LBC Past Events -

The following summary is also available to download as a Microsoft Word document

Click To Download

Michael began by bringing us up to date on the progress of his ballet "The Snow Queen", which he has been working on with ENB since March. He has had a short break while the company danced "Swan Lake" at the Albert Hall and has now gone back to rehearsals, and told us about the stage he had reached in the story of the ballet. He described what it is like for him as a choreographer, who plans the structure of his ballets meticulously, to come face to face with dancers in the studio and actually create the choreography on them, which may lead him to make some alterations in his visualisation of the ballet. Things do not always go as planned, and he has had to do some re-structuring to get exactly what he wants. During rehearsals, dancers are working on other ballets, including "Swan Lake" for Versailles, so his rehearsals have to be slotted in when dancers and times are available.

Producing a company ballet involves casting, and although Michael had worked with ENB in the past, there have been changes in personnel and he did not know all the dancers. Michael comes to the rehearsal studio knowing the score in detail and the structure, but does not create the actual choreography until he meets the dancers. He described some of the large scale numbers and how he moves the cast about the stage, - like a jigsaw puzzle! He has clear ideas of what he wants to do, but sometimes finds it is not possible for the dancers and adjustments must be made. There are time constraints in the dancers' working day, and he can find himself working on several different numbers out of sequence on the same day. The stage design is progressing well, with the usual financial difficulties, as there are many scenes in this large scale work. After the summer break, rehearsals restart for about six weeks before the premiere and Michael is trying to finish the ballet before the company's summer break.

Robin then mentioned "Melody on the Move" and asked how Michael came to choose that particular music. He likes all classical music and by chance heard one of the melodies played in a record shop and remembered the tune from childhood. Further investigation led him to buy the British Light Music albums and in due course he listened to all of them and selected the numbers he needed for the ballet. It has been a great success everywhere, - even in Spain where they don't have carpet sweepers! This is a demanding classical ballet, even though light in mood, and appeals to people of all ages. Michael has been producing his ballets on many foreign companies to great acclaim and enjoys seeing other dancers bring something different to his choreography.

Going back to the beginning of Michael's career, his first memory was being taken to "Aladdin" aged about 3 or 4, and just loving the ballet and wanting to join in. He lived opposite the Nancy Robinson School in Streatham, and began lessons aged 4 and continued to dance non-stop at home. He danced to the test-card on television or any music he heard, as music is what has always inspired him. He eventually did RAD grades and won a scholarship to White Lodge aged 10. He was very lucky at that time because Inner London Education Authority funded scholarships were available, as otherwise his parents could not have afforded to send him to the Royal Ballet School . He did one year in the Upper School, and was accepted into the Royal Ballet. He then danced for a season with Dutch National Ballet, Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, Joffrey Ballet in New York as a principal, and then back to Covent Garden. Dancing with these companies broadened his experience of different repertoires and styles. He also danced with the Royal Danish Ballet and was coached by Kirsten Ratov and Fleming Ryberg in Bournonville. He has guested with Australian Ballet, and in the UK with Scottish Ballet and Northern Ballet, and has had twenty years as a dancer in a very successful wide-ranging career.

Michael then answered questions from the audience about the adaptation of the Prokofiev music for the piano score of the "The Snow Queen", and the arrangement of the orchestral score for the ENB orchestra. This ballet is a departure for Michael as it is an original work, not based on a well known story but using music already composed for a different purpose. He would really love to create a completely original ballet with a commissioned score. In fact, he has already created such a ballet - "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" - to an original score which unfortunately was cancelled before the premiere, due to financial difficulties in ENB at the time, though the ballet was originally proposed for Covent Garden. We all hope the opportunity will come to see this ballet. He works with Andria Hall as assistant, and also uses video for "The Snow Queen" rehearsal records. Regarding Artistic Directorship, he considers that directing a company now involves huge amounts of administration and finance management, which can take up a great deal of time. However, he would very much like to direct a classical ballet company, as long as it left enough time for choreography. He works free-lance and needs his own time to concentrate on what he does without distractions.

Future plans include "La Baiser de la Fee" for BRB's Stravinsky festival, a revival of his "Romeo and Juliet" in Oslo, Stravinsky's "Orpheus" for the Royal Ballet of Flanders, and for the Royal Ballet a revival of "L'lnvitation au Voyage".