Apr 6 2008
Tony Hall, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, announced today at a press conference in China that The Royal Ballet Tour to China 2008 is to be generously supported by Rio Tinto.
The Royal Ballet returns to China this summer for the first time in nearly ten years and embarks on a five week tour to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong performing some of their signature ballets including Kenneth MacMillan's Manon and Monica Mason and Christopher Newton's production of The Sleeping Beauty. Alongside these two full length ballets will be a programme of mixed work reflecting the broad range of choreographic styles the Company performs including Wayne McGregor's award-winning work Chroma, divertissements and the recreation of Ashton's Homage to the Queen which includes new choreography from David Bintley, Christopher Wheeldon and Michael Corder.
Tony Hall says: "I'm delighted that Rio Tinto has come on board to support The Royal Ballet Tour to China this year. It's a hugely important time for us to be consolidating our relationship with China and, in particular, the new National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing with whom we aim to have a meaningful and sustained relationship as one of the great cultural institutions in China. Rio Tinto is playing a vital part in making our ambition a reality and we've very excited to be able to share the extraordinary performances by The Royal Ballet with Chinese audiences live on such a prestigious new stage".
Paul Skinner, Chairman of Rio Tinto, adds "China's economy is expanding rapidly and it is an increasingly important consumer of the metals and minerals we produce. We hope to forge even closer ties with China by helping to make the tour possible and bringing this outstanding company to Chinese audiences. This is a particularly prestigious and important tour as it coincides with the Beijing Cultural Festival."
The Royal Ballet will perform at the new National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, consolidating the relationship between the Royal Opera House and the NCPA. The relationship was originally sealed in the memorandum of understanding signed in Beijing on 28 March 2007 which sets out a framework of exchange and joint activities to be undertaken in partnership between the ROH and the NCPA.
These aim to create an ongoing programme of exchanges and training as a conduit for the exchange of skills and expertise between the ROH and the NCPA; provide a platform to support tours to China with a long term view to promote the ROH brand in China as well as the NCPA brand in the UK and Europe; where possible provide performing spaces for the exchange of high profile Chinese and UK performing arts events in the run up to and during the period between the Beijing Olympics 2008 and the London Olympics 2012; build a context for further cultural and creative skills development in association with the Cultural and Creative Skills Council, UK.
Visits by Directors of the Royal Opera House Operations, Technical and Education Departments have already begun and further exchanges between the two theatres will continue over the coming years with National Centre for the Performing Arts staff also travelling to the UK to see how theatres work here.
Performances by The Royal Ballet in Beijing will be accompanied by a series of workshops developed jointly by the Education Departments of the Royal Opera House and the National Centre for the Performing Arts and are generously supported by the British Council, China, Connections Through Culture Programme.
These workshops will use dance to inspire and empower young pupils in Beijing to learn and to develop their creativity through engagement with the ROH's work. The Company understands the importance of a cultural exchange when touring internationally and aims to strengthen links with the NCPA, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the British Council, Hong Kong, alongside the wider education communities in the UK and China.
Posted April 6th,2008