Over 30 years since it first captivated the capital’s audiences, Peter Schaufuss’s production of August Bournonville’s La Sylphide will return to London this August for seven performances. This reprise of his Evening Standard and Olivier award-winning production features two of his children, dancers Tara and Luke Schaufuss.
A growing dance dynasty, both were trained in the Bournonville style at the famous Royal Danish Ballet School and Company in Copenhagen. Tara Schaufuss, who now dances with the Queensland Ballet, and Luke Schaufuss, a company member at the Royal Birmingham Ballet, are the third generation of dancers in the Schaufuss family—their grandparents Mona Vangsaae and Frank Schaufuss were the leading lights of the Royal Danish Ballet.
Luke, who will dance the role of James on 5, 6 and 8 (evening) August, has been performing worldwide including this guest role in London. He was named “the rising star of dance for 2015” by the Observer and Guardian newspapers.
Since joining the Birmingham Royal Ballet in November 2013 from the Royal Danish Ballet, he has danced in Sir Peter Wright’s Nutcracker, John Cranko’s Card Game, Balanchine’s Slaughter on 10th Avenue, Sir Kenneth McMillan’s Elite Syncopations, David Bintley’s Prince of The Pagodas, Alexander Whitley’s Kin, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Façade, Les Rendezvous, Dante Sonata and La Fille Mal Gardee, and more.
Tara will dance the Sylphide on Saturday 8 August matinée performance. She began her initial training with the Australian Ballet School before joining the Royal Danish Ballet School in 2009. In 2010, she joined the Company as a full member performing in all the traditional Bournonville ballets in Copenhagen and around the world including The Paris Opera, The Kennedy Centre in Washington and The New York State Theatre.
Tara made her international debut in 2011 when she danced Livia in Sir Frederick Ashton's Romeo & Juliet at the London Coliseum. In 2014, Tara joined Queensland Ballet from the Royal Danes; since then she has danced many principal roles with the company, including the Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker and the Sylph in La Sylphide.
La Sylphide will be performed by Queensland Ballet, one of Australia’s première ballet companies, making its UK debut under artistic director Li Cunxin.
One of the world’s oldest surviving ballets, La Sylphide tells the story of a young man, James, who encounters a beautiful sylph, his life spiralling out of control as he pursues her into the unknown.
Also appearing is principal dancer Yanela Piñera, formerly of the National ballet of Cuba, as the Sylphide/Lead Sylph (4th evening/7th evening—The Sylphide; 5th evening/6th evening—Lead Sylph), and Principal Dancer for the Queensland Ballet Clare Morehan as Lead Sylph and the Sylphide (4th evening/7th evening/8th matinée— Lead Sylph; 6th matinee—the Sylphide) who trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and recently celebrated 10 years with QLB.
Other casting highlights include Greg Horsman (as Madge); the Australian dancer and choreographer's 30-year career has included roles within the Australian Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Boston Ballet and many more. Most recently Greg is guest teaching with the English National Ballet and Northern Ballet Theatre.
This production will also see Janette Mulligan, former ballerina of English National Ballet take to the stage—in her career she danced with partners including Rudolf Nureyev, Fernando Bujones, Patrick Armand, Kevin McKenzie, Peter Schaufuss and Matz Skoog—as well Mary McKendry, formerly principal dancer with London Festival Ballet. Both currently are Ballet Mistresses with the Queensland Ballet.
They will be joined by principal dancer Hao Bin (6th matinée—James) who studied at the Beijing Dance Academy and joined the Queensland Ballet in 2011 and was promoted from soloist to principal dancer in under 6 months, and high-jumping guest dancer Qi Haun (4th evening/7th evening/8th matinée—James).