The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance Review 5*

The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance was a dazzling show of technique, professionalism and sheer joy of dancing

“Talent, grit and determination” – according to Royal Ballet School director Iain MacKay, now coming to the end of his first year in charge – are the key qualities shared by all 200+ Royal Ballet School students who converged on the RBO on a bright Saturday afternoon for their summer performance.

All that they had in spades; but what made this matinee truly special was the professionalism, showmanship and sheer joy of dancing displayed by every single dancer from the 11-year-olds through to the new graduates, who are about the embark on professional careers.

The programme opened with ‘Aurora’s Wedding’, the sumptuous final Act of the Royal Ballet’s signature work, The Sleeping Beauty. Set to music by Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Petipa, it’s a foremost exponent of crystalline classicism. With its blend of dances for the corps de ballet and a series of divertissements for soloists, it demands not only technical precision but style, in this particular case stye that is identifiable as that of the main company.

They aced it. As the Princess the aptly named Aurora Chinchilla showed regal demeanour and technical assurance; as Prince Florimund Joe Parkinson proved a charming, attentive partner. Both are joining the Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme.

Possibly to give more dancers an opportunity, the role of the Prince was split into two, with 2nd year student Fabrizio Ulloa Cornejo dancing the variation. I found him very watchable indeed.

Next came an Ashton jewel, which unfortunately we don’t see very often: Les Patineurs. Set in a skating rink surrounded by filigree arches and surmounted by colourful paper lanterns, it’s a playful piece, showing a group of young people’s enjoyment of ice-skating.

It is also fiendishly difficult, requiring the dancers to create the illusion of gliding on the ice, even while creating engaging characters, like the Blue Boy, a vibrant, technically impeccable Wendel Vieira Teles dos Santos, the White Couple and the Red Girls.

After the first interval it was the turn of the youngsters of the lower school, The While Lodge. Garden Suite, choreographed by Ruth Brill who, as the artistic director of London Children’s Ballet knows a thing or two about working with budding dancers, got it just right, with her expertly assembled groups of charming insects dancing with tremendous aplomb amid giant-sized vegetation.

The final section consisted of four pieces plus the Grand Défilé. Sweet Morning Blooms by the American choreographer Jessica Lang was a dreamy white work set to music by Haydn. Its classical movement was infused with contemporary twists; it allowed for flowing ensemble work and individual prowess.

Gridlock, a stylish, black-costumed contemporary piece by Hannah Joseph had its first outing at the Next Generation festival in June; for the summer performance the school offered an extract, which demonstrated the students’ range and versatility.

As indeed did Tracks Uniting, also first seen at the Next Generation festival. A folk piece, resulting from a collaboration with the Dutch National Ballet Academy, it was choreographed by Academy teacher Iva Lešić.

The students from the White Lodge years 10 and 11 handled its syncopated rhythms and fast progressions with great precision. It was thrilling to see it again.

Arielle Smith is a young, lively choreographer, whose audacious, vibrant approach to dancing burst out of the stage in Culmination. Set to Quincy Jones’ pulsating arrangements of popular tunes and drawing freely from the rhythms of Brazil, Culmination brought out the showmanship in the dancers of the pre-professional year.

You would have been excused for thinking a wild Brazilian samba school had hijacked the proceedings, such was the dancers’ abandon and joie de vivre – none more thrilling and expressive, perhaps, than Tristan-Ian Massa, he, too, about to join The Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme.

The matinee ended with the Grand Défilé, which brought the entire cast on stage in year groups, each with a tightly choreographed little sequence.

It was a glorious occasion, one that bodes well for the future of The Royal Ballet and of ballet in the UK in general. Iain MacKay and his faculty are to be wholeheartedly congratulated.

The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance was at RBO on Satuday, 12 July 2025 at 12 noon.

The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance Review 5*

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