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New faces look back

14 July 2008

The beginning of the 2007-08 season saw a number of new dancers join Birmingham Royal Ballet. Many were straight out of school, performing for the first time as professional dancers.

Laura-Jane Gibson, Artist, came from Elmhurst School for Dance in Edgbaston, Birmingham, which meant she had already met many of the Company before.

'I've done summer schools here before,' she explains, 'and Desmond, Marion and David have all been to Elmhurst and we've had talks with them and they've given classes. I found that really beneficial at the time, and then when I came here, they were all already friendly faces. Then because I've worked here as a student, I already knew quite a lot of the Company members so when I came here I felt at home straight away.'

Attending Elmhurst meant that Laura-Jane also already knew Birmingham quite well. 'I think I have been lucky in that I'd been in Birmingham for the past three years,' she admits, 'so I haven't had to adjust that much to living in a new city. But obviously dancing with the Company is very different from school - much more enjoyable!'

'I found it a bit intimidating,' says Oliver Till of joining the Company, 'but because most of last year's new entries came from my school, I knew them all already. So in that respect I already knew who I was going to be dancing with. But the first few rehearsals - the first full call, that's quite nerve-racking, when you have to perform with the whole Company there.'

Pausing for a moment he corrects himself: '"Intimidating" is probably the wrong word... and not even "apprehensive", but there is a very real feeling of "this is it". From the age of 11, you're led to aspire to the two royal companies. So to actually be able to come out of school and go "this is it now", and take that step - rather than just getting one more step closer - it's a bit of a shock to the system really!'

Soloist Natasha Oughtred had danced with The Royal Ballet for seven years before joining Birmingham Royal Ballet. Despite this she still uses the same phrase as Oliver when describing the launch into the new season. 'It was a shock to the system at first,' she admits. 'I think in my very first week we were just doing class, and I was absolutely exhausted, thinking "but I've done nothing yet!" But I think that's something that's really hit me here: in class everyone's giving it their all right up to the end, regardless of the busy-ness of the day we have ahead. Everyone's always full-throttle and it kind of sweeps you along and carries you through, so it's very easy to get on board with that.'

The year itself contained many memorable moments for the dancers. 'Edward II was a highlight,' says Oliver, 'because it was the first full, two-act ballet that I did here. And obviously the content stands out in itself - this Company's rep is quite diverse for a classical company.'

Click here to read the second half of this article.

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New faces look back