Waltzing socialites make heads spin

Drunks, flirts, excessive dresses and broken hearts. Nope we aren’t talking about The Only Way is Essex, but La traviata. Back at the opera house for 22 performances and as popular as ever we decided to look at the movement behind the melancholy. 

We were lucky enough to talk to Movement Director Jane Gibson and film her in action as she guided the dancers through the movement phrases in a last minute rehearsal just one hour before their first performance. We also cornered a gypsy and a matador, two dancers also known as Isabel and Raphael, who told us about their roles and how they make their characters so dynamic.

Take a look at a selection of behind the scenes photographs by Neil Gillespie:

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This article has had 1 response

1. Margaret James responded on 10 October 2011 at 8:53am

   I was thrilled to see the first performance of this Traviata on 3 October, and now I am equally thrilled to go behind the scenes to obtain an insight to the depth of the preparation. Well done Royal Ballet; well done dancers; well done Jane Gibson; bravo.