Chair’s Circle 2025
On Thursday 30 January, we welcomed some of our most dedicated supporters to the Chair’s Circle. This was a particularly special occasion as it marked the first official event for our new Chair, Natasha Kaplinsky, who shared her excitement of joining at this pivotal moment in the School’s history as we approach our 100-year anniversary.
The evening’s Grand Jeté programme was curated by the students of The Royal Ballet School, to honour all the School’s students, past, present and future. It was a true celebration of the breadth and depth of talent and potential that is nurtured at the School, showcasing the students as artists and performers, as movers of audiences and storytellers, as choreographers, musicians and even poets. The night was compered by Pre-professional Year student Matteo Curley-Bynoe and 2nd Year student Emma Lucano.
Performance highlights
To open the evening, our 1st Year students performed the Waltz from Act I of The Sleeping Beauty choreographed by Sir Peter Wright after Marius Petipa.
We then saw a performance that left many members of the audience teary eyed, when Farbizzio Ulloa Cornejo danced The Dying Swan solo by Calvin Richardson. This captivating performance earned him joint 2nd place in the 2024 Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance.
Our White Lodge students charmed the audience with excerpts from La Fille Mal Gardée and Coppélia, while Year 11 student Rose Milner’s Rich Man’s Frug stood out for its originality.
Guests were also treated to a sneak peek of what they can expect to see at our upcoming Summer Performances later this year with the White Couple’s pas de deux and Blue Boy solo from Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs.
The night took a moment to pause from dance to showcase the depth of artistry our students hold beyond ballet, with a performance by Denis Teixeira of movements 3 and 4 of Ziguenerwisen, Op. 20 on the violin. There was another opportunity to share the creativity encouraged at the School with a poem by Year 10 student Scarlett Wimshurst, 14 Candles, which earned her the School Award for National Poetry Day.
The evening closed with a mini Defilé celebrating the journey of a student through the School, from their first steps as Associates to the Pre-Professional Year studentspreparing to grand jeté onto the world stage.
A special conversation
To close the evening, Kristen McNally, Principal Character Artist of The Royal Ballet, choreographer and alumna of the School, joined Artistic Director Iain Mackay in conversation about her journey as both a dancer and a choreographer at The Royal Ballet. McNally emphasised that students shouldn’t feel like they have to choose between being a dancer or a choreographer, but that they can do both.
Thank you
We are so proud of our students for showcasing their artistry on this evening, and extend our thanks to Natasha Kaplinsky and our Chair’s Circle for their transformational support and philanthropy of the School.
