Sleepy ballet is dream come true for Luxembourg dancers

Luxembourg may not have its own ballet company but that does not mean that the classical dance form is not popular here.

Tickets to shows by touring ballet companies sell like hot-cakes and it will be no different when local dancers take to the stage in a professional ballet production.

Classical fairy tale Sleeping Beauty will be brought to life in the Grand Théâtre by Belgian dance company the Royal Ballet of Flanders in mid-January.

As well as featuring some of the finest dancers in northern Europe, the two-night show will be a chance for 20 girls and one boy from Luxembourg to showcase their talents.

“It's the first time we've done anything like this in Luxembourg,” explained Royal Academy of Dance National Director for Benelux and France Jacqui Spence, adding: “There are not many ballets which have parts for children and young people. I hope that it will be the first of other partnerships like this. For us it's been a huge privilege, and a once in a lifetime opportunity for our young students.”

The enthusiastic dancers were shortlisted from auditions held in Belgium last October. All attend Royal Academy of Dance accredited schools at either the Jeanette Hutchines School of Dance (Luxembourg) or Ecole de Danse Nicole Aimont in Arlon. Aged from 10 to 15, they will play the young princess Aurora at different ages, as well as dwarfs, flower girls, Carabosse attendants and page boys.

The partnership came about when the Royal Ballet of Flanders approached Jacqui to see if the RAD would like to provide young dancers for the production of Sleeping Beauty which they were bringing to Luxembourg. "The RAD has for the past 10 years held their professional exams in the RBF studios in Antwerp; hence our students have got to know RBF and they us," said Jacqui.

The ballet offers a number of roles suitable for young dancers at a range of levels. The students have spent the last few months rehearsing the dances in Luxembourg.

With just days to go, tickets are sold out. Jacqui said: “I think that it's the fact that we get so little classical ballet in Luxembourg. We get a lot of dance but the theatre has brought very little classical ballet. It's a shame there are several good European companies interested.”

The partnership is a major step for the Royal Academy of Dance, which has had a presence in Luxembourg for the last 50 years. It teaches classical dance to people aged from five years old up. The programme offers a classical ballet training which can lead to a professional career in dance, dance teaching or other dance associated professions. The RAD offers students at tertiary level degree courses in Dance and Dance teaching.

With 15,000 members in 65 countries worldwide, the Royal Academy of Dance assures consistent teaching and course material to students no matter where they live.

“If you move your children from Cape Town, for example, to Brussels they will find ballet classes covering what they know and have been working on. It gives children one secure point when everything else is upside down. That's really good,” explained Jacqui.

Sleeping Beauty is performed at Luxembourg's Grand Théâtre from January 12-13.