Postings discussion This link allows you to see others thoughts on this piece and contribute to the debate yourself if you want. We look to guarantee this link for a number of years, though after 3-6 months the page may be closed to further additions. Cruel Garden - Ross Stretton’s troubled year at the Royal Ballet David Drew, RB Principal, on Stretton's leaving RB - notes for a new Artistic Director Ross Stretton's resignation as it happened on our postings pages. Changes to the 200/03 season RB Reviews

Do please feel free to comment and see others thoughts and views by using the link, over on the left, to a posting thread for discussion on the way forward for RB.

Now that the dust has begun to settle after the seismic shock of Ross Stretton’s departure from the Royal Ballet, the task of finding a new Director must begin. There are, I believe, certain attributes which the Board of the Royal Ballet must find in their chosen successor. They can be divided into those which relate specifically to the Royal ballet and those which are more general but equally desirable.

The job specific areas are easy to identify:

1. An ability to work within the organisation of the Opera House

…from costumes and set building to marketing and box office, its various boards of governors, and to co-habit with the opera company and to work ‘under’ the Chief Executive. It would be tempting to suggest that administrative matters are now so important that only an experienced director could hope to achieve success in this area, but there are many companies in the world whose directors ‘get by’ with this side of their function. No, an indication of administrative aptitude, a proven preference for team work and a natural affability will be greater recommendations than actual experience of another company; the Royal Ballet’s position within the ROH is unique and, therefore, no candidate can prove his or her ability before assuming the post. True, this will mean that the new Director must have more than a hint of the ‘chief executive’ about him or her, but that is the reality of arts management in the 21st century.

2. A commitment to the ‘heritage’ of the company

Where the Board may have gone wrong in its previous appointment was as a result of ignoring this essential job-specific element. The Royal Ballet’s essence is defined by these works which demand a place in the repertoire, not only for local but also international audiences, given that the company is seen as the repository of the works of these choreographers AND the model for the requisite style needed to dance them.

Ballet is, as the art form as we know it, very young but now not so young as not to have a history. De Valois’ promotion of the choreographic talents of Ashton, Howard, Helpmann, Cranko and MacMillan, to name but a few, was a necessity, owing to the lack of an indigenous repertoire and to her own Diaghilevian mind-set. That has now changed, and the avant-garde work of yesteryear has now become the heritage of the present. Given the weight of this past on the company, any new director must not only accept the need to perform these works, but also be convinced of their validity and relevance to today’s company and its audience. The Director must be a champion of these works and not an apologist; he or she must also regard their presence in the repertoire as integral to the uniqueness of the company – to be seen as the sanctum of a choreographer’s works has not hurt NYCB, Royal Danish or Stuttgart and the new incumbent must seek to make similar capital of the Royal Ballet’s unique heritage.

3. The new Director must foster and maintain even closer ties with the Royal Ballet School

That the great companies of the world all have their own schools is no coincidence. De Valois realised the vital necessity of establishing a training ground for future company dancers and the establishment of the RBS was an essential part of her vision. Now that the School is an institution in its own right, the Director of the Royal Ballet MUST seek to encourage the closest possible rapport with his or her company. For there to be a unity of style, approach, musicality and stagecraft, entry into the company must be seen as the natural progression to a young dancer at the School. The link between the two has been eroded in past years, for various reasons, but the opening of the new Upper School in Floral Street will give added impetus to reforging the bond. The Director must work with the Director of the School in terms of the demands of his or her repertoire so that, as well as being an international dance academy, the Royal Ballet School feels part of the company, thereby feeding its most promising dancers across the road to the Opera House

And now to the more esoteric attributes for the new incumbent. For this, it would do well to go back to Ninette de Valois and her approach to setting up and developing the company which was to become the Royal Ballet. The fundamental elements contributing to the establishment of our national company are set out clearly in Arnold Haskell’s 1943 treatise ‘The National Ballet’, from which this ‘perfect wheel’ is taken:

I do not think it is too fanciful to put this forward as a manifesto for the new director. As Haskell writes:

"…let us remember that concentration on dancing killed ballet for several generations, concentration on music and décor injured it so badly that the dancing of the ‘The Sleeping Princess’ (in Diaghilev’s ill-fated 1921 London production) was improperly appreciated, and a complete re-education of the public was necessary".

So let us examine these four elements in more detail, never forgetting that our new director should seek to achieve balance between them.

The new Director should seek and appoint a Music Director as soon as possible.

The Royal Ballet has been without an M/D since the departure of Andrea Quinn, but has floated rudderless in musical terms since the death of Ashley Lawrence. Constant Lambert, de Valois’ musical director was a distinguished composer, conductor and critic and the rapid progress and celebrity of the company was due in no small part to his musical leadership. A music director needs to make musical sense of programming, ensuring a proper balance and creating a stimulating and educative selection of works. Many still remember the electrifying effect of having Bernard Haitink in the pit for the ballet and the appointment of a musician of note to the post would also serve to improve the standards of orchestral playing on ballet evenings. A good M/D would also have a guiding hand on musical choices and have active input in the commission of new works. The Director of the Royal Ballet is not expected to be an expert in music, but to have one at his or her side would be invaluable to imparting coherence to the musical programming of the company.

The Director must oversee the maintenance of production values, including choices of designer.

The list of designers used over the history of the company make for impressive reading, from Whistler, McKnight Kauffer and Burra for de Valois, to Fedorovitch, Beaton, Chappell, Trevelyan Oman and Walker for Ashton, all the way through to Georgiadis and Nolan for MacMillan. The new Director must seek to continue this tradition – contemporary designers and painters should be represented in the work of the company; it would add lustre and visual stimulation to the productions and showcase work for the artists. We can all identify productions which were scuppered by inappropriate designs and/or costuming, and yet, they are vital – plain backdrops and practice clothes are not options for most ballets. Linked to production design should be a renewed emphasis on production values; the importance of efficient scene changes, the correct hanging of cloths and placing of sets (for maximum visibility for the audience) and the clear and precise lighting of the stage are all areas which have suffered of late. It takes a trained and talented eye to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the stage picture and a sure hand to rectify any faults.

The Director must display a clear approach to the maintenance of technique and standards of dancing and stagecraft.

. That the demands of the modern repertoire are technically greater now than in the past is undeniable, and the director’s job must be to have a strong team whose daily job is to bring the company to the peak of their physical ability without leaving them prone to injury. However, what the RB Director must also do is to ensure that in the quest for ever better technique, the importance of stagecraft, musicality, acting, make-up and general stage demeanour are not lost. The proficient technician will not, after all, move an audience. The tradition of Royal Ballet men can be traced back to Michael Somes whose quiet virility set the standard – the way a RB prince walks has traditionally been very different from those of other companies and it is imperative that the performing traditions of the company are given due respect.

It is important that the new Director be an ex-performer or choreographer, because only a practitioner will appreciate the true nature of the craft. There is a strong argument for him or her to be well versed in the repertoire, but we must remember that the Director is there to manage and facilitate and is not a glorified Ballet Master or Mistress.

His or her skills must be rooted in a very thorough understanding of classicism and of music as well as in a knowledge of anatomy and an eye for line, which will see irregularities and advise on compensating less than perfect physicality (how many of our greatest dancers were not physically ‘perfect’?!).

The Director must make a clear commitment to the development of in-house choreographers.

The Company should never become a museum, a ‘mere’ repository for past works. Choreography is the life-blood of a company and the RB is now suffering after a long period of choreographic riches (Ashton, Howard, Cranko, MacMillan, even Bintley). The new Director must nurture choreographic talent – the Clore and Linbury Studios are perfect small auditoria for first steps and medium-sized projects. The target is to develop choreographers for the main stage (not works, which will, of course, flow from well prepared creators) but the process is long and the Director must be entirely committed to fostering talent. There is in-house talent which is, frankly, the best place to start. With a good musical director to help and guide, and the sure eye of the Director, young talent can be brought on. The ADI is a highly laudable initiative, which seems at present to exist in a form of limbo, outside the RB and even ROH structure, surviving on goodwill, a wing and a prayer. The new Director must, in league with the Chief Executive, seek ways by which to bring the ADI more into the fold, thereby allotting it company time and funds – it has produced varied and stimulating works in the past years and must not be allowed to fail through neglect.

A final word to my wish list: a Director must be single-minded. The company is great and can only keep and magnify its greatness through an absolute belief on the part of its leader that it will succeed. It is a single-mindedness which must lead the Director to fight for his or her company within the Opera House. This single-mindedness is not all however. The Director must also be broad-minded. We have all seen the consequences of an ‘uncultured’ director. A breadth of interest is essential – a man or woman with knowledge of art and music, the other performing and plastic arts. A richness of knowledge and experience can only benefit what is a very narrowly focused art form. It will help the Director choose wisely, be it musically, artistically or aesthetically.

The quest has begun – is there a candidate to satisfy the criteria? That remains to be seen. The Board must not be hasty in their choice; there is much to consider.