Cathy Marston; Music Sergey Rachmaninoff; Costume designer Roksanda 

Dancers Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke; Solo piano Kate Shipway 

‘Diamonds’ pas de deux from Jewels 

Choreography George Balanchine; Music Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky; Costume designer Karinska 

Dancers Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano 

‘If I loved you’ pas de deux from Carousel 

Choreography Kenneth MacMillan; Music Richard Rodgers, arranged by Martin Yates; Costume designer Bob Crowley 

Dancers Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball 

Finale from Within the Golden Hour 

Choreography Christopher Wheeldon; Music Ezio Bosso; Costume designer Jasper Conran 

Dancers Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Marcelino Sambé, Fumi Kaneko, Reece Clarke, Yasmine Naghdi, Nicol Edmonds, Ashley Dean, Isabella Gasparini, Hannah Grennell, Romany Pajdak, Luca Acri, David Donnelly, Téo Dubreuil, Benjamin Ella 

The Dream  

Choreography Frederick Ashton; Music Felix Mendelssohn; Costume designer David Walker  

‘Scherzo’ 

Dancers William Bracewell (Oberon), Valentino Zucchetti (Puck), Mica Bradbury (Peaseblossom), Leticia Dias (Cobweb), Ashley Dean (Moth), Isabella Gasparini (Mustardseed) 

Pas de deux 

Dancers Laura Morera (Titania), Alexander Campbell (Oberon) 

Act I pas de deux from La Fille mal gardée 

Choreography Frederick Ashton; Music Ferdinand Hérold; Arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery; Costume designer Osbert Lancaster 

Dancers Anna Rose O’Sullivan (Lise), Marcelino Sambé (Colas) 

Act I pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet 

Choreography Kenneth MacMillan; Music Sergey Prokofiev; Costume designer Nicholas Georgiadis  

Dancers Francesca Hayward (Juliet), Cesar Corrales (Romeo) 

Solo from Medusa 

Choreography Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; Music Henry Purcell; Costume designer Olivia Pomp.  

Dancer Natalia Osipova (Medusa); Solo violin Vasko Vassilev; Solo cello Christopher Vanderspar  

‘I now, I then’ from Woolf Works 

Choreography Wayne McGregor; Music Max Richter; Costume designer Moritz Junge 

Dancers Edward Watson, Akane Takada, Calvin Richardson 

Act III pas de deux from Don Quixote 

Choreography Marius Petipa; Music Ludwig Minkus, arranged and orchestrated by Martin Yates; Costume designer Tim Hatley 

Dancers Marianela Nuñez (Kitri) and Vadim Muntagirov (Basilio) 

Doncaster Dances

Highlights from the Royal Opera House Learning and Participation dance film, Doncaster Dances. Made in collaboration with The Royal Ballet, Cast and Doncaster Council. Featuring Charlotte Tonkinson, Joseph Aumeer, David Pickering and residents of Doncaster. 

Elite Syncopations 

Choreography Kenneth MacMillan; Music Scott Joplin and other Ragtime composers; Costume designer Ian Spurling 

• ‘Sunflower Slow Drag’/’Elite Syncopations’ The Company 
• ‘The Cascades’ Claire Calvert, Gina Storm-Jensen and Romany Pajdak 
• ‘Hot-House Rag’ Benjamin Ella, Téo Dubreuil, Fernando Montaño and David Yudes 
• ‘Calliope Rag’ Claire Calvert 
• ‘The Golden Hours’ Meaghan Grace Hinkis and Luca Acri 
• ‘Stop Time Rag’ Yasmine Naghdi 
• ‘The Alaskan Rag’ Melissa Hamilto and Paul Kay  
• ‘Bethena (Concert Waltz)’ Yasmine Naghdi and Nicol Edmonds 
• ‘Friday Night’ James Hay 
• ‘Cataract Rag’ The Company 

Violin 1 Vasko Vassilev; Violin 2 Anna Blackmur; Viola Amelie Roussel; Cello Christopher Vanderspar; Bass Paul Kimber; Flute Christopher Green; Clarinet Marina Finnamore; Trumpets Nicholas Betts and John Shaddock; Trombone Lindsay Shilling; Tuba Michael Levis; Drum kit Nigel Charman 

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The Dream and La Fille mal gardée are just two of over one hundred works created by Frederick Ashton™ (1904–88). The Frederick Ashton Foundation, a registered charity working independently of, but in close association with, The Royal Ballet, exists to enrich the legacy of Frederick Ashton™ and his ballets. For further information, visit frederickashton.org.uk 

The performance of the ‘Diamonds’ pas de deux, a Balanchine Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique®. 

The performance of Elite Syncopations and excerpts from Carousel and Romeo and Juliet are presented by kind permission of Kenneth MacMillan and Partner. 

Music Credits 

La Fille mal gardée by Ferdinand Hérold in the arrangement and orchestration by John Lanchbery ©Oxford University Press 1963, 2003. Performed by arrangement with Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. 5007040 125.00 

Woolf Works Composed by Max Richter. Published by Mute Song Limited 

The performance Romeo and Juliet is given by permission of Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishers Limited