From the Royal Theatre...

THE SHOW IS ON!
On Friday we launch the 3rd Bournonville Festival with performances of La Ventana and the Kermesse in Bruges at the Old Stage, Kongens Nytorv.



An extravaganza is set to follow featuring magnificent Bournonville ballets performed every evening until the festival reaches its highpoint on 11 June with the grand gala performance Bournonvilleana, which will be televised live by Danish national broadcaster, DR1.




AUGUST BOURNONVILLES PASSAGE
A new address for the Royal Danish Theatre
Coinciding with the festive inauguration of the newly restored square Kongens Nytorv, the first third of the street, Tordenskjoldsgade, has been renamed August Bournonvilles Passage in honour of the illustrious Danish ballet master and choreographer.


BOURNONVILLE CAFÉ AND BOUTIQUE
Old Stage opens its doors

Wandering down the newly renamed passage you might fancy paying a visit to the Old Stage foyer where a new café and boutique will be open during the festival. .



The Bournonville Boutique will be open from 3 – 11 June from noon to 8 pm. It will also be open for theatre-goers exclusively during intermissions. The boutique offers a wide selection of books, CDs, DVDs and other Bournonville memorabilia.



The Bournonville Café is open for service from noon to 5:30 pm with a selection of warm and cold beverages as well as cakes and sandwiches.





BIOGRAPHY BY PROFESSOR DITLEV TAMM

Bournonville portrayed by one of Denmark’s most celebrated historians

May 30th saw the publication of an extensive August Bournonville biography, entitled Bournonville, which portrays the life of the ballet master from his early training in Paris to his time as ballet master at the Royal Danish Theatre with its many triumphs and trepidations.



Bournonville: Gyldendal Publishing House, 385 pages, DKK 349.

Available at the Bournonville Boutique at the Old Stage.





EXHIBITION AT STÆREKASSEN AND AT THE HOME OF BOURNONVILLE

Bournonville the European and private citizen

May 30th also saw the opening at Stærekassen of the last of a series of magnificent August Bournonville exhibitions currently featured at several museums in and around the Danish capital.



The exhibition, entitled Bournonville The European, focuses on the ballet master from a European perspective. Bournonville’s ballet philosophy differed from the contemporary ballet tradition of central and southern Europe by emphasising a characteristically Danish and Nordic ethos regarding Romanticism and its views on human nature. His work is coloured by his candid optimism regarding the inner qualities and strength of man in pursuit of harmony.



On May 28, an exhibition also opened at Bournonville’s private home in Fredensborg, Villa Bournonville, which focuses on the ballet master’s private life within four main themes: Bournonville the private person, the socialising artist, the cultured personality, and the private citizen. The exhibition features letters, diary entries, paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, photographs as well as other items, including books, furniture, and costumes, related to the Bournonville family.



The exhibition at Stærekassen is open every day during the festival period, 30 May – 12 June, from 2pm – 6 pm.

The exhibition at Villa Bournonville is open from 28 May to 28 August, 11 am to 5 pm.




THE BOURNONVILLE POSTER

The festival poster designed by Peter Bonde

One thing is guaranteed with the choice of designer for the official poster of the 3rd Bournonville Festival – we are all in for a surprise!




Ever-controversial Danish artist Peter Bonde lives up to his reputation with the vivid collage posters currently featured across town. But have no fear, Bournonville himself has not been forgotten.



The poster is available at the price of DKK 50 from the Bournonville Boutique at the Old Stage and the Royal Danish Theatre Box Office.



DISCUSSION FORUM ON THE WEB

Discus Bournonville with the world

The Critical Dance website features an open forum where users are invited to share their views on the Royal Danish Ballet and the Bournonville Festival. The site also hosts a People’s Choice competition on Bournonville ballets.



Take part in open discussion and vote for your favourite ballet at:

http://www.ballet-dance.com/bournonville





SEE YOU AT THE 3rd BOURNONVILLE FESTIVAL

The official press release about the five promotions last Friday night, and again congratulations to all five dancers...

PRESS RELEASE

Kristoffer Sakurai appointed as solo dancer


After just one year as soloist, 24-year-old Kristoffer Sakurai was on 5 June appointed solo dancer following his debut as Carelis in The Kermesse in Bruges. Furthermore, four new soloists were appointed.

It is hard to imagine a more festive start to the 3rd Bournonville Festival than the opening night at the Royal Danish Theatre, Old Stage. An international audience of 1300 witnessed the performance of the Spanish-inspired ballet La Ventana and the merry folktale The Kermesse in Bruges. And just as everyone though the evening had come to a close, Director General of the Royal Danish Theatre Michael Christiansen and Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet Frank Andersen appeared on stage to appoint a visibly emotional moved Kristoffer Sakurai as new solo dancer – the most prestigious position a ballet dancer can achieve.

Artistic Director Frank Andersen:
“Kristoffer is widely embracing; in The Kermesse in Bruges he performs Carelis with an air of natural innocence; in The Nutcracker he is the elegant, princely ‘danseur noble’. In his convincing performance as Abdallah, he is a boyish charmer. He has furthermore performed in several other Bournonville ballets as well as contemporary ballets of the modern repertoire.”

However, Frank Andersen had more surprises up his sleeve. Following curtain fall, four dancers were appointed soloists: Polish-born Izabela Sokolowska, who has been with the Royal Danish Ballet since 2002; Chinese dancer Yao Wei, who Frank Andersen spotted at a ballet competition in China in 2002; Susanne Grinder, who received her training at the Royal Danish Theatre Ballet School; and finally Polish dancer Dawid Kupinski, who has been with the Royal Danish Ballet since 2002.