Article on RB's tour to australia next year in the Sydney Morning Herald<P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/news/0106/11/features/features14.html" TARGET=_blank> <B> New boy Stretton mixes, matches and then dispatches </B> </A><BR>

My aunt has invited me to visit her in Sydney for my summer holidays next year - looks like she's going to be taken at her word! I wish they would come just a little further to Asia though, the program lineup is really good. <P>By the way, if Kevin and Terry are reading this - my trip to Japan is definitely shelved because of the changes in my school schedule. Blah. Thanks for all your help though.

<BR><small>Royal Ballet Principal Artist Alina Cojocaru</small><P><B>Royal Tour</B><BR>Fiona McFarlane, <I>State of the Arts</I><P>As if the international tour schedule didn't already look bright enough for Australia, the England's Royal Ballet are making their way Down Under for a national tour in 2002. State of the Arts spoke to Anthony Russell-Roberts, the Ballet's Administrative Director and problem-solver extraordinaire.<P>The Ballet's 2002 Australian tour is a landmark event: 14 years since the Ballet last toured Australia, and first tour for Ross Stretton, formerly Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet, who took up his new post at the Royal Ballet early in 2001. Swan Lake is on the program for the Australian tour, along with Giselle and a Triple Bill of rarely seen masterworks by British choreographers. The whole company will tour, including every one of the Ballet's principal dancers and Principal Guest Artist - and international star - Sylvie Guillem.<P><A HREF="http://www.stateart.com.au/sota/performing/default.asp?fid=496" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A>

Juliet Herd speaks to Darcey Bussell for The Australian:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>CURLED up on a sofa in grey knitted leggings and black web-like top with her hair scraped back, Darcey Bussell resembles a small, delicate spider. A tired one. It is 10 months since the dramatic early arrival of her daughter Phoebe by emergency caesarean – after Bussell developed pre-eclampsia and nearly died – and four months since her return to full-time work as Britain's most celebrated ballerina.<P>Bussell, 33 next month, has lost the soft roundness to her face that she acquired during pregnancy and kept for several months after, but most obvious of all is the plunge in her weight. "I'm a bit knackered at the moment," says Bussell with some understatement, acknowledging that she is under her normal 51kg for her 1.7m height. "It's only because I've been very busy. I just have to watch it. My husband keeps me in check – he'll say, 'You're working very hard now, you've got to eat more,' and cooks for me. You can tell when the [Royal Ballet] company is very busy – everybody just shrivels away."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,3993567%255E16953,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

An elegance of energy<BR>April 29, 2002<BR>Sydney Morning Herald<P>The new stars of Britain's Royal Ballet have a fierce determination and talent, writes Valerie Lawson. <P>More than 60 years ago, Australia was entranced by a new phenomenon, the "baby ballerinas". The three little stars were the marketable face of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, giving a focus and appealing publicity angle to the travelling troupe.<P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/28/1019441322717.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

<B>THE ROYAL BALLET AUSTRALIAN TOUR <BR>31 May – 7 July 2001</B><P>From the <A HREF="http://www.royalballet.org/News/Index.cfm?ccs=228&cs=569" TARGET=_blank><B>ROH website</B></A>.<P><B>TOUR DATES AND CASTING</B><P><B>BRISBANE <BR>Swan Lake</B> Lyric Theatre <P>31 May <BR>Bussell, <B>Gael Lambiotte</B><P>1 (mat), 3 June <BR><B>Tapper, Lambiotte</B><P>1 June <BR>Benjamin, Kobborg <P>2 (mat), 4 June <BR>Yoshida, Putrov <P><B>SYDNEY<BR>Swan Lake</B> , Capital Theatre <P>7, 11 June <BR>Bussell, Cope <P>8(mat), 10 June <BR>Benjamin, Tewsley <P>8 June <BR>Rojo, <B>Gael Lambiotte</B> <P>9 (mat), 13 June <BR>Yoshida, Putrov <P>12 June <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P><B>Giselle</B> <P>15 (mat) June <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P>15, 17 June <BR>Guillem, Cope <P>16 (mat) June <BR>Rojo, Tewsley <P>16 June <BR>Yoshida, Putrov <P>18 June <BR>Bussell, <B>Gael Lambiotte</B><P><B>Triple Bill</B> <BR>Tryst<BR>20, 21, 22 June <BR>Bussell, Cope <P>The Leaves are Fading<BR>20, 21, 22 June <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P>Marguerite & Armand<BR>20, 22 (mat) 22 June <BR>Guillem, Murru <P>Tryst<BR>22 (mat), 23 (mat) June<BR>To Be Announced <P>The Leaves are Fading<BR>22 (mat), 23 (mat) June <BR>To Be Announced <P>Marguerite & Armand<BR>21, 23 (mat) June <BR>Guillem, TBA <P><B>MELBOURNE <BR>Swan Lake</B>, State Theatre <P>27 June <BR>Bussell, Cope <P>28 June, 1 July <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P>29 (mat) June <BR>Yoshida, Putrov <P>29 June <BR>Rojo, <B>Gael Lambiotte</B> <P>30 (mat) June <BR>Benjamin, Tewsley <P><B>Triple Bill</B> <BR>Tryst<BR>3, 4 July <BR>Bussell, Cope <P>The Leaves are Fading<BR>3, 4 July <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P>Marguerite & Armand<BR>3, 4 July <BR>Guillem, TBA <P>Tryst<BR>5 July <BR>To Be Announced <P>The Leaves are Fading<BR>5 July <BR>To Be Announced <P>Marguerite & Armand<BR>5 July <BR>Guillem, Murru <P><B>Giselle</B> <BR>6 (mat) July <BR>Cojocaru, Kobborg <P>6 July <BR>Guillem, Cope <P>7 (mat) July <BR>Bussell, <B>Gael Lambiotte</B> <P>7 July <BR>Benjamin, Tewsley <BR><p>[This message has been edited by sylvia (edited June 04, 2002).]

From the <A HREF="http://www.biziworks.com.au/biziworks/BiziGen?ownerID=CURTAIN&docID=155" TARGET=_blank><B>Edgley International website</B></A> which is presenting the RB Australia tour.<P>Gael Lambiotte from Boston Ballet (I think) is replacing Inaki Urlezaga in all his performances of Swan Lake with Tamara Rojo and Giselle with Darcey Bussell. I've highlighted his name in bold in the casting details above.<p>[This message has been edited by sylvia (edited May 27, 2002).]

Darcey Bussell in the Sydney Morning Herald:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The world's most famous ballerina, seen by many as the natural successor to the late Dame Margot Fonteyn, is late for work. She arrives an hour after our scheduled interview time, breathless with the rush and sounding exhausted.<P>"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting," she gasps. "I had a show last night and I found it hard getting up this morning. Phoebe woke me up at 6.30am."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/28/1022569770090.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

Valerie Lawson writes in the Sydney Morning Herald:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>On the eve of the Royal Ballet's tour of Australia, the company has scored a major hit with Tryst, the only work commissioned by its artistic director, Ross Stretton, in his first year.<P>The ballet, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, is coming to Australia in the tour which starts in Brisbane at the end of next week. <P>"Everything about Tryst is a triumph," wrote The Times' critic Debra Craine, while The Guardian gave it a maximum rating of five stars.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/23/1022038457278.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

There were a few cast changes in Brisbane: Gael Lambiotte replaced Jonathan Cope in Swan Lake on Saturday, Jamie Tapper and Robert Tewsley replaced Tamara Rojo and Gael Lambiotte on Saturday (m) and Monday. The performances in Brisbane are pretty much finished already but if the changes are due to injuries, they're a good indicator of cast changes in Sydney and Melbourne.<P>I've highlighted the changes so far in bold in the clast list above.<P>So Jamie Tapper finally got to dance Odile-Odette - another debut missed! It would be a shame if Brisbane got to see her twice while we in London are left to keep waiting and waiting!<p>[This message has been edited by sylvia (edited June 04, 2002).]

Any Australian readers planning to see the Royal? How about you Jennifer?

The Australian reviews the Royal Ballet's <I>Swan Lake</I>:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The Royal Ballet's reputation precedes its arrival for this Australian tour and expectations are high. Local assumptions about quality of dancing and choreography reflect a knowledge of the company's traditions and role in developing British choreographers for the ballet, most notably Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan.<P>It is the production of Swan Lake by one of Britain's finest dancers and previous director of the Royal Ballet Anthony Dowell, that is currently whetting the appetite of Brisbane audiences.<P>This 1987 production is yet another evolutionary development of a ballet that has its origins in the late 19th century. This classic is just that, a classic, no revolution occurring on stage in our centuries, as Dowell's version was meticulously based on research into the Marius Petipa-Lev Ivanov version of 1895.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,4439909%255E16953,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR><p>[This message has been edited by Malcolm Tay (edited June 05, 2002).]

Valerie Lawson writes about poor Jonathan Cope in The Sydney Morning Herald:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Ballet star rallies for a tall order</B><BR>June 7 2002<BR> <BR>Jonathan Cope, the most senior male dancer with England's Royal Ballet, went to his first daily class in Australia last week and promptly collapsed behind the piano.<P>It wasn't jet lag but a virus that put him out of contention for the company's opening night in Brisbane last Friday.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/06/1022982745828.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

Sylvie Guillem in The Sydney Morning Herald:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Boiling point</B><BR>June 8, 2002<P>Sylvie Guillem has a towering reputation. "Her style knows no limits, her dancing is perfection itself," says The Guardian. "With Guillem, it's as if everyone else is acting and she's the original article," states the Independent on Sunday. "It's a privilege - perhaps the greatest single aesthetic revelation of my life - to have been able to [see her develop] from an Olympian technician into the ultimate expressive artist," says the London Daily Telegraph's reviewer. And at 37, Guillem is at the peak of her powers, recognised as the greatest ballet dancer in the world.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/07/1022982767297.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><BR>

More changes to the cast unfortunately. Keep checking back on the <A HREF="http://www.biziworks.com.au/biziworks/BiziGen?ownerID=CURTAIN&docID=155" TARGET=_blank><B>Edgley site</B></A> for updates on casting.<BR><p>[This message has been edited by sylvia (edited June 10, 2002).]