Royal Ballet School/The Two Pigeons, ROH

See the ballet stars of today and stars in the making when The Royal Ballet presents a youthful mixed programme featuring students from The Royal Ballet School.

The British choreographer Liam Scarlett has created a new (as yet unnamed) one-act ballet especially for The Royal Ballet School. As Artist in Residence with The Royal Ballet, and artistic associate with Queensland Ballet, Scarlett is at the forefront of the ever-evolving art form of ballet. His newest work promises to demonstrate ballet’s appeal by creatively harnessing the skill of talented young dancers.

Youth is also at the heart of Frederick Ashton’s charming 1961 narrative ballet, The Two Pigeons.

The revival of this heritage masterpiece is an ideal opportunity for The Royal Ballet to showcase its artists’ technical and dramatic dancing capabilities. So much so, that the powers that be at the company decided to schedule The Two Pigeons in two consecutive programmes for the winter period.

The Two Pigeons is a sentimental tale of young love, brief temptation and romantic reconciliation, inspired by a French fable and set in nineteenth-century Paris.

In an artist’s studio, an artist – the Young Man – is exasperated with his lover, the Young Girl. When a gypsy troupe arrives, the Gypsy Girl catches his eye and he is tempted to stray. Fortunately, this flirtatious experimentation does not last long, and he returns to his girlfriend to beg for forgiveness!

Danced to music by André Messager, this ballet’s real coup de théâtre is that a pair of live birds appear to represent the young couple.

Undoubtedly, this mixed bill illustrates the important link between The Royal Ballet School and The Royal Ballet company. Audience members can look forward to watching student dancers who may well win a coveted place in the company’s ranks in the not-too-distant future!

Note: Patrons can only purchase two tickets per person for any one performance