Supporting borne: pre-professional year students perform at borne to dance 2023

Supporting Borne: Pre-professional Year students perform at Borne to Dance 2023

Two of the School’s Pre-professional Year students, Tianie-Finn and Alejandro, took to the stage last Thursday 16 November, on the eve of World Prematurity Day, for a special performance to raise awareness and much-needed funds for research to prevent premature birth. 

Hosted by Artist Laureate of the School, Dame Darcey Bussell and choreographer and former Royal Ballet dancer, Michael Nunn OBE at the magnificent Banqueting House, Borne to Dance 2023 brought together a number of supporters for a magical evening of dance in support of Borne. The evening saw performances from dancers at some of the UK’s leading companies and institutions, including The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert, and our very own students from The Royal Ballet School.

We were honoured to be invited to perform at Borne to Dance 2023 and to support Borne, a charity funding vital medical research and changing the lives of parents and their babies. Premature birth is the leading cause of childhood mortality globally, and more than 60,000 premature babies are born every year in the UK. The evening provided a fantastic opportunity to hear about Borne’s life-saving research and unite in support of advancing knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth to bring about lasting change.

Performing Rhapsody

Our students performed Frederick Ashton’s enchanting Rhapsody pas de deux, rehearsed by Pre-professional year ballet teachers Stuart Cassidy and Jessica Clarke. Stuart expressed his pride towards our Pre-professional Year students and spoke of the performance:

The lead-up to the Borne to Dance Gala was paced very well for our students as they had just rehearsed Rhapsody for a live broadcast on World Ballet Day, which had nearly 300,000 views, so they were well prepared! Tianie-Finn and Alejandro were the first performers of the evening, and they represented The Royal Ballet School proudly with their interpretation. Their performance received great applause, and it was evident that they were enjoying themselves on stage. I am very proud of both students; well done!

José Carayol, Head of Artistic Programmes and Production said:

It was truly magical to witness the energy at this event. Live art fulfilled its mission of being a vehicle to support an important cause. There was a sense of community, all joining forces to raise awareness and champion the continued investment in ground-breaking research to give babies a new start. How wonderful our students could contribute to such an important cause.

Congratulations to Tianie-Finn and Alejandro on a wonderful performance and our staff for their expert tutelage. To Borne, thank you for enabling this opportunity to support such an important cause.

Image: Photographed by Annabel Moeller.