The Royal Ballet’s opening night of their post-lockdown season turned out to be their last (for now), as theatres are once again closed due to the covid pandemic and the second wave sweeping across the UK and Europe.
However, even knowing it was a fleeting experience, it was glorious feeling to be back in the opulent and iconic Royal Opera House, seeing this exceptional company back, live on stage. And the audience were thoroughly thrilled and showed their love with huge applause and feet stomping every time a new duet or solo graced the stage.
To celebrate this wonderful night, here are some stunning photos from The Royal Ballet’s Elite Syncopations and exerts that showcased the company’s classical repertoire, including Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Manon, Woolf Works and more. It was magical to see ballet stars Edward Watson, Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov, Sarah Lamb, Akane Takada, Fumi Keneko, Reece Clarke, Francesca Hayward, Matthew Ball, Mayara Magri, Laura Morera, Claire Calvert whose performances resolutely filled our souls with the joy needed to get through this next lockdown.
Claire Calvert in The Dying Swan. Photo by Rachel Hollings Francesca Hayward in Swan Lake. Photo by Helen Maybanks Francesca Hayward in Swan Lake. Photo by Helen Maybanks Edward Watson and Akane Takada in Woolf Works. Photo by Tristram Kenton Edward Watson and Akane Takada in Woolf Works. Photo by Tristram Kenton Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke in In Our Wishes. Photo by Tristram Kenton Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke in In Our Wishes. Photo by Tristram Kenton Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke in In Our Wishes. Photo by Tristram Kenton Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke in In Our Wishes. Photo by Tristram Kenton Matthew Ball and Mayara Magri in Le Corsaire. Photo by Rachel Hollings Matthew Ball in Le Corsaire. Photo by Rachel Hollings Matthew Ball and Mayara Magri in Le Corsaire. Photo by Rachel Hollings Marianela Nunez in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Rachel Hollings Marianela Nunez in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Rachel Hollings Marianela Nunez in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Rachel Hollings Vadim-MuntagiroMarianela Nunez in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Rachel Hollings Vadim Muntagirov in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (c) Emma Kauldhar Federico Bonelli and Laura Morera in Manon Photo by Emma Kauldhar Joseph Sissens in Dance of the Blessed Spirts. Photo by Emma Kauldhar Mayara Magri in Le Corsaire. Photo (c) Emma Kauldhar Benjamin Ella in Elite Syncopations. Photo by Emma Kauldhar Sarah-Lamb-and-Ryoichi-Hirano-in-Elite-Syncopations-ļ2018-ROH.-Photograph by Tristram Kenton Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano in Elite Syncopations. Photo by Tristram Kenton Sarah Lamb in Elite Syncopations. Photo by Tristram Kenton
