The Wells Summer School 2009: Dancia International Award Winners Announced
Top: Francesca Filpi presents the Dancia International Awards to Laura Jane Fenney, and Anna Rose O’Sullivan
Above: Francesca Hayward, (RBS): winner of the Gaynor Minden Scholarship
The Wells Summer School, founded in 2002 by Royal Ballet First Artist Francesca Filpi, has an exciting new format. It is now being held over weekends, known as the Wells Weekends, the first of which took place at the end of August at the Royal Opera House.
The students were very privileged to have the chance to dance in the beautiful studios used by the dancers of the Royal Ballet. They were delighted by the impressive number of master classes fitted into just two days, and the prestigious Royal Ballet Company faculty who demonstrated a variety of styles. The atmosphere, without the pressure of the usual demonstration, was very much one of informal, professional camaraderie!
The objective of The Wells Summer School has always been to give students a taste of life as a professional dancer. The general consensus was that this had been achieved even more over the Weekend than ever before, perhaps also due to the fact that the Company were already back in residence after their summer break.
This made life simpler too! Steven McRae was able to be doing his own barre in Company class one minute and, after just a short stroll down the corridor to the Fonteyn studio, putting on his teaching hat with the Wells Silver group!
The faculty, headed by the Wells Summer School Artistic Director, Francesca Filpi, included four Royal Ballet principals, Leanne Benjamin, Federico Bonelli, Steven McRae and Zenaida Yanowsky, in addition to Vanessa Palmer, Richard Ramsey, Liam Scarlett and Jonathan Watkins. Jennie Morton, now a fully qualified osteopath, was as usual, in charge of injury prevention and body conditioning, and the pianists were Chris Williams and Sandro Cuccuini.
To round off the course there was an informal showing of work between the groups, watched also by a small invited audience. There was enthusiasm all round from the students, not least perhaps, thanks to Steven’s fantastic impromptu performance!
After this came the presentation of prizes. The Dancia Awards went to Laura Jane Fenney, and Anna Rose O’Sullivan, (both RBS) and Francesca Hayward, (RBS) won the Gaynor Minden Scholarship. The Wells Cup and Scholarship were awarded to Yasmine Naghdi (RBS)
The 2010 Wells Summer School Weekends will be held in February and August. For more information see www.the-wells-summer-school.co.uk
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