Newsletter from the Royal Danish Ballet, October & November 2006

“I was called back to Denmark in 2002 to bring the company together; to ensure the future position of Bournonville, such as at The 3rd Bournonville Festival in 2005, and to reposition the Royal Danish Bal-let on the world map. Mission accomplished!”
Artistic Director Frank Andersen


Read about:
• Frank Andersen seeks new challenges
• Danish premiere: Schumann’s 2nd Symphony staged with Etudes
• Three world premieres: Dance Mozart!
• Next month
• Other premieres and revivals in October and November

Artistic Director Frank Andersen seeks new challenges
Frank Andersen has announced that he does not intend to continue as artistic direc-tor of the Royal Danish Ballet when his tenure expires in 2008. The Royal Danish Theatre Board of Directors offered to prolong his contract until 2011, but Frank Andersen has declined the offer and wishes to seek new challenges:

“I was called back to Denmark in 2002 to bring the company together; to ensure the future position of Bournonville, such as at The 3rd Bournonville Festival in 2005, and to reposition the Royal Danish Ballet on the world map. I hand over a company which today stands stronger than it has for many years, artistically and technically as well as nationally and internationally. The Bournonville Festival was precisely the kind of international event that everyone dreamt of. Now I can say without a quiver: Mission accomplished!”

The Board of Directors has accepted Frank Andersen’s decision with regret and the vacant position (as of the summer of 2008) will be advertised this season.


Danish premiere: Schumann’s 2nd Symphony performed with Etudes
The Royal Danish Ballet’s first premiere this season promises to be a poetic tour de force and marks the first staging of a ballet at the Royal Danish Theatre under the helm of German choreographer Uwe Scholz. The technically demanding, super-aesthetic Schumann’s 2nd Symphony in concert with Harald Lander’s masterly ballet Etudes also marks the season’s ultimate physical challenge for the Royal Dan-ish Ballet. More than 60 dancers on stage and 70 musicians in the pit are set to deliver a high-calibre performance out of the ordinary. The solo variations will be performed by several of the Royal Danish Ballet’s principal dancers, including Silja Schandorff, Kenneth Greve, Caroline Cavallo, Jean-Lucien Massot, Mads Blangstrup, Andrew Bowman, Gudrun Bojesen, Gitte Lindstrøm and Kristoffer Sakurai.

Old Stage October 2006 |21|22|24|26|28|31|
November 2006 |01|16|18|22|24|


World premiere: Dance Mozart!
What would a ballet set to music by Mozart look like? That’s what three Nordic choreographers have set out to investigate. The ballets by Jorma Elo (Finland), Pär Isberg (Sweden) and Louise Midjord (Denmark) mark the Royal Danish Ballet’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the great Austrian composer. All ballets represent a contemporary Mozart vision, and even the classi-cally rooted choreography will be modern in approach. Louise Midjord, who in re-cent years has produced several works for the Royal Danish Ballet and the Danish modern dance scene, invites audiences on a trip to the woods where we meet a young girl who leads a life in accord with nature until the day she is suddenly both-ered by a young man in a suit who showers her with love. Jorma Elo will perform a cool, spare pas de deux where modern dance meets the classical world of Mozart. And Pär Isberg invites the music on stage where pianist Julian Thurber accom-panies the dancers whose costumes revel in Rococo refinements.
Operaen, Takkelloftet, November 2006 |10|11|13|15|17|19|19|

Next month
The revival of Peter Martin’s Swan Lake will premiere at the Main Stage at the opera house, Operaen, in December. Don’t miss the Royal Danish Ballet’s Christmas gift to all lovers of ballet!

Other premieres and revivals in October and November:
Guest performance: Mancopy’s Stringens
- Four choreographers dish out raw dance.
Operaen, Takkelloftet, October 2006 |06|07|09|10|11|

Children’s ballet: Paper Cuts
- An imaginative and vivid journey through the fairytale world of Hans Christian Andersen.
Operaen, Main Stage, October 2006 |14|14|15|15|16|16|17|17|

Guest performance: The Tivoli Gardens Pantomime Theatre
Love in the Dustbin
- Set design by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.
Stærekassen November 2006 |27|28|29|30|30|
December 2006 |01|01|04|05|06|07|07|08|08|

Newsletter from the Royal Danish Ballet, December 2006

“The ballet of ballets of which there can only be one: »Swan Lake«. We all know the music: Tchaikovsky’s immortal score from 1877, the epitome of classical bal-let music. The choreography set to this arousing music is the work of Peter Mar-tins; and world-renowned Danish visual artist Per Kirkeby has created the evocative and whimsical set design in which the story unfolds. Our version of »Swan Lake« was a huge success when it was created for the Royal Danish Bal-let in 1996, and now audiences can enjoy it yet again – this time at the new wa-terside opera house.”
Artistic Director Frank Andersen



Featured in this newsletter:
• Schumann’s 2nd Symphony and Etudes enthusiastically received
• This year’s Christmas present to ballet fans: Swan Lake
• Napoli starring new dancers in the leading parts
• Photos from the Royal Danish Ballet
• January 2007
• Premieres and revivals during December and January

Schumann’s 2nd Symphony enthusiastically received
Danish and other Scandinavian critics grasped for superlatives following the pre-miere of Uwe Scholz’ Schumann’s 2nd Symphony. The ballet is the first by Scholz to be staged by the Royal Danish Ballet, offering Danish audiences an entirely new experience. The ballet, lauded as much by audiences as the critics, has been twinned with Harald Lander’s Etudes to create a neoclassical program that challenges the Danish dancers to perform their utmost.
Vibeke Wern, arts correspondent for Danish national daily Berlingske Tidende, quotes Scholz as saying that he regards himself as being a cross between Cranko and Balanchine, and she concludes: “Such a neoclassical cocktail is exactly what you experience with »Schumann’s 2nd Symphony«, created for 24 dancers. The many imaginative and sky-high lifts of female dancers by male dancers are clearly inspired by choreographer John Cranko. And Scholz subscribes to the Bal-anchine legacy with his great sense of music, refined sense of style, his superb sense of space – with small formations of dancers offset by larger groups – and the clear-cut aesthetics he applies to his modelled dancers, clad in simple blue leotards.” Like most critics, Vibeke Wern awarded the performance 5 out of 6 stars.

This year’s Christmas present to ballet fans: Swan Lake
This year, Danish ballet audiences can look forward to a Christmas cocktail with a zing. Peter Martins’ critically acclaimed Swan Lake with set design by world-renowned Danish visual artist Per Kirkeby will be performed at the new opera house for the very first time. When it premiered in 1996, Swan Lake had been off the repertoire for 20 years, so Martins’ new staging filled a gaping hole in the Royal Danish Ballet repertoire. Music is at the core of Martins’ version of this classic of ballets: “It is first and foremost inspired by Tchaikovsky. I know that »Swan Lake« was originally a commissioned work, composed to accompany an existing libretto, but the music has over time proved more compelling than the story, which is often changed and reinterpreted.”

The set design is by world-renowned Danish visual artist Per Kirkeby, and it’s in the sets that the original four acts are most vividly portrayed. The costumes and sets have been created to reflect the unfolding story – from the golden, carefree life of Act One to the amorous enrapture of the enchanted forest in Act Two, followed by the formal royal court ball with its heavy baroque costumes in Act Three. And finally, the dark, obscure landscape of Act Four where all is tragically lost.

Main Stage, Operaen, Dec. 2006 |03|04|06|08|09|12|13|15|16|18|22|
January 2007 |17|19|20|22|24|31|
February 2007 |03|


Napoli starring new dancers in the leading parts
If you are looking for a more festive alternative to Swan Lake then look no further than August Bournonville’s Napoli, which will be performed at the Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage shortly before Christmas. The ballet, which is the most per-formed ballet of the Danish repertoire, is set to feature an entirely new cast of dancers in the leading parts. Soloist Tim Matiakis, who is of Swedish and Greek descent, will debut in the leading part as the young Gennaro, who ventures to the rescue of his beloved Terresina. The female leading part will also feature a debutant, namely soloist Diana Cuni. It is almost five years since a dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet has held her debut as Terresina, and it always poses a special challenge to take on such a major role in a Bournonville ballet.
Old Stage, December 2006 |20|21| January 2007 |16|23| February 2007 |02|06| March 2007 |27| April 2007 |13|21|

Photos of the Royal Danish Ballet
We constantly seek to expand our portfolio of press images. In recent years, we have benefited greatly from our collaboration with in-house photographer David Amzallag, who has taken a great many photos at rehearsal that focus on the interaction between dancers and choreographers. Our official website www.kglteater.dk features an extensive image gallery, but please feel free to contact me if you do not find what you are looking for.

January 2007
The Royal Danish Theatre will host a guest performance entitled Satisfaction featured by Peter Schaufuss and his company. The ballet not only traces the story of the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones but also seeks to mirror an age of great social upheaval.
Main Stage, Operaen, January 2007 |26|27|28|28|


Other premieres and revivals in December and January:
Guest performance for children with Corona La Balance:
Sundance and Moonshine
January 2007 |09|09|10|11|11|12|13|13|

Guest performance for children with Uppercut Dance Theatre
City of Angels
January 2007 |30|30|31|31|
February 2007 |01|01|02|02|03|03|04|04|

Read more about the performances and the company at www.kglteater.dk.

Newsletter from the Royal
Danish Ballet, February and
March 2007


“Restrictions should always be challenged – we’ve never been afraid to do so and
won’t hold back when it comes to the first of the spring season’s highlights. In the
company of three formidable North American choreographers, the Royal Danish
Theatre sees the reintroduction of rhythmic music to its repertoire, and the ques-
tion is whether we’ll need seats at the Old Stage what with live rock music and
electronic soundscapes resonating from the speakers.”
--Artistic Director Frank Andersen

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2007

This newsletter features:
• Revival: Caroline Mathilde (9 February 2007)
• World premiere: American Mixture (17 March 2007)
• Audition for the Royal Danish Ballet, 3 February 2007 at 2:00
pm.

Revival: Caroline Mathilde
The Royal Danish Ballet draws on the unique storytelling talent of choreographers
from all around the world. Danish audiences are set to experience yet another such
example with the revival of Flemming Flindt’s Caroline Mathilde in February. The
story is based on one of the most famous Danish love stories between Caroline
Mathilde – Queen Consort to King Christian VII of Denmark – and the King’s per-
sonal physician, Struensee.
Marriage was arranged between the young Princess Caroline Mathilde of England
and the mentally deranged King Christian VII, but when the bride discovered the
kind of person she had married she sought refuge in the arms of the charming
young royal physician, who reciprocated her love – and thus the ménage à trois was
established.
The principle parts will be performed by two different casts, namely Mads Blang-
strup, Gudrun Bojesen and Thomas Lund (the latter as King Christian VII), and
Izabela Sokolowska, Andrew Bowman and Morten Eggert.

Old Stage, February 2007 |09|10|13|14|15|21|26| March 2007
|06|08|10|14|20|22|26|

World premiere: American Mixture
Danish rock music with an American sound and poetic lyrics paired with Finnish-
Estonian classical music played by the Royal Danish Orchestra. Those are the in-
gredients of three North American dance performances to be staged by the Royal
Danish Ballet. The season’s first repertoire highlight to be performed in the grand
setting of the Old Stage features a multi-national cast with an international flavour.
The choreography includes two new works commissioned by the Royal Danish Bal-
let and created by Nicolo Fonte and Matjas Mrozewski in addition to a ballet to
be staged for the very first time on a Danish stage, namely Dancing on the Front
Porch of Heaven by Ulysses Dove.

Old Stage, March |17|18|21|23|28| April |17|19|23|24|27| May
|03|09| 2007


Audition for the Royal Danish Ballet; 3 February 2007 at 02:00 pm
Professional dancers from international classical ballet companies and students
from classical and professional ballet schools are welcome to send a CV, headshot
and a dance shot to be considered for the audition.
• Applicants must fully master classical ballet techniques and be on an ad-
vanced level as a dancer.
• Applicants must be 16 – 24 years of age.
• Height/Ladies: 1.62 m – 1.68 m (or 5.4 – 5.6 ft)
• Height/Men: 1.80 m – 1.95 m (or 5.11 – 6.5 ft)
• The audition will include pointe work for ladies

In special cases dancers, who are on a soloist/principal level, may be granted an
exemption from the age limit. Please forward your CV, email address, postal ad-
dress and photos no later than 19 January 2007 to:
The Royal Danish Ballet, P.O. Box 2185, DK-1017 Copenhagen K, Denmark, Att.
Boriana Nielsen or email to: bnie@kglteater.dk

Newsletter from the Royal
Danish Ballet, April and May 2007

Every decade has its Sacre. We have seen exciting interpretations over the last
30-40 years by Martha Graham, John Neumeier, Maurice Béjart, Pina Bausch,
Glen Tetley and Tero Sarinen. But the first new Sacre this millennium will be
staged here in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Opera. In light of the success of
the ballet Earth created for the RDB in the autumn of 2005, Finnish choreographer
Jorma Uotinen seemed the obvious choice for the new Le Sacre du Printemps,
which will be created especially for the Royal Danish Ballet and our dancers.
Artistic Director Frank Andersen
APRIL / MAY 2007
Featured in this issue:
• Premiere program: Ailey, Zuska & Brandstrup (20 April 2007)
• World premiere: Le Sacre du Printemps (12 May 2007)
• The repertoire for 2007/08
• Eva Kloborg’s 40th jubilee


Premiere program: Ailey, Zuska and Brandstrup
Choreographer Kim Brandstrup is well established on the European dance stage
with his unique choreographic style and his own, London-based company Arc
Dance. He now returns to Denmark for a short while to create a new work for the
Royal Danish Ballet. The performance, entitled Ghosts, will be performed by
Gudrun Bojesen, Silja Schandorff and Thomas Lund among others. In addition to
Kim Brandstrup’s new dance performance, audiences can enjoy Alvin Ailey’s Witness,
created for the RDB in 1986 which unique to this new staging will be accompanied
by live gospel singing, and Petr Zuska’s dance performance for two dancers,
a chair and a table: Les Bras de Mer.
Takkelloftet, The Opera, April 2007 |20|21|25|26|28|30| May 2007 |01|


World premiere: Le Sacre du Printemps
This season’s ultimate highlight at the Royal Danish Ballet is no doubt the Stravinsky
program with a new staging of Le Sacre du Printemps, created by Finnish choreographer
Jorma Uotinen, and a new ballet by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi
Cherkaoui L´homme du Bois set to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.
Unique in the history of the Royal Danish Theatre, Le Sacre du Printemps will be
performed with full, sweeping orchestration, facilitated by the spacious opera house
orchestra pit. With the ballet performed to its full potential, this truly marks a historic
event.
Furthermore, it is the first time Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui creates a commissioned work
for the Royal Danish Ballet. The Belgian choreographer, who is celebrated for his
cross marriage of everything from classical ballet to street dance, has invited chief

designer of Dior Homme, Hedi Slimane, to create the costumes – a choice that no
doubt vouches for an exclusive experience at the new opera house.
Main Stage, The Opera, May 2007 |12|13|16|19|23|26|30|31|


The repertoire for 2007/ 08
An entirely new staging of The Nutcracker will premiere at Christmas with principal
dancer Kenneth Greve as choreographer in joint collaboration with the nation’s
most original stage director, Peter Langdal. This was revealed by Artistic Director
Frank Andersen at a press conference in late February. In addition, the Royal Danish
Ballet will host ballets by star choreographers Jirí Kylián, Jorma Elo, Ohad Naharin
and Christopher Wheeldon, who have all been commissioned to create works
for the Royal Danish Ballet. Please find attached a presentation of the repertoire for
the upcoming season.


Eva Kloborg’s 40th jubilee
Celebrating a 40-year career as a ballet dancer is a rare privilege. But when Eva
Kloborg takes the stage on 21 April in the role as Veronica, she will be celebrated for
her achievement by all the companies and arts of the Royal Danish Theatre in addition
to its management – an honour that befalls only a privileged few ballet dancers.
Eva Kloborg is today holding several positions in the RDB. She is a principal character
artist and as such still performing in many ballets. She is also a teacher for the
company and also affiliated with the school, where she teaches the Bournonville
style, and she is also a ballet mistress at the Royal Danish Ballet.
Napoli, Old Stage, 21 April 2007, 8 pm


Read more about the performances and the company at www.kglteater.dk.