Cecchetti Day 2022 - Royal Ballet School, Covent Garden
To VIEW Elaine Mayson’s photographs of Cecchetti Day 2022 go to Photo Gallery
The Cecchetti Society Trust was delighted to support Cecchetti Day held on 22nd May 2022 at The Royal Ballet School, Covent Garden. Organised by the Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty (CSCBF) ISTD the event was particularly special this year as it marked the Centenary of the founding of The Cecchetti Society in 1922 and also a return to The Royal Ballet School after a 3-year absence due to Covid. There was a tremendous sense of celebration as friends and colleagues gathered and had the pleasure of meeting again in person.
The day began with an warm welcomes from Philippa McMeechan, Head of Faculty Development - Cecchetti, Ginny Brown, Chief Executive, ISTD and Frederick Way, Vice Chair of the Council of the ISTD. David Yow presented a lovely detailed demonstration of vocational Cecchetti work with links to repertoire with male students from English National Ballet School and Jonnie Gait accompanying.
The retiring CSCBF committee, who ended their term of office in September 2020, had the pleasure of marking both the retirement of Sharon Orme, Faculty Coordinator and of presenting the Enrico Cecchetti Medal to Mary Stassinopoulos and to Kate Simmons to mark their exceptional service to the Cecchetti Society over many years. Catherine Hutchon was also presented with the Enrico Cecchetti Medal to mark her service as Chair of the Faculty. The presentations were followed by performances of student award winners, many of whom had received Cecchetti Society Trust Student bursaries and scholarships in 2021-22. Junior and Senior Cecchetti Scholars directed by Gillian Toogood, performed creative pieces choreographed by Judith Wilson and Julie Cronshaw.
After a very convivial lunch, the new Faculty Committee was introduced and long service certificates were presented to retiring Cecchetti teachers. Dame Monica Mason as Trust and Faculty Patron was then invited to cut a cake to mark the Centenary. Elisabeth Swan, Chair of the Cecchetti Society Trust spoke about the work of the Trust and shared the importance of fundraising and donating to the Trust to maintain and support the development of Cecchetti work. Young dancers from Moorlands International Ballet Academy then gave a demonstration of graded to vocational level Cecchetti work skilfully arranged and presented by Gillian Hurst, with Jonnie Gait at the piano.
The afternoon finished with a very special lecture demonstration. With the kind permission of Kevin O’Hare, Director of the Royal Ballet, Lesley Collier CBE coached company dancers Leticia Dias and Calvin Richardson in the pas de deux from Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody, with Philip Gammon accompanying. The work was created in 1984 by Ashton for Lesley Collier and Mikhail Baryshnikov for a Gala to mark Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday. Philip Gammon as Royal Ballet Company pianist accompanied the first performance. The lecture demonstration was a wonderful opportunity to see how a ballet is passed down from one generation to the next with such care and detail, and to hear how Ashton used his dancers and music in the creative process and how he incorporated Cecchetti style and qualities in his work. A memorable end to a very special day.