The Royal Ballet (Indoor)

The Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom

This performance took place on July 3-7, 2024.

From England | Pillow Debut | World Premiere | U.S. Premiere | Live Music | Only U.S. Appearance in 2024

One of the most famous and celebrated companies in the world, The Royal Ballet appeared at Jacob’s Pillow for the first time, as the company’s sole stop in the U.S. in 2024. To celebrate this milestone, the festival featured daily back-to-back performances from The Royal Ballet in multiple venues.

This program featured the U.S. Premiere of Secret Things by American choreographer Pam Tanowitz and a World Premiere by Wayne McGregor, created especially for Jacob’s Pillow, alongside works by Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, and Christopher Wheeldon. The Royal Ballet Principals Matthew Ball, Mayara Magri, Marcelino Sambé, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, and Sarah Lamb performed in this engagement along with a vibrant array of the company’s dancers. Principal dancer Natalia Osipova performed on opening night (Wednesday, July 3). See below for the full program.

Based in London, England, The Royal Ballet has been in residence at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden since 1946. The company was founded by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1931. The company’s celebrated repertory is drawn from 19th-century ballet classics as well as the distinctive English works of its Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, and continues to resonate with audiences strongly today through the striking contemporary sensibility of Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon.

Read a recent feature on our Royal Ballet engagement in The Boston Globe:

• From Covent Garden to the Berkshires: London’s Royal Ballet visits Jacob’s Pillow for the first time
  “One of the supreme treasures of the international dance world … The company’s five days of performances at Jacob’s Pillow, its only US engagement this year, are selling out fast.”

The Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom – Indoor Program

Secret Things
Choreography Pam Tanowitz
Music Anna Clyne

Diamonds – pas de deux from Jewels
Choreography George Balanchine
Music Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Giselle – Act II pas de deux
Choreography Marius Petipa after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Music Adolphe Adam

Diana and Actaeon – pas de deux
Choreography Agrippina Vaganova after Marius Petipa
Music Riccardo Drigo

Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Music Johannes Brahms

For Four
Choreography Christopher Wheeldon
Music Franz Schubert

Manon – Act I pas de deux
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
Music Jules Massenet orchestrated by Martin Yates

Carousel – If I loved you pas de deux
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
Music Richard Rodgers arranged by Martin Yates

Wayne McGregor World Premiere

Lead underwriting support is provided by Len and Emily Blavatnik.
Major underwriting support is provided by Jeff Davis and Michael Miller and the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation.
Underwriting support provided by Charles and Deborah Adelman, Carole and Dan Burack, Wendy McCain, Naoimi Seligman and Erni von Simson, and Denise Sobel.
Additional support provided by Ed Grossman.
This program is supported in part by the Neil Chrisman Fund for International Dance.