Taiwan / October 2019 (Day 5)

Finally, the day of the performance has arrived! We are proud to be the first ballet company to be performing in this brand new theater which just opened last season and to bring our art form to the audiences of Kaohsiung!

Photos: Roman Novitzky

Company class in the morning starts the day: here with Alessandro Giaquinto, Friedemann Vogel, Daiana Ruiz, Priscylla Gallo and at the piano Catelijne Smit who always gets the dancers motivated with her magical music mix

A big thank you to our main sponsor Porsche AG Stuttgart for the lovely t-shirts commemorating this tour to Taiwan and China!

Notes on stage after class for the whole company

Artistic Director Tamas Detrich and Ballet Mistress Yseult Lendvai giving notes from the dress rehearsal the night before and inspiration for the evening’s performance

The dancers listen attentively

Between morning class/rehearsals and the evening performance, the dancers have a short break. Just enough to do a bit of sightseeing and gain appreciation of Taiwanese culture

Impressions of lovely Kaohsiung…

A quick snack before the performance: yummy dumplings

It‘s show time! Friedemann Vogel applies eyeliner while make-up artist Lola Khurramova styles his hair

Adhonay Soares da Silva deep in concentration while the friendly staff of the theater helps him with his costume

Matteo Miccini warms up on stage before the performance

Elisa Badenes and Matteo Miccini on stage before the performance

Elisa Badenes and Matteo Miccini stretching

Very important: Elisa Badenes‘ pointe shoes which will carry her through the evening

Just before the start of the second act

Christian Pforr und Clemens Froehlich in the tarantella

Sonia Santiago as the nurse and Alessandro Giaquinto as clown

Friedemann Vogel as Romeo dreaming of Juliet

Rocio Aleman as gypsy with Friedemann Vogel as Romeo

Dresser Johanna Doring prepares Friedemann Vogel for the third act

Friedemann on stage at the beginning of the third act

The last pas de deux of Romeo and Juliet: Elisa and Friedemann

Elisa and Friedemann

Romeo with Juliet just before he has to leave her

Martí Fernández Paixà as Count Paris with Elisa Badenes as Juliet

Elisa as Juliet: about to take the potion

Friedemann Vogel, Elisa Badenes and Martí Fernández Paixà: in the crypt, Paris sees Romeo at Juliet’s bier

Juliet prepares to take her life, unbale to live without Romeo

For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo – William Shakespeare

Elisa Badenes and Friedemann Vogel take their first bow after an intense performance of John Cranko’s masterpiece

Japan Tour / November 2018 (Day 13)

Everything is running at top speed for the last two Swan Lake performances in Tokyo before we will leave for Fukuoka on Monday: Anna Osadcenko and David Moore rehearsed for their performance on Saturday morning while on Saturday afternoon Adhonay Soares gave his debut as Prince Siegfried alongside his swan queen Elisa Badenes. During the almost sold out performance he took the audience by storm and earned lots of spontaneous applause. Congratulations! Special mention must be made of our corps de ballet, especially the ladies, which has been dancing with unflagging enthusiasm and on a very high level in all performances.

Photos: Roman Novitzky

During Swan Lake rehearsal with Tamas Detrich, Andria Hall, Rolando D’Alesio, Yseult Lendvai, Marc Ribaud, Agnes Su as well as Wolfgang Heinz and Valery Laenko

Anna Osadcenko and David Moore as Odette and Prince Siegfried

Anna Osadcenko and David Moore

Anna Osadcenko and David Moore

Anna Osadcenko and David Moore

Anna Osadcenko and David Moore

Afternoon performance: Pas de six with Adhonay Soares da Silva, Hyo-Jung Kang, Diana Ionescu, Veronika Verterich, Miriam Kacerova and Angelina Zuccarini

Diana Ionescu in the pas de six

Fernanda De Souza Lopes

Our charming Brazilian gentlemen: Adhonay Soares da Silva with Moacir de Oliveira and Noan Alves

During the break: Swan Aiara Iturrioz Rico and Rothbart Matteo Crockard-Villa

Swan Queen Elisa Badenes

Elisa Badenes and the corps de ballet

Adhonay Soares da Silva and Elisa Badenes

Adhonay Soares da Silva and Elisa Badenes

Rocio Aleman as Spanish princess

Sinead Brodd as Hungarian princess

Jessica Fyfe as Russian pincess

The Russian princess’ ladies

Angelina Zuccarini as Neapolitan princess and her companion Timoor Afshar

Elisa Badenes as Odile

Short break for Elisa Badenes

Elisa Badenes and Adhonay Soares da Silva

Our corps de ballet ladies

Elisa Badenes and Adhonay Soares da SIlva during the final applause

Dancer’s view on the final applause

Japan Tour / November 2018 (Day 10)

Once again a full day in the Bunka Kaikan Theater: in the morning a stage rehearsal and in the evening the dress rehearsal, both for Swan Lake. Parallel to all that there are more interviews and photo shoots taking place; the media interest in the dancers is high! Elisa Badenes and Adhonay Soares da Silva dance the dress rehearsal. Adhonay will have his debut as Prince Siegfried on Saturday here in Tokyo, we all wish him the very best.

Photos: Roman Novitzky

Fraser Roach ready for the first act

Physiotherapist Gretus Mossig works on Aurora de Mori’s feet while Diana Ionescu prepares her pointes shoes

Adhonay: a new prince is born

Elisa Badenes on stage: magnificent

Our beautiful swans

Angelika Bulfinsky with all the supers

Angelika Bulfinsky with her young supers for the third act

Elisa has fun with/as Odile

Miriam Kacerova in her dressing room just before going onstage

Multitasking: Elisa Badenes in the expert hands of makeup artist Jenny Drechsler-Vogel and dresser Susanne Klein

Elisa Badenes: even swan queens need to take a break – and stay warm!

Lovely ladies

Swans on the wing, or rather in the wings

Room for improvement: corrections for the dancers

Martí Fernández Paixà checks to see if any corrections are for him

Japan Tour / November 2018 (Day 7 and 8)

We are back online with a recap of days 7 and 8 after yesterday‘s well deserved day off. On Sunday the Japanese audience in the completely sold out Bunka Kaikan Theatre rewarded our guest Mathieu Ganio and his Tatiana Elisa Badenes for their moving performance with standing ovations – and the enthusiastic autograph hunters defied the rain in front of the theatre. To make the day even more special, Adhonay Soares da Silva gave his debut as Lensky, next to Jessica Fyfe who performed the role of Olga for the first time with the Stuttgart Ballet.

On Monday most of the company enjoyed a most necessary day of rest – except some of the Principal Dancers and Miriam Kacerova and Roman Novitzky, who taught class and gave a workshop in contemporary choreography for students of the Tokyo Ballet School. See for yourself!

Photos: Roman Novitzky and Miriam Kacerova

Adhonay Soares da Silva warms up in his dressing room

The begining of the first act: Elisa Badenes as Tatiana is absorbed in her book

Our special guest, Mathieu Ganio, Étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet, enters the scene: Tatiana meets Onegin for the first time…

… and falls in love

The corps de ballet men are ready for Tatiana‘s birthday party.

… as well as our ladies!

The high society

Mathieu Ganio as Onegin

Onegin is bored by the party

Onegin rejects Tatiana

Adhonay Soares da Silva gives his debut as Lensky

Onegin is desolate before his duel with Lensky

Mathieu Ganio gets his make-up done during the intermission by Samira Rädcher

And this is what it looks like on the other side if the camera: our Principal Dancer and photographer Roman Novitzky in action, photographed by Artistic Director Tamas Detrich.

Matteo Crockard-Villa double checks thst everything is perfect before his entrance as Prince Gremin

Onegin witnesses Tatiana‘s contented life

Tatiana and her husband Prince Gremin

Onegin tries one last time to win Tatiana‘s heart

Love lies in ruins

Applause for the whole cast!

Well deserved applause after an emotional final pas de deux

Applause and standing ovations in the sold out Bunka Kaikan Theatre

Elisa Badenes, Adhonay Soares da Silva and their fans

Selfie with Adhonay Soares da Silva

Jessica Fyfe and fans

Miriam Kacerova teaches class for some of the students of the Tokyo Ballet School.

Roman Novitzk teaching steps from one of his pieces with the students

A group photo at the end of the workshop…

… with Japanese greetings!

Japan Tour / November 2018 (Day 3)

Yesterday was  very busy but exciting day: first we had a stage rehearsal of Onegin with Elisa Badenes and our special guest Mathieu Ganio, Etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet. What a heavenly couple! After a short break, the stage rehearsals continued with Swan Lake! Hats off to the ladies of the corps de ballet!

Photos: Roman Novitzky

Rehearsal in the studio: the incomparable Mathieu Ganio as Onegin

Rehearsal on stage: Elisa Badenes as Tatiana, Mathieu Ganio as Onegin

Mathieu takes the iconic pose made famous by Ray Barra, Richard Cragun and many others

Elisa and Mathieu

Elisa with Matteo Crockard-Villa as Prince Gremin

Elisa and Mathieu at the beginning oft he last pas de deux

This is what Onegin is so famous for: desire and reason in conflict with one another

Elisa in the final, dramatic moment

Full tour schedule: the ladies of the corps de ballet continue with Swan Lake rehearsal under the ever vigilant eyes of Tamas Detrich and the ballet masters

Bird’s eye view of the beautiful Bunka Kaikan

Swans in action!

Our beautiful corps de ballet ladies!

Ami Morita as Odette and David Moore as Siegfried: rehearsal with Krzysztof Nowogrodzki, Tamas Detrich and Andria Hall

Ami Morita’s lovely swan neck with princely David Moore

The daily chore of all ballerinas: preparing their pointe shoes. Rocio Aleman and Miriam Kacerova at work

Ami Morita rehearses for Odette with Artistic Director Tamas Detrich and ballet mistress Andria Hall