Review: The Royal Ballet School, Next Generation Festival ★★★★★

The thing that struck me most forcibly in this performance by students of The Royal Ballet School was that everybody put on a performance. By this I mean that from the younger15-year-olds from White Lodge to pre-professional dancers on the verge of leaving the Upper School to embark on a dancing career, they all exhibited flair and a very attractive ‘look at me’ enjoyment of dancing.

In my book that counts for a lot and goes a long way towards making me forgive any mistakes or missteps.

Not that there were many of those. Throughout a bill of nine very diverse works that ranged from classical to cutting-edge contemporary, serious to whimsical, the dancers were well-drilled and proficient. Importantly, they appeared to be having fun. And if the show itself dragged a little at the beginning with lengthy pauses between the first few pieces, it quickly picked up pace.

The programme opened with excerpts from the 19th Russian ballet Paquita, choreographed by Marius Petipa to a jaunty score by Ludwig Minkus. It was danced by students from three Upper School years, led with assurance, aplomb and a lovely smile by Aurora Chinchilla, attentively partnered by Ravi Cannonier-Watson.


The Royal Ballet School, Aurora Chinchilla and Ravi Cannonier-Watson in Paquita © 2024 Royal Ballet School. Photo by ASH

The eight-strong ensemble plus soloists worked together well, though the trained eye would have spotted slight differences in technical development, but nothing that would mar your enjoyment of the piece. One soloist, Emile Gooding, stood out for his smooth technique, ballon and engaging stage presence; and the impression would be confirmed by his thrilling solo in the piece that ended the programme, Concerto Grosso, an academic exercise to show off the men’s bravura choreographed by Helgi Tómasson.


The Royal Ballet School, Emile Gooding in Concerto Grosso © 2024 The Royal Ballet School. Photo by ASH

The dancers showed their versatility in a series of very different contemporary works, from Didy Veldeman’s Toot, a whimsical piece where the 15-year-olds of White Lodge kitted out and made up as hapless clowns shuffled on and moved on the orders of a leader armed with megaphone (an authoritative Adam Pearce) to Remembrance, an intricate contemporary piece choreographed by The Royal Ballet’s own Joshua Junker, an up-and-coming hugely talented dance maker, performed by Upper School students.


The Royal Ballet School, Remembrance © 2024 The Royal Ballet School. Photo by ASH

The talent for extracting the fun out of a choreography, which was evident in Toot, came to the fore again in a jokey extract from Jerome Robbins’s Concerto, Mistake Waltz & The Carriers, where the women were carried around like so many shopwindow dolls, before being allowed to dance, the light pratfalls beautifully executed.


Students of The Royal Ballet School in Mistake Waltzes & The Carriers © 2024 The Royal Ballet School. Photo by ASH
The one mistake of the evening can be ascribed to whoever programmed the show. Ashton’s Rhapsody is fiendishly difficult and is simultaneously on show on the main stage performed by the professional, experienced dancers of The Royal Ballet. It’s a huge ask for young undergraduates, and talented as they are, they shouldn’t have been asked to perform it.

That said, though, this was an enjoyable evening which showed great promise; and I look forward to seeing some of these dancers on the main stage before too long.