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I have watched and loved the RB for some 50 years and it is pretty daunting to be told that I should be prepared to wait 4 years to see whether those now in charge are up to the job.

Ross Stretton (RS) is attracting much flak at present and I thought it interesting to delve a little and decide whether it is justified and whether he is the rightful target.

There have been six directors at the RB the first four were choreographers, the fifth, to use a sporting analogy was a player manager and the sixth alone came with directorial experience. He is the first who had no link with Dame Ninette and not to come under her influence also he is the first who had not worked in the UK. His appointment surprised many in view of the fact that he had no experience with a company like the RB and no great track record as a moderniser.

It is fair to recall that there was agitation and cries of woe at previous changeovers and after. Dame Ninette alone escaped such criticism. The company has inevitably evolved throughout the years and has lost some of its individuality and character in that time and the involvement of the school has eroded but there remains something of the real heart.

The role of AD to the Royal Ballet is a very senior one and needs an incumbent with clear ideas of what they are aiming to do and the ability and determination to do them. The appointee must remember that they are running the Royal Ballet and that it is an Opera House company, which means that patrons want worthwhile content in length and quality although not a museum company.

Stretton came to a company with identified problems, which should have been known to him.

Repertory
Stretton inherited a wealth of superb ballets which he should have been used alongside the introduction of new works. He has not used the established repertoire well and has not brought in new or interesting works either. We could have had some good triple bills with some known works alongside new ones.

In his mission statement RS quotes Dame Ninette talking of exceptional heritage and a limitless future. These are words to which he has not matched actions. RS has said that the RB needs change but we were looking for a change for the better.

One might have hoped for something from Australia but the one attempt was a shambles in production and not liked here.

He has ignored too much of the precious heritage and been lost in introducing new works. He has looked around and picked bits and pieces of other companies’ newer works regardless of their suitability to the company or appeal to the audience. If in doubt he has looked to see what ABT have done as with the new Mark Morris.

In terms of developing repertoire he seems utterly lost and has made no attempt at encouraging in house creation. In this area he is uncertain and indecisive and earns no plaudits.

Dancers
Stretton was less fortunate in inheriting an unbalanced group. The male side was very short of talented and experienced senior dancers although there was a fine group of character dancers. He has of necessity needed to use guest principals some of whom have been superb. He has also given a chance to quite a few youngsters with very encouraging results. He has taken steps which should see improvements next season. On the girls side he had a totally different problem with almost an excess of talent and great new promise emerging. The difficulty of giving promise it’s chance whilst avoiding frustration and loss of morale for those who may feel passed over is not new. On a happier note we have seen a lot of new girls who have in general been excellent

We could feel that he had done well in this area and we have seen some fine dancing although attention to performance and interpretation seems to have slipped. The corps dancing has not always been good.

A negative has shown however as we have seen an exceptional number of injuries which cannot be coincidence. There are a variety of explanations from those better qualified to know than I but whatever the cause it has played havoc with an already chaotic casting situation. In fact some of the apparently neglected dancers have appeared because of the shortage of dancers and to the delight of their old fans. It is not yet clear why the injury crisis has arisen but must be due to the director.

He seemed to be coping well but the injury position raises a big question mark.

Casting
Long term ballet lovers at the ROH have been used to getting accurate and full casting lists well in advance and in time to make ticketing applications. This facility had declined in recent years but not vanished until Stretton arrived when castings are often not available at all to start with and when the ROH website reveals names we get principals only and this information is often wrong. Difficulties in naming casts were a problem before the injury position arose and is another example of the fact that Stretton is not sure of himself.

This uncertainty is bad news for serious ballet lovers and we now learn that it has lead to protests from the dancers as well.

Unhappy dancers is not a new charge against RS and not something we want.

Heritage and respect for company tradition
The ability and inclination to respect and use the heritage is a critical need if we are to retain a distinctive company. Without them could it could continue to be a ballet company but it would be anonymous, characterless and just like many another.

Stretton apart from words has shown zero respect for the heritage. He talked about a de Valois year but we got none of her creations. He totally ignored the Beryl Grey evening and presented an evening of mainly tripe for the jubilee gala, there was no excuse for these arrogant and ill-mannered acts.

In this critical area he gets no approval wharever.

Music We have no musical director and an assortment of what appear to be jobbing conductors, we cannot blame RS here he took over a bad position but I would like to hear some evidence that he seeks to change this.

Summary
We should expect that a new AD would have prepared himself with awareness and knowledge of what the job entails. He should be capable of coming in with clear ideas but not a closed mind. He is 50 years old and has come into a top job and should not be allowed 4 years to find out whether he can do it.

He does not seem clear where he is heading and is uncertain throughout and there are serious doubts about him across the spectrum.

It is my view that Ross Stratton is NOT to be blamed for the poor performance it is those who appointed him who are guilty and should be replaced. I am afraid that he should be replaced whilst there is still time but the real culprits should be out first.