#Isabella Gasparini

[balletroyale]

What the actual f*** are these costumes

[lovelyballetandmore]

Kevin Emerton | Isabella Gasparini | The Royal Ballet

[vadreams]

Pictures of the first cast for this season's run of The Sleeping Beauty during their general rehearsal:

Marianela Núñez as Princess Aurora, Vadim Muntagirov as Prince Florimund, Fumi Kaneko as the Lilac Fairy, Isabella Gasparini as Princess Florine and Joseph Sissens as the Bluebird.

They open tomorrow (Monday) night!

📸: Emma Kauldhar for Dance Europe

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

The Royal’s Nutcracker

Mariko Sasaki is going to be a star; she is absolutely amazing.  Tonight was her debut as the Sugarplum Fairy and you could not tell at all.  She had such stage presence and confidence and the technical skills all combined into one almost perfect performance.  I’m convinced I just saw the first principal role for the next prima ballerina of the Royal.  It was so cute after her variation because after the audience applause ended, the dancers in the wings applauded and yelled bravo!  She also received the most flowers I’ve ever seen a dancer get at the Royal and her reaction to it was so sweet!

The other standout was James Hay as The Nutcracker.  He can jump, he can turn, he can partner, he can act, he did everything SO WELL!  I was worried because Alexander Campbell is the gold standard for this role and I didn’t know how James would stand in comparison, but he was phenomenal.  Isabella Gasparini as Clara was adorable and sweet, she and James had great chemistry!

And of course my main man, William Bracewell.  Elegance just oozes from his dancing, so sophisticated and composed and a gentleman!  He took care of Mariko, made sure she was always on her leg and balanced and exactly where she needed to be.  He did all of this beautiful partnering without disappearing behind the ballerina.  I loved his variation; he has such long legs and beautiful feet and his saut de chats and grand jetes en tournants were stunning.  He and Mariko danced beautifully together, they complimented each other well and their partnered pirouettes were flawless.  It was so sweet after the pas, they smiled for awhile at each other and seemed to say something before they went to bow; you can tell they loved dancing together!

All in all, it was one of the best nights of my life and I hope I’m able to go to another show at the Royal!!!  Here are a few more pictures from the evening!

[holly-days]

Artists of The Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker, The Royal Ballet ©2021 ROH. Photograph by Foteini Christofilopoulou by Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Via Flickr: Artists of The Royal Ballet in Peter Wright's The Nutcracker, The Royal Ballet Season 2021/22. www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-nutcracker-by-peter-wright

[ballerina67]

Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Isabella Gasparini, Romany Pajdak and Elizabeth Harrod dance as cygnets in Liam Scarlett's production of Swan Lake which will be broadcast on Christmas Day 2018 on BBC Four.

[lamilanomagazine]

Modena: Giornata della donna con film, reading e seminario, venerdì 10 marzo

Modena: Giornata della donna con film, reading e seminario, venerdì 10 marzo. Nell’ambito delle iniziative per la Giornata internazionale della donna che si prolungheranno fino alla fine del mese, sono previsti tre appuntamenti questo venerdì 10 marzo, che rientrano nel programma “8 marzo tutto l’anno!”, promosso dal Comune di Modena e dal Tavolo comunale delle associazioni per le pari opportunità e la non discriminazione. Il programma dettagliato con le informazioni per partecipare alle iniziative è sul sito del Comune http://www.comune.modena.it/pari-opportunita. A partire dalle 9.30, nella sede della Cgil di piazza Cittadella 36 sarà trasmesso il film di Michele Placido “7 minuti”, girato nel 2016 e ispirato a una storia realmente accaduta in Francia, che tratta il tema dell’erosione dei diritti dei lavoratori e delle donne. La vicenda è ambientata in un’azienda tessile che, per evitare chiusura e licenziamenti, viene acquisita da una multinazionale che chiede però alle dipendenti di sacrificare 7 minuti di intervallo al giorno. L’iniziativa è promossa dai coordinamenti donne di Cgil, Cisl, Uil. Alle 14.30, nell’aula convegni del Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza (in via San Geminiano 3), si svolge il seminario “Per un approccio di genere nella didattica”, rivolto in particolare agli insegnanti ma aperto a tutti gli interessati. All’iniziativa, curata da Natascia Matteucci, prorettrice di UniMoRe, intervengono i docenti Giacomo Cabri, delegato del Rettore alla Didattica UniMoRe, Tindara Addabbo, delegata per le Pari opportunità, Grazia Ghermandi, delegata per la Sostenibilità, Rita Bertozzi, presidente del Comitato unico di garanzia UniMoRe. L’appuntamento è a cura del gruppo di lavoro su Faculty development e innovazione didattica e si inserisce nel ciclo di seminari su Università e inclusione. Alle 21, alla Polivalente san Damaso (in via Scartazzetta 53), va in scena il reading concerto “Quelle come me” che, tra parole e musica, racconta la vita della poetessa Alda Merini che è riuscita a trasformare un destino di follia, avverso e doloroso, in una vita illuminata anche se molto difficile. Il recital farà conoscere la donna e l’artista, insieme ad altre figure femminili con particolari situazioni di dolore, follia, allegria. Sul palco, l’attrice Isabella Dapinguente, la cantante Sabrina Gasparini e il fisarmonicista Claudio Ughetti. L’iniziativa è a cura del Salotto culturale Modena, del Quartiere 2 e della Polivalente San Damaso. L’ingresso prevede un contributo di 5 euro.... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

[enchanted-keys]

Vadim Muntagirov, Yasmine Naghdi, Hannah Grennell, Isabella Gasparini and Fumi Kaneko in rehearsal for Mayerling (Royal Ballet 2022) - photos by © Andrej Uspenski

[swanlake1998]

mica bradbury, amelia townsend, bomin kim, and isabella gasparini photographed performing as swans in swan lake by tristram kenton

[ballet-symphonie]

What do you think about the next ROH promotions? I think Claire Calvert to principal, Isabella Gasparini to first soloist, Ashley Dean to soloist, and about first artists maybe Yu Hang, Katharina Nikelski or Julia Roscoe. Thoughts? (About men I'll check it and send you another time)

I have to say that the majority of these seem like decently probable projections? Of this list, I'm perhaps the least sold on Ashley Dean as there are some first artists I'd like more but she's a definite possibility. There's so many talented people stuck in artists/first artists, but I would be really happy if Yu Hang or Saw Maeda were to be promoted.

[lovelyballetandmore]

Isabella Gasparini, Ben Mitchell, Teresa Saavedra Bordes & Ayana Kanda in Ugly Duckling (2012). Northern Ballet | Photo by Martin Bell.

[balletroyale]

Asked and Answered: Royal Ballet

I’m trying to watch all the different versions of Romeo and Juliet I can find, but MacMillan is proving to be a problem: there are too many recordings! Do you have a specific cast I should go for? I’m really lost about this one

I would pick Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae! 

love your blog! curious to hear your thoughts on akane takada's swan lake?

I never managed to track the recording down! Or I did and then didn’t have time to watch it... Going to see it in May though!

i wish wheeldon would bring his cinderella to royal so i can see sarah lamb do the lead, i think it would suit her perfectly!

I really don’t... I would much rather the Royal (finally) perform Ashton’s Cinderella again, which I think is the stronger production. 

love your blog!! wondering how you feel about the following three dancers: yasmine nagdhi, benjamin ella, matthew ball? I'm so here for all your ROH takes!!

Thoughts / critiques on Matthew Ball?

Yasmine Nagdhi: Honestly she’s a bit of a conundrum for me. I don’t really like her overall, and don’t particularly enjoy her in classical roles. While her Giselle variation I thought was superb, the rest of the ballet, especially the acting, left me feeling a bit meh. I really didn’t think she had the characterization of Juliet at all. However, when I saw her in Apollo and Concerto, I really enjoyed the performances. So I guess I just prefer her in contemporary roles. However, I don’t like that this season the Royal is starting to push her really hard as the next big deal. I think there are better principals to potentially replace Nunez. 

Matthew Ball: I’ve really liked what I’ve seen; he’s very stately and regal. But I don’t think I would ever pick a performance just to see him. To me, the Royal is spoilt with male talent and so it is hard for dancers who would be unquestionably the best at other, even comparable, companies. He’s just pretty low down my list of male Royal dancers. 

Benjamin Ella: I’ve seen him several times now. The first few times he wowed me and I was 100% convinced he was the next big thing. However, more recently I’ve found his performances to be a bit unreliable. He seems either really great or he completely lacks the ability to stick and landing or be on time with the music. I’ll be interested to see if he gets consistency back. 

I just saw the teaser of Steven McRae's new film... at the end he says 'I need the profession to change'. Hmmm what does it mean? 😅 it means that the ROH is going to change its ways, or maybe him, or the ballet method profession in the UK?

I’m not really sure... I guess we’ll have to wait for the full film to see what he means. I’d take it with a grain of salt now, because A) trailers manipulate/exaggerate things to get people to watch and B) he’s always been pretty dramatic. 

A little bit of a silly matter, but still a legitimate curiosity from dancers about dancers. I get the impression over and over again that several prominent members of the company wear arch enhancers, which doesn't feel necessary or particularly graceful. It's subtle, still the eyes tend to fall right there. Do you have first hand info about that?

The only “firsthand” info I have is that after seeing Sarah Lamb up close, I am 99.9% sure she wears arch enhancers. I’m not sure why they do it. But I’m starting to wonder if it could actually be a comfort this as much as a visual thing? 

Who is everyone’s favourite dancer? It has to be Nunez right? I think Isabella Gasparini is mesmerising to watch also and hope she goes far. Mathew Ball was incredible in Giselle. Like out of this world performance.

Are we talking at the Royal? For me it’s definitely Nunez, Lamb, Osipova, Hayward, Takada, and I usually really like Hinkis, but not in that Giselle recording. For men it’s Campbell, McRae, Muntagirov, Sissens, Sambé, and Bracewell. 

Frankie Hayward - is she all what’s hyped up to be?? Has anyone seen her dance Giselle? I think she is an extremely special dancer from what I’ve seen so far (gathering, sugarplum, swan lake PDD) but I have doubts around her technical ability at principal level. I am massive fan of hers. She is so artistic and musical that she could excel in any role I’m sure, I’m just unaware of her technical ability - as in, I literally don’t know what she can do as I haven’t seen enough of her. No criticism x

Thoughts on Francesca Hayward? I really enjoyed her as Juliet the other night but wasn’t as big of a fan of Cesar Corrales

One good thing that came out of the Cats movie is that it tremendously improved Hayward’s performances. I saw her Giselle this season. I don’t think she really has many technical faults, especially compared the other young new principals, but she does struggle a bit with balance in moments like the end of Giselle’s variation and in the coda of Coppelia. Other than that I don’t really see many flaws in her technique (and I’m not even entirely convinced it’s not a shoe issue), and her port de bras is especially lovely. I am increasingly wanting to go to her performances more than many other dancers. 

As for Corrales, his style really, really doesn’t fit the Royal and I don’t think he should be a principal there. 

I can't understand why Hamilton returned after the second year abroad. Too long out from under KOH's eye with all the younger dancers coming up

I have no idea. She could have been a principal pretty much anywhere else as well. She never looks happy onstage. 

I've only recently got into the ROH ballet, so I'm just curious as to who you prefer Akane Takada or Fumi Kaneko? Both stunning dancers, but can I ask for your opinion?

I personally prefer Takada. I think she has better technique and better characterization. Though admittedly I haven’t seen much of Kaneko. I’ve just been rather bored by what I’ve seen already, particularly The Sleeping Beauty performance. But I heard great things about her R&J, so maybe it’s time to give her another chance. 

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Ranked Ballet Performances

I've seen quite a few live shows and I have thoughts on all of them, but instead of sharing them, I'm just going to rank them from my favorite to least favorite:

La Bayadere: Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim

Giselle: Svetlana Zakharova and David Hallberg

La Bayadere: Ekaterina Kondaurova and Timur Askerov

Raymonda: Ekaterina Kondaurova and Danila Korsuntsev

Don Quixote: Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta

Le Corsaire: Ekaterina Kondaurova, Andrey Ermakov, Kimin Kim

Paquita: Viktoria Tereshkina and Timur Askerov

Swan Lake: Devon Teuscher and Marcelo Gomes

Raymonda: Oksana Skorik and Timur Askerov

Giselle: Skylar Brandt and Joo Won An

Don Quixote: Skylar Brandt and Herman Cornejo

Romeo and Juliet: Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside

The Nutcracker: Mariko Sasaki, William Bracewell, Isabella Gasparini, and James Hay

Giselle: Gillian Murphy and Thomas Forester

Swan Lake: Isabella Boylston and Alban Lendorf

Swan Lake: Devon Teuscher and Aran Bell

Giselle: Elizaveta Gogidze and Olekseii Kniazkov

Little Humpbacked Horse: Anastasia Kolegova and Maxim Zyuzin

Sleeping Beauty: Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo

Paquita: Nadezhda Batoeva and Xander Parish

Harlequinade: Skylar Brandt and Daniil Simkin

Whipped Cream: Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin

Le Corsaire: Maria Khoreva, Konstantin Zverev, and Kimin Kim

Paquita: Maria Khoreva and Konstantin Zverev

I think I got them all lol. I didn't include non-ballet performances such as Bourne's Swan Lake, Alvin Ailey, and Riverdance.

[gorbigorbi]

Isabella Gasparini and Luca Acri in "The Nutcracker", The Royal Ballet

Photographer Andrei Uspensky

[ivisitlondon]

iVisit... The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker Reworked

This Christmas The Royal Ballet will stream its spectacular production of The Nutcracker Reworked on Tuesday 22 December at 7pm (GMT) priced at £16 per household and available to view on demand for 30 days until 21 January.

The Nutcracker Reworked is a COVID-safe restaging of Peter Wright’s celebrated two-act production and retains much-loved elements of this cherished classic, from the magical growing Christmas tree, to the enchanting Dance of the Snowflakes. New for The Royal Ballet’s 2020 production is a battle scene between the Nutcracker, the Mouse King and their armies, choreographed by Will Tuckett. Combined with Tchaikovsky's sumptuous score, performed live by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and charming designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, this classic ballet is not to be missed.

What better way to celebrate the festive period than with this much-loved production, streamed into homes around the world for the first time. Join them for the Christmas performance of the year, from our house to your house, the perfect treat to share with family and friends.

Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet comments “With our live shows sold out, it’s very special that we can share The Nutcracker Reworked, a 2020 restaging of Peter Wright’s cherished production for audiences around the world unable to join them in the theatre. In this unique situation we find ourselves in during the pandemic, I can think of no better way to celebrate the artistry of our performers and feel the festive excitement mounting so close to Christmas Day.”

The Nutcracker is based on E.T.A Hoffmann’s beloved Christmas tale. The story follows Clara and the enchanted Nutcracker as they defeat the evil Mouse King and go on a magical journey to the Kingdom of Sweets where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and an array of other memorable characters. The ballet is set to one of Tchaikovsky’s most ravishing scores, which perfectly captures the spirit of the festive season.

Royal Ballet Principal dancers Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball will perform the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince. Clara will be performed by Isabella Gasparini, Hans Peter/The Nutcracker by Luca Acri and Herr Drosselmeyer by Christopher Saunders. The presenter for this special performance will be former Royal Ballet Principal Darcey Bussell.

Last week The Royal Opera House announced its biggest ever programme of streaming and digital content, across a range of platforms, brought straight from our house to your house and available throughout the Christmas period.

[gramilano]

Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell are quickly becoming The Royal Ballet’s ‘couple to see’. After recent successes dancing Clara and the Nutcracker, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, over the Christmas season, they have just debuted in Giselle. An important moment in the career of any dancer.

The Guardian said that Hayward was “nothing less than exquisite” and remarked on the “illusion of spontaneity” she brings to the choreography, while The Telegraph was blown away by Campbell’s “immersion in character” and the “punch of his dancing”. Another test passed triumphantly. Facebook was awash with appreciative comments the next day: critics are useful; a fan-base is indispensable.

The Nutcracker with Alexander Campbell as The Nutcracker, Francesca Hayward as Clara © ROH, Tristram Kenton, 2013

Hayward and Campbell first danced together when she was a last-minute substitute as Clara in December 2013.

It was seeing The Nutcracker that set Hayward off on her ballet journey, though she saw it on video. Her grandparents, wanting to keep her occupied, bought her a copy “on a whim”.

I still feel emotional every time I dance Clara and the Sugar Plum as they are definitely a realisation of my dream. Two of my favourite and most emotional moments are Clara and Hans Peter’s pas de deux in Act One and the Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Act Two. They are probably the two parts I danced the most from the whole ballet when I was little, dancing them at home by myself, and the music always gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I hear it.

Last season, soon after the end of the The Nutcracker run came The Sleeping Beauty and during that period Hayward and Campbell performed together as Clara and the Nutcracker/Hans-Peter (in Peter Wright’s version of the ballet, Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Hans-Peter, has been transformed into a Nutcracker Doll), the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince, Bluebird and Princess Florine, and they debuted together as Aurora and Prince Florimund.

It was probably about three or four months in total rehearsing and performing together — says Campbell — and I feel like it was hugely beneficial to us, as it gave us a lot of time to get to know one another. It felt as though we were able to take things from each of the performances and build on that as we worked towards the next one. It was one of the most enjoyable times in my career.

Hayward adds,

It’s been great to have a consistent partner to learn the art of pas de deux a little better and I think we have a lot of respect for each other. We’ve shared some important debuts and daunting first night shows together!

Made it through today’s matinee! Thanks to my fantastic prince @acampbell_1 for getting me through this afternoon’s Sugar Plum marathon & to our incredible coach Lesley Collier 💕 H a p p y N e w Y e a r 💕 #sugarplumfairy #nutcracker #ballet #royalballet #exhausted #butlovedit

A post shared by francesca hayward (@frankiegoestohayward) on Dec 30, 2017 at 3:24pm PST

So, what makes the partnership work?

Francesca is a very intelligent performer and her approach to performances and to developing a character isn’t too dissimilar to mine. I think we both like things to make sense in our head when we are out there on stage. When it comes together and works well it is a really satisfying feeling.

Hayward senses that she is “very calm and safe” dancing with Campbell:

Most importantly we hear and feel the music with the same musicality. This is great as it means we can be more flexible and adaptable with our steps together. If the music’s faster or slower, I can take a little longer or make a step a little quicker without panicking him as I know he is with me and won’t be surprised! I have complete trust in him to always have my back… quite literally!

An excellent coach can make the difference between a series of steps and a dance, between approximated moves and those executed with all nuances the choreographer intended. None is better than The Royal Ballet’s Lesley Collier, who was a Principal Dancer with the company from 1972 until her retirement in 1995 and has been a répétiteur at Covent Garden for almost two decades. She also happens to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in the video that inspired Hayward to start dancing.

Lesley Collier has coached us for nearly all our roles together. I think she’s a wonderful coach as she has always learned the steps through the music and the story, and the thoughts and feelings that go with marrying the two. I personally find it really hard to be inspired when I am taught something by being given rigid counts.

The Sleeping Beauty with Francesca Hayward as Princess Aurora and Alexander Campbell as Prince Florimund © ROH, Bill Cooper, 2017

The Royal Ballet’s practice to invite its retired stars to coach carries on through the generations; former Royal Ballet Principal Jonathan Cope became a répétiteur immediately after he stopped dancing in 2005.

Alexander and I were also coached for The Sleeping Beauty by Jonathan Cope which was immensely helpful for the technical aspects like lifts and grips. It was also an amazing chance to dance with him — he would often lift me and partner me to show us how to do it!

Campbell says that he feels “inspired” by having Collier in the studio with them:

It took me quite a while not to be star struck by her – this was the ballerina who created Rhapsody with Baryshnikov after all! But, that aside, she is incredibly caring and knowledgeable, and it’s been a real pleasure getting to work with her. I have a real appreciation for Lesley’s commitment and eye for detail and I know that Francesca looks up to Lesley a great deal.

Yet not everyone looks up to Collier — one Royal Ballet Principal famously does things her own way, throwing out many of the choreographer’s intentions in doing so. But Hayward’s eager to learn and learn well:

It’s great to have Lesley pass down comments and notes from Ashton and Macmillan. Lesley was the first Sugar Plum Fairy and Lise from La fille mal gardée that I watched on a video as a child, so it’s incredible to be in the studio being taught these ballets by her.

Not every little girl who watches a ballet video starts taking ballet classes, and very few young dancers get into a company, but for Hayward there was to be a promotion every year with The Royal Ballet from 2013 until she became a Principal Dancer in 2016.

When Kevin O’Hare [Director of The Royal Ballet] promoted me I hadn’t done any big tutu roles yet — The Sugar Plum Fairy and Aurora were yet to come — so I think he saw the potential for that, but really I think he saw that I was capable of dancing the bigger roles because I could convincingly tell a story which is essential to nearly any ballet.

I think he also knows that I’m generally pretty calm and I take everything in my stride both on stage and off.

Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Campbell’s story started in Sydney, Australia, when he was so excited by what he saw at his grandmother’s dancing school, that he began studying there when he was just five. Inspired by Baryshnikov, he chose ballet over cricket as a teenager:

One of the qualities I most admire about Mikhail Baryshnikov is the sense that he performs everything with real commitment and sincerity. It is something that I try to bring to my own performances and I believe it is a quality that really stands out. I certainly appreciate it in others when I see it.

He crossed the globe to study for a short while at the Royal Ballet Upper School before joining the Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 2011 he moved to The Royal Ballet as was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2016, the same year as Hayward.

I would say that my versatility has probably helped me get to where I am. I think that the biggest joy and challenge for the Principals of The Royal Ballet is having to perform the vast amount of repertoire we have here, often with conflicting styles and demands, at the highest possible level.

Becoming a Principal and being entrusted with roles such as Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty and Albrecht in Giselle has widened his horizons even more.

Both these roles have allowed me to work really hard on my classical technique and it’s forced me to examine the way I do certain things. My aim is always to work hard on the technical elements in class and rehearsals so that by the time we get to performances the steps are just an extension of the character I am playing as opposed to a series of steps and enchaînnements. It’s a lot easier in theory than in practice but that is the aim!

Last night after our official debut in Giselle. So glad @katchkadeem was on hand to snap this picture! Thank you! Thank you also for all the wonderful support we have received, especially on Instagram. Knowing so many people were rooting for us was a special feeling. I also have to thank my beautiful partner @frankiegoestohayward – I feel very fortunate to have been onstage with you for your first Giselle and thank you for being such a pleasure to perform with ⭐ – – – – #royaloperahouse #royalballet #giselle @royaloperahouse

A post shared by Alexander Campbell (@acampbell_1) on Feb 10, 2018 at 3:17am PST

After Giselle, Hayward and Campbell will both be dancing in The Winter’s Tale, though not together, but then will team up again for Manon in April.

Campbell says,

I’ve enjoyed everything we’ve worked on together so far and I hope that we will have the opportunity to develop this relationship further as I feel it could be something quite special.

One ballet to add on to the list of possible future collaborations would be Romeo and Juliet.

I saw Francesca perform Juliet for the first time and I thought that it was a really beautiful interpretation of the role — I’d love to play against it because I think she gives her partners, and all the cast members around her, so much to work with. Here’s hoping!

I mentioned sincerity on stage as something that I admire in performers and I think that Francesca displays absolute sincerity whenever she performs. It makes it very easy for me to play off and it is genuinely exciting to be onstage with her.

Hayward quips,

Who knows what the future’s got in store, but I hope we have a lot more Nutcrackers ahead of us!

END

The Nutcracker with Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2016

The Nutcracker with Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2016

Interview with The Royal Ballet’s hot couple: Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell are quickly becoming The Royal Ballet's ‘couple to see’. After recent successes dancing Clara and the Nutcracker, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, over the Christmas season, they have just debuted in…