Headlining the highly anticipated Ballet Nights premiere in London later this month are three stars of The Royal Ballet – Steven McRae, Melissa Hamilton, and Ryoichi Hirano.
In October 2021, Producer Jamiel Devernay-Laurence launched his debut event, Ballet Nights, featuring principal dancers from prestigious companies like the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, and Scottish Ballet, complemented by a thrilling showcase of emerging talents.
Fast forward to 2023 and Ballet Nights is undergoing a remarkable expansion from its original one-night affair. The event is now set to span six enchanting evenings, with two each in September, October, and November.
The sure-to-be breathtaking performances will unfold at the intimate Lanterns Studio Theatre, nestled in the heart of Canary Wharf.
“I’m passionate about spreading our art form further, and I was instantly drawn to the energy of the team behind Ballet Nights and their desire to attract and to appeal to new audiences. It’s an opportunity for audiences to have a taste of different voices from our art form: the world of dance.
I’ve never seen myself purely as a ballet dancer or a tap dancer or a musical theatre dancer. I’m just a dancer! Putting the ballet shoes aside and donning my tap shoes to perform my piece Czárdás with the brilliant violinist Vasko Vassilev at Ballet Nights means having those complimentary opportunities away from the mainstage of the Royal Opera House to explore and still enjoy those other forms of dance is vital for me.”
– Steven McRae, Principal of The Royal Ballet
Each month’s program promises a rich tapestry of dance, featuring a diverse mix of accomplished award-winning superstars and the promising, fast-risers of the dance world.
They will perform choreography by some of the most respected names in traditional and contemporary dance making:
- Kenneth MacMillan
- Michel Fokine
- Marius Petipa
- Robert Cohan
- Andrew McNicol
- David Dawson
- Gavin McCaig
With such casts and creations, Ballet Nights 2023 is poised to be a celebration of artistry, innovation, and sheer talent, offering audiences a chance to immerse themselves in the magic of ballet like never before.
“I’m very excited about having the chance to perform two completely different pieces in Ballet Nights.
Gamzatti Variation has been performed by many inspiring ballerinas, and a new contemporary piece which has been created for me by choreographer Jordan James Bridge. It’s wonderful to collaborate with a choreographer to learn a new style, a new movement and to understand their vision. I’m looking forward to working with Jordan because he is simply an amazing dancer and artist.
I think Lanterns audiences will love the range of work on show – one minute they’ll be seeing a piece that was created a hundred years ago, the next minute it’ll be something brand new.”
– Constance Devernay-Laurence winner of the 2022 Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards title of Outstanding Female Classical Performance for her role as Swanilda in Coppélia (Scottish Ballet)
Ballet Nights Premiere Autumn Season Featured Artists
Programme 001: September 29 & 30, 2023
STEVEN MCRAE
MELISSA HAMILTON &
RYOICHI HIRANO (29th)
MELISSA HAMILTON &
REECE CLARKE (30th)
CONSTANCE DEVERNAY-LAURENCE
NEW ENGLISH BALLET THEATRE
EDD MITTEN & AMY THAKE
JORDAN JAMES BRIDGE
GEORGE LIANG & JULIE NUNES
Programme 2: October 27 & 28, 2023
STEVEN MCRAE & guests
CONSTANCE DEVERNAY-LAURENCE
SANGEUN LEE & GARETH HAW
MUSA MOTHA
JAMES STEPHENS & WINNIE DIAS
YORKE DANCE PROJECT
YASSER D’OQUENDO
JAMES PETT & TRAVIS CLAUSEN-KNIGHT
Programme 003: November 24 & 25, 2023
STEVEN MCRAE
KATJA KHANIUKOVA & AITOR ARRIETA COCA
LAUREL DALLEY SMITH
IVANA BUENO
FELICITY CHADWICK
JAMES PETT & TRAVIS CLAUSEN-KNIGHT
YASSER D’OQUENDO
“Ballet Nights is a fantastic and dynamic platform that will bring together many incredible artistic voices and we’re very excited to be part of it.
For Pett|Clausen-Knight, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity of sharing this powerfully challenging work in such an engaging space that is intimate yet expansive; a space that justifies the power and immense capacities of all the artists taking part. In The Absence is a work of intensely technical physicality and felt experience and we feel it fits right into Ballet Nights’ ambition to give audiences a chance to experience works like this within the spectrum of UK dance.
We look forward to sharing more of our company’s work on this platform alongside such inspiring individuals.”
– James and Travis of Pett|Clausen-Knight
Featured Photo for the Ballet Nights Premiere of The Royal Ballet’s principal dancer Steven McRae. Photo by Mich Rose.
