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British Harlequin and Wells Summer School
The 2008 Wells Summer School was again delighted to collaborate as usual with British Harlequin. Held at Sadler's Wells, with some classes and workshops at the Royal Opera House, the Wells invites selected, serious, senior ballet students to spend a week with dancers of the Royal Ballet for a behind the scenes taster of life as a dancer with a ballet company.
Founder and artistic director of the Wells - Francesca Filpi of the Royal Ballet - said: "Harlequin floors and barres are a dancer's fundamental tools. In a professional environment we tend to take these things for granted, but without them we would have horrendous problems! Everyone knows how important pointe shoes are to a dancer, but the floor can be equally as vital, if not more so."
At the end of the event many class prizes, scholarships and personal prizes from Royal Ballet dancers were awarded, including the Harlequin Scholarship which was presented by British Harlequin's Caroline Reilly to Ellie Sharpe - a student of the English National Ballet School. The Wells Cup went to Laurretta Summerscales, also a student of ENB School.
Francesca Filpi explained that, "there were several ‘new faces' amongst the Royal Ballet faculty this year, including Principal dancer Federico Bonelli - who was able to demonstrate beautifully his Pas de Deux moves thanks to the presence of ‘on and off' stage partner Hikaru Kobayashi - Company Ballet Master, Christopher Saunders, and Jonathan Watkins, who created some exciting new works on the Wells Students. Ursula Hageli, Royal Ballet Mistress, taught solos from The Sleeping Beauty and Deirdre Chapman introduced the students to some more contemporary work, with a solo from a Christopher Bruce ballet."
"The final day format saw a welcome change this year, with the inclusion of a full day of Master Classes, to which parents, teachers and celebrities from the ballet world were invited. The students were delighted that Jonathan Cope was able to come back this year, and one of the highlights of last day's programme must surely have been his inspiring ballet class with the Gold Group. The audience obviously enjoyed all that the day had to offer, from Vanessa Palmer's most interesting Pointework class, the challenging, inspiring ballet classes with Francesca Filpi and Nathalie Harrison to the Pas de Deux with Federico, the New Choreography with Jonathan, and the insight into the finer points of the Big Swans dance, with Francesca, joined by Richard Ramsey to coach the Spanish dance from Swan Lake to both the girls and boys of the Gold group. The day culminated with a demonstration and prize giving ceremony, each group performing repertoire coached by Gillian Revie, Vanessa, Nathalie and Francesca, and a selection of solos learnt during the week. "
20th October 2008
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