Ashton Rediscovered: Past, Present and Future

27 October 2021 | Insight Performance at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House

This Insight to mark the Foundation’s 10th anniversary comprised Part 1 (live performance) and Part 2 (a new 42-minute film by Lynne Wake, Frederick Ashton: Links in the Chain). Click here to see the programme and cast sheet

Part 1, ‘Ashton Rediscovered: Past, Present and Future’, Royal Opera House video:

Part 2, Frederick Ashton: Links in the Chain:

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Owing to the Covid pandemic, only one masterclass was presented by the Foundation during 2021-22:

Ashton Rediscovered: Les Rendezvous (1933) & Les Patineurs (1937)

20 February 2022 | dancers of The Royal Ballet | coached by Merle Park and Wayne Sleep | introduction to the Foundation’s Shadowing Scheme for Ashton repetiteurs by Lynn Wallis

This event comprised a masterclass on a variation from Les Rendezvous with Merle Park and dancer Leticia Dias (The Royal Ballet), along with Ashton Repetiteur Vanessa Palmer, and a masterclass on the Blue Boy variation from Les Patineurs with Wayne Sleep and dancer Daichi Ikarashi (The Royal Ballet), along with Ashton Repetiteur Isabel McMeekan. A discussion led by Jane Pritchard (Curator of Dance at the V&A), and an introduction to the Foundation’s shadowing scheme for repetiteurs from Lynn Wallis followed.

Les Rendezvous – Merle Park coaches Leticia Dias (rehearsed earlier by trainee Ashton Repetiteur Vanessa Palmer):

Les Patineurs – Wayne Sleep coaches Daichi Ikarashi (rehearsed earlier by trainee Ashton Repetiteur Isabel McMeekan):

Lynn Wallis introduces the Foundation’s shadowing scheme, with trainee Ashton Repetiteurs Vanessa Palmer, Isabel McMeekan and Daniel Kraus (and Christopher Nourse pays a belated 95th birthday tribute to Sir Peter Wright):