#bethany kingsley-garner

[enchanted-keys]

You've probably answered this lots before, but: do you have a fairly clear hierarchy of favourites among the Royal Ballet principals? And your favourite role or two for each? :-) Also: of the recent retirees, who would you most like to see guesting?

Also a) thank you so much for obtaining the info that it'll be Nela and Ball for that "Winter's Tale" stream! Partner and I have got our tickets booked to see it at the Cineworld in Aberdeen. <3 It's the ballet that got me properly back into ballet, when I watched it during lockdown, and just: yay. :-)

And b) your blog has just been so lovely and helpful in growing my ballet knowledge! And your gifs are superb, and your Matthew Ball love is validating. :D

Also also: do you have any favourites among the Scottish Ballet dancers? I was lucky enough to see "Cinders" on tour, and I was so impressed with both Bruno Micchiardi (as Cinders) and Jessica Fyfe (as Princess Louise), but I am no expert.

I think someone asked me for a ranking of all the principals some time ago, but I can't even find the post anymore; I don't mind one bit answering this again! <3

If I have to talk strictly about my faves, it goes like this:

Nunez (eheh!): if have to narrow down her most iconic roles I have to give you at least three (please bear with me, I'm doing my best), which are O/O, Kitri and Aurora.

Takada: Titania and O/O. I'm just so very sorry that she's been more injured than not lately. I miss her.

Hayward: Juliet and any Ashton role I can think of (rhapsody, enigma variations, those bits of Titania we got, etc.). I also think she makes one of the best Claras out there.

Kaneko: O/O (saw her live in the BS pdd and the White Adagio with Vadim and it was life changing, bye). Also her Gypsy girl in the two pigeons is iconic. Special mention for her Aurora.

Lamb: Manon. Signature role. Was born to play it. I also really love her Mary Vetsera and her Aurora.

I'm a bit uncertain if I should include Anna Rose or not...sometimes I really love her, but overall I'd like her to be more consistent. But I'll say she was born to play Juliet.

Muntagirov: he's more versatile than people give him credit for, and really has the whole package, but I'd say his best roles are Siegfried and De Grieux.

Ball: he's such an outstanding actor that it's hard to choose, but I'm going with Romeo and Albrecht.

Bracewell: another wonderful Romeo right here, and I was blown away by his Hamlet in the Ashton insights.

Mcrae: Oberon and Rudolph for sure.

Sambè: sorry to repeat myself but we have another great Romeo right here. From what I've seen he makes also a great Colas.

As for retirees, the one that I really wish was still performing is Roberta Marquez, though maybe she isn't exactly a recent one. Out of the most recent ones I only miss Federico Bonelli because he always brought something special to his performances, although I have to say that the struggles and limitations that come with age were very visible in the last couple of years (his Siegfried variation in the SL cinema relay with Takada comes to mind).

As for the winter's tale I'm really happy to see someone who appreciates it as much as I do! I think it's a truly lovely ballet, one of the few modern classics that really stuck with me. You're very welcome for the info and I hope you'll have a great time at the theatre...unfortunately I found out that it won't be streamed in my country, so I'm going to miss out on it 😤

Thanks for all your lovely compliments they're more appreciated than I can say! 😭🩵🙏

Scottish Ballet is one of those companies that I wish had more footage available, because bits I do get to see are really impressive. I'm kind of familiar with Constance Devernay, Bethany kingsley-garner and Andrew Peasgood because I've seen them in the recordings of The Fairy's Kiss and The Snow Queen, and I seriously enjoyed those performances!

I wish there was a full recording of Cinders because both the trailer and the rehearsal look amazing! Jessica Fyfe is a really delicate and expressive dancer from the clips I've seen of her, and both her and Micchiardi impressed me in the rehearsal poste on YT, cause the intentions and mannerisms in their dancing were so clear: I immediately caught up on the reversal of Cinders gender and that she was the princess even though I hadn't read about the novelty introduced by this production beforehand, but everything was immediately clear thanks to their attention to detail.

The little I've seen from this company makes me wish for more!

[ao-fc]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner

[galina-ulanova]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner in Peter Darrell’s 5 Ruckert Songs (Scottish Ballet, 2013)

[books0977]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Christopher Harrison in Cinderella, Scottish Ballet, December 2015. © Andy Ross.

After using his two most experienced principals as first-cast stepsisters, Hampson then chose up-and-coming soloist, Bethany Kingsley-Garner as his opening Cinderella and she rewarded him with a performance that radiated sweet, unsullied goodness, tinged with a fiery protection towards the memory of her mother.

[swanlake1998]

bethany kingsley garner and xolisweh ana richards photographed performing as the nutcracker’s snowflakes in christopher hampson and peter darrell’s the secret theatre by mihaela dodlovic

[reviewsphere]

Scottish Ballet celebrates 50 years in style

Scottish Ballet celebrates 50 years in style @scottishballet @captheatres @fredmacaulay @DarceyOfficial @andrew_peasgood @bethanykgarner @HampsonChris @BalletCoco @Jgs_x #scottishballet

This weekend, Scottish Ballet transformed the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh for the most glamorous night of the year, Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary. Guests took over the theatre’s stage for a dining experience like no other – giant gold pipes and twinkling lights hung from the rafters, bouquets were peppered with golden ferns, even the event finale was dusted with ‘SB50’ confetti falling…

[dreamdancer840]

Bethany Kingsley Garner with the Scottish Ballet for Ballet in the City Photo by Rimbaud Patron Photography

[ladyday93]

“The Future of Ballet in the City Looks Exciting and Vital to the Next Generation,” Says Bethany Kingsley-Garner I love a great ballet dancer interview. This post from Ballet In The City balances the right amount of text and imagery. The questions don't make you roll your eyes either. Call me jealous. Or Ishmael. Just don't call me Betty or Al.

[scottishballet]

The last year has been one of the busiest touring years in the history of Scottish Ballet, touring to Russia, China, the USA and remote locations around Scotland, as well as large theatres across the UK. Alongside the tours our Education team delivered over 1,000 events, allowing almost 200,000 people of all ages and abilities across the UK to learn and engage with Scottish Ballet.

Soloist Bethany Kingsley-Garner (BKG) took some time to tell us about her past year at Scottish Ballet and what she hopes to achieve in the year to come.

What has been your favourite venue to perform in over the last year?

BKG: I loved performing at the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia, where I danced the role of the Sylph in Highland Fling. It was a privilege just to set foot on that stage. We also got a standing ovation at The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington DC, where I performed as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire—it felt amazing! And of course I love the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, which feels every bit like home.

Do you have a special routine before each performance?

BKG: Yes, I always have a routine before a show. It's very personal to me and changes with different productions depending on the mood of the role I will be performing. It always involves music and quiet time.

What are your hopes for the 2015/16 Season?

BKG: I love the challenge of new choreography, and the 2015/16 Season is perfect for that; there’s so much new work being done in the studio. I always want to finish a season by improving something, developing my skills or adding a new depth of experience to my work.

The exciting choreography from Javier de Frutos and Bryan Arias this autumn definitely made me more of a fearless dancer - I did things I never thought I could do before. I look forward to seeing how that affects my performances throughout the winter season.

How did you feel when you found out you had been chosen to be the poster girl for Scottish Ballet’s upcoming production of Cinderella?

BKG: I was really happy to be chosen for the Cinderella poster—the shoot is always so much fun and you get to feel really girly doing hair and makeup! I love looking back at the photos and seeing the final result.

See Bethany perform in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella this winter - for more information and to book your tickets visit scottishballet.co.uk/cinderella. 

[lovelyballetandmore]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner | Scottish Ballet | Photo by Drew Forsyth

[masterpiecesofhumanity]

Jamiel Laurence and Bethany Kingsley-Garner in Martin Lawrance’s Run For It

[books0977]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner, Owen Thorne, and Luke Ahmet in Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire for Scottish Ballet’s Dance Odysseys, August 2013. © Andrew Ross.

Lithe and sinuous, Ahmet was carelessly confident in his negotiation of Pierrot’s home in the clouds and, when earthbound, scampered anxiously about like a balletic Frank Spencer. Thorne was a fine Brighella, a playground bully strutting around with wide sweeping gestures and nifty footwork. Kingsley-Garner was a demanding, conniving Columbine, conveying much by the toss of her head and angle of her nose in the air.

[lovelyballetandmore]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner | Scottish Ballet

Photo by Nicola Selby Photography

[lovelyballetandmore]

Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Andrew Peasgood of the Scottish Ballet.

[books0977]

Constance Devernay and Andrew Peasgood in Kenneth MacMillan’s The Fairy’s Kiss, Scottish Ballet, October 2017. © Andy Ross.

MacMillan’s emotionally charged pas de deux is never far away. It might be a fanciful story, but these are real characters on stage and they touch us. The first night cast, of Constance Devernay as the Fairy, Andrew Peasgood as the Young Man and Bethany Kingsley-Garner as the Fiancée, were particularly impressive dramatically and gave a lucid account of often difficult movement.