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I actually thought my life would be quieter after the end of the season - but it hasn't worked out that way. It's been almost as hectic as the Spring, in fact.
It was such fun - in April - to dance Giselle with Roberto Bolle. Our 4 days of rehearsal went well and so did our two performances, although we didn't manage to hold one of the lifts in our first show (that had never happened before - typical). Roberto did an amazing job and it was great to finish the second show on such a high. Angus had brought Phoebe up to see me dance that night. It was a surprise for both of us as Phoebe didn't know she was coming until the last minute and I didn't know she'd be there. At the end of Act 1, when I was lying 'dead' on the stage, she turned to Angus and said, "It's OK, Daddy. Mummy is just having a rest." You can't move in that scene, but as you try to come down from the drama you do tend to think about what you have to do next, so perhaps Phoebe understands more about ballet than we think!
Next came my two shows in New York with David Makhateli. David and I hadn't danced together much before this and - as happened for our Cinderella during last summer's tour - we didn't have much time to rehearse. We both have busy schedules, but we did manage 3 to 4 hours of work before flying out to dance the final pas de deux from Manon. This turned out to be a good choice as, unlike most of the pieces that had gone before, it's very dramatic. The competition winners performed in the first half and we were pleased to see that Sergiy Polunin, a student of the Royal Ballet School, was one of the Grand Prix winners.
After New York it was back to London to rehearse the final bill of the season. Learning Homage to the Queen was much tougher than I'd expected. It looks quite lyrical and gentle, but it's more of a marathon. The music was quite difficult and I felt it had a 50s Hollywood feel to it. Although it was hard (I felt) to relate to all the elements, it was a wonderful choice for the Royal Ballet's 75th Anniversary, and especially so for the Gala celebrating the birthday of Her Majesty The Queen.
I also danced the Le Corsaire pas de deux
with Carlos Acosta. Like Roberto, Carlos has a tight schedule and he only made it to London 2 days before the Gala. Of course, I'd spent quite a bit of time working on my solo in the studio, coached by Johnny Cope. We tried out loads of different variations of the solo, especially the fouettés; I wanted to do something different but not flashy - flash really isn't my style. Thankfully the version Johnny and I decided upon worked really well on the night. When Carlos did arrive we spent lots of time discussing which version of the pas de deux would look best, trying them out in the studio. In fact I think we were still discussing this in the wings before we went on. And having a film crew there was no help for my nerves (they were filming for a documentary about 75 years of the Royal Ballet). Following Sylvie Guillem was also tough! She is an amazingly talented dancer and I really enjoyed watching her piece from the wings. Russell Maliphant is such a gifted choreographer; I was fascinated by his use of lighting and space.
Working with Carlos was just wonderful. While rehearsing in the studio it wasn't so much a case of which version we preferred, but what worked best as regards timing - that was the most important thing. In fact at the end of the coda he turned me more that I expected, but that didn't faze me - I just kept smiling. It was one of those performances!
It was fantastic to have the opportunity to dance Winter Dreams again. Teaching it to Roberto was remarkably easy, though he only had a few days to learn it. He listens so well, takes in so much (and so quickly!) and seemed to enjoy the challenge of Irek's flying leaps. It just felt so right to be dancing it with him. (Of course, since the piece was 'made' on me, I had quite a lot to say about our interpretation!) Dancing it again brought back so many good memories.
Instead of going on tour at the end of the season, I went off to Japan to film a DVD of Le Jeune Homme et la Mort with Teddy (Tetsuya) Kumakawa. I had a brilliant time and Teddy had everything well planned, though the schedule was pretty testing. I went into the studio the day I arrived and also had costume fittings. The next day it was rehearsals with Luigi Bonino (with whom I'd worked in Milan earlier this year). Dancing the same role with a different partner is similar, but also quite different: dancers have their own reading of a ballet and how they want to dance it. Thankfully, Luigi was pleased with what he saw. The piece was pulled apart for the actual filming and, as they also filmed from every possible angle, that meant really long days in the studio - often from 9:00 am to midnight. In Milan I'd worn a wig for the role but, as they were filming in close-up, I decided the wig would be too obvious. Instead, I had my hair cut and dyed, although that did mean I couldn't get away from the part. (Every time I looked in the mirror...) On the day we filmed the final version, we finished at 2:30 in the morning, so I hope all our hard work results in a good DVD.
Having spent 12 years working with Teddy at the Royal Ballet, I was fascinated to see him in his new role in Japan. He is so professional and totally devoted to his company and they to him. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to take class with them and would love to dance in Japan again at some point in the future.
Missing the Royal Ballet's tour also meant I could enjoy Wimbledon - and the privilege of watching the Men's Semi-final from the Royal Box. It was a fantastic match which Angus and I thoroughly enjoyed. I was then part of a delegation which carried a manifesto to Parliament offices to be presented to David Lammy, the Minister for Culture. The aim of the Manifesto is to try to bring dance more fully into the Education System as part of the National Curriculum. A lot of girls don't enjoy competitive sports and games after the age of 14 and Dance is the second most popular form of exercise after football. Wouldn't it be great if we could get more dance teachers into schools and more students participating in dance?
Another summer privilege was to have a rose named after me by David Austin Roses - and I attended its launch on the first day of the Chelsea Flower Show. I also had an amazing evening at Somerset House where I received a Gold Medal from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts International Committee. Michael Kaiser, who is president of the centre, (and former executive director of the Royal Opera House) presented me with the award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance. Michael Caine, Dame Judy Dench, Lily Safra, Lord Jacob Rothschild and Jeremy Irons were the other receivers of gold awards that evening.
I also had the opportunity to attend a fund-raising dinner at St. James's Palace in support of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (founded 50 years ago). This was attended by an amazing array of people, from Buzz Aldrin (the second man to walk on the moon) - to Linford Christie - to Katherine Jenkins. In aid of the same worthy cause, I was lucky enough to attend a garden party for some 8000 volunteers and donors at Buckingham Palace the next day; I felt really honoured to be asked to give out some awards.
Of course, the biggest honour of the year came when I learned I was to be made a CBE by the Queen. I was totally shocked to hear this, but I did have a bit of time to digest the news before it was announced to the press. I'm really looking forward to taking my girls along to watch.
Thank you again to everyone who has sent cards, letters and gifts to me at the Opera House; I really appreciate your support. Sorry for the delay in replying to some of them - I am still working my way slowly through the pile, so if you haven't heard from me yet, you will soon. Thanks also for the comments regarding this site but unfortunately I'm unable to offer any personal advice.
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please come back again to see what I have been up to.
Enjoy your dance.
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