*This is the collected recommended links from all the Ballet Marvel posts. I recommend bookmarking this post because I will update it when I add two characters to the project.
(Special thanks to my best friend for helping me curate the ballet links. Seriously, she found pretty much all the ballet links and then proofread this whole document to make sure all the links worked)
Costumes
All Ballet Marvel costumes made by BeBaGo (Etsy, Facebook, Instagram)
All Ballet Marvel accessories made by Carol Datura Riot, the Potions Mistress (Etsy, Facebook, Instagram)
Ballet Marvel Playlist on YouTube
Ballet Links
Ballet Evolved (A playlist from the Royal Opera House YouTube channel that is a fascinating overview of the history of ballet. Really worth a watch)
Wayne Sleep performing the Neapolitan Dance from Swan Lake (this is just a really fun video. Wayne Sleep now occasionally coaches dancers at the Royal Ballet)
Dancer Links
Kristen McNally
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/kristen-mcnally
Royal Ballet Flickr
Videos
Rehearsing Carabosse for the first time
Rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty (starts at 6:35 and the Carabosse section ends at 30:15)
Performing Carabosse
The Pig & Pepper Scene from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Chance to Dance
Accepting the Olivier Award for Flight Pattern
Choreographing for Deloitte Ignite 2014
Rehearsing The Statement
Another rehearsal of The Statement
Performing in Flight Pattern
The Statement extract
Rehearsing Flight Pattern (from 22:20 – 1:10:48)
Rehearsing The Statement (from 38:23 – 1:02:46)
Moderating a panel on MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet
The Metamorphosis – Making the surreal, real (presenting)
The Metamorphosis – Interview (presenting)
Articles
https://dancetabs.com/2013/04/the-royal-ballet-draft-works-spring-2013-london/
Kristen McNally: How I Made Metheus with the BalletBoyz
Be Stunned by Two Women’s Dynamic Dance in “Duet” (McNally choreographed this piece)
Pictures
Rehearsal pictures from The Statement
Marcelino Sambé
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/marcelino-sambe
Royal Ballet Flickr
Marcelino Sambé’s Instagram
Marcelino Sambé’s photography Instagram
Videos
Rehearsing The Cellist
The Cellist Pas de Trois
Rehearsing “Kitri and Basilio” from Don Quixote
Rehearsing The Nutcracker (2016)
Rehearsing the Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux, from The Nutcracker (2020)
Rehearsing piece by Christopher Wheeldon (2018)
Performing in Flight Pattern
Spring Draft Works extract – Othello’s Limbo
Rehearsing Optional Family
Dancing with Anna Rose
La Fille mal gardée
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux extract
The Nutcracker Act I pas de deux
Rehearsing the La fille mal gardée coda
Miscellaneous Videos
Insights: Kenneth Tharp in conversation with The Royal Ballet for Black History Month
Discussing his career to date
Getting In: A Dancer’s Perspective (an interview with Sambé)
A Short Film starring Marcelino Sambé
Hello, Marcelino (Really cool short video of him dancing)
Dancing on a Beach (Notice how he feels the music and translates it through his body)
Accepting the Olivier Award for Flight Pattern
Land of Nod (choreographed by Marcelino Sambé)
Marcelino Sambe (Royal Ballet): Flames of Paris Variation, YAGP 2009 (Age 14)
Live at Samsung KX: Marcelino Sambe’s Christmas Ballet
The Nutcracker Documentary on Francesca Hayward: Marcelino clips here and here
Figure 5 – Marcelino Sambé
Articles
“I’ve Got a Life Outside of Ballet” (Evening Standard)
Royal Ballet: Back on Stage Review (Dance for You Magazine)
Dance Tabs: Marcelino Sambe tag
Website for Romeo & Juliet: Beyond Words (trailers, pictures, behind the scenes videos)
Ballet Should Not Just Be for Elite Kids
The Royal Ballet’s Princely Powerhouse
On Life, Love, Lockdown, and His Idea for an Othello Ballet
One Giant Leap: Meet the New Generation of Male Ballet Stars
Music Triumphs over Tragedy: Marston’s Moving The Cellist Ballet Premiered by The Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet Stars on Roles They Dream of Dancing
Interview in The Times (behind a paywall)
A Review of Flight Pattern
In Conversation
The Show Must Be Paused
Dancers in Lockdown
The Royal Ballet’s New Romeo & Juliet Share Their Secrets to On-Stage Chemistry
Pictures
Sambe and O’Sullivan in the Bluebird Pas de Deux
Pictures and short descriptions of Dances at a Gathering and The Cellist
As Brother Clown in Winter’s Tale
A Picture from the rehearsal of Optional Family
A Picture from the rehearsal for Romeo & Juliet
Alexander Campbell
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/alexander-campbell
Alexander Campbell’s Twitter (he’s delightful on Twitter)
Royal Ballet Flickr
Alexander Campbell’s Instagram
Overview
Leap of Faith (documentary, also on YouTube here)
Alex Campbell, Principal, Royal Ballet (solid and interesting biography from DanceAustralia)
Videos – Performances and Interviews
Bluebird Pas de Deux
Where We Are (a lockdown piece, by Alexander Campbell & Anthoula Syndica-Drummond)
Boys Own Dance: An inspiring discussion with male role models in the world of dance
Within the Golden Hour
Hans-Peter’s Mime
Comparing Mercutios (link goes to the full video, Alex Campbell’s bit starts here)
Why the Royal Ballet love performing Don Quixote
Why the Royal Ballet love performing Dances at a Gathering
Videos – Rehearsals and/or Presenting
Rehearsing The Mad Tea Party
Rehearsing Mercutio for Romeo and Juliet (2015)
Aeternum in Rehearsal
Kangaroo Rat from ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Aladdin Pas de Deux (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Alice in Wonderland Rehearsal (as presenter)
Works By Frederick Ashton (as presenter)
Cricket
The tale of a “real life” Billy Elliot
Interview with Guerilla Cricket (watch until about 4:29, skip the bit that’s just cricket, start again here)
Aussie Dancer Inspiring England’s Cricketers (Cricket.com)
Sporting Plan to Boost Boys in Ballet (BBC)
Miscellaneous
Baby Alex Campbell (gif) (Also found here)
Internet makes audiences harder to wow, Royal Ballet’s newest stars say (The Telegraph)
Meet London’s Ballet Boys (Evening Standard. You may have to scroll some.)
On Glitter (BBC)
A Quote from here:
“I remember watching videos of Mikhail Baryshnikov when I was younger and I wanted to be like him,” says Cambell, citing Baryshnikov as a major inspiration throughout his career.
“He is so exciting to watch that I couldn’t help but want to try it. I was always drawn to the excitement of performing and it was definitely that element of the career that made me want to pursue ballet.”
Honest Photographs that Show the “Sweat, Blood, and Repetition” behind the Royal Ballet
Joseph Sissens
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/joseph-sissens
Royal Ballet Flickr
Joseph Sissens’ Instagram
Videos
Jojo
Moving Lines
Insights: Kenneth Tharp in conversation with The Royal Ballet for Black History Month
Dance Europe Interview
Performance from when he was in school
The Statement extract
Rehearsing The Statement
Rehearsing The Mad Hatter
Another rehearsal of The Statement
Rehearsing the Neapolitan Dance for Swan Lake
An Illustrated Farewell
Rehearsing Flight Pattern (from 22:20 – 1:10:48)
Rehearsing The Statement (from 38:23 – 1:02:46)
Articles and pictures
The Show Must Be Paused
An Interview (behind a paywall)
Rehearsal pictures from The Statement
Dance Magazine’s 2020 “25 to Watch” (scroll to find him)
Sissens in Obsidian Tear
Calvin Richardson and Joseph Sissens rehearsing (by Tristam Kenton)
Beatriz Stix-Brunell
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/beatriz-stix-brunell
Royal Ballet Flickr
Royal Ballet Flickr, part 2
Beatriz Stix-Brunell Instagram
Videos
Rehearsing Alice in Wonderland (Alice and the White Rabbit)
Rehearsing the Mad Tea Party
Rehearsing the Caterpillar Scene
Rehearsing “Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux” from The Nutcracker (2017)
Rehearsing “Juliet and Paris” from Romeo and Juliet (2019)
In Conversation with Beatriz Stix-Brunell
Friend & Foe by Xiaomi Studios
Emeralds first variation
The Art of the Pas de Deux
Getting in character for the courtesans in Manon
After the Rain extract
On Raven Girl
Rehearsing Raven Girl
Alice in Wonderland Rehearsal Clip
Rehearsing Sleeping Beauty
The dancers in this series of intros are Beatriz Stix-Brunell and William Bracewell
Articles
You’re Never Comfortable as a Dancer
Royal Ballet Star Trades Stage for Frosh Life at Stanford
A Week in the Life of Giselle’s Beatriz Stix-Brunell
Dance Tabs: Beatriz Stix-Brunell tag
Honest Photographs that Show the “Sweat, Blood, and Repetition” behind the Royal Ballet
Beatriz Stix-Brunell
What Dancers Eat: Beatriz Stix-Brunell’s Daily Diet
Two articles on “Duet“: CNN, BBC
Honest Photographs that Show the “Sweat, Blood, and Repetition” behind the Royal Ballet
Edward Watson
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/edward-watson
Personal Website
Royal Ballet Flickr
Edward Watson Instagram
Videos – Performances
The Winter’s Tale – Leontes (This is perhaps the best portrayal of jealousy that I have ever seen in any medium)
The Winter’s Tale – Act I Trial scene (The focus of this one is more on Hermione, but he’s in it a little bit.)
Clips from Mayerling
Mayerling Bedroom Pas de Deux
Woolf Works – Orlando pas de deux
Monotones II – Pas de Trois
Infra – Final duet
Videos – Rehearsals
Romeo & Juliet sword fight
Mayerling Masterclass
Song of the Earth
Monotones II
24 Preludes
Woolf Works
Another Woolf Works Rehearsal clip (starts at 1:13:12)
Carbon Life
Tetractys – The Art of Fugue
Ed Watson coaches dancers in Romeo and Juliet rehearsal (2019; starts at 1:17 and goes to 32:55)
Videos – Interviews and Other
Edward Watson: dancing ballet’s darkest roles
Insights: Edward Watson on Becoming a Principal Dancer
Edward Watson Principal Dancer at the Royal Ballet
Edward Watson and Wayne McGregor (From my best friend: “This one’s really good.”)
Preparing for Mayerling
Ballet vs Theater: Two different interpretations of Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale
Christopher Wheeldon, Joby Talbot and Edward Watson on the Winter’s Tale
Creating Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Royal Ballet artists on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Mayerling Costumes
Edward Watson accepting his Wing Men of the Year Culture Award
Edward Watson and Wendy Whelan on Whelan/Watson: Other Stories
de La Cuona new Studio Collection featuring Edward Watson
Edward Watson ‘In Rehearsal’ (see the article below)
Itziar Mendizabal and Edward Watson THE ROYAL BALLET (partially in Spanish)
CNN feature on Men in Motion at London Coliseum (From my best friend: “I freely acknowledge that I mostly included this for the clip of Ed Watson dancing as Spider Man. Other than that and some other clips of him dancing, I’m not sure about this one. It might not be worth including.” From me: “Ed Watson dancing as Spiderman is always worth including.”)
The Metamorphosis – Interview
Edward Watson: Kafka’s Metamorphosis
Inside the Royal Ballet Healthcare Suite
O2 Romeo & Juliet Blog 1 and Blog 2
Opera, Ballet, and the Bard (Lauren Cuthbertson and Ed Watson, “Hermione & Leontes”)
Performing at the closing ceremonies at the London Olympics
Articles
Royal Ballet Stars on Roles They Dream of Dancing
Edward Watson to retire as a Royal Ballet’s principal dancer and other company’s end-of-Season announcements
The Royal Ballet’s Edward Watson: ‘It’s not normal to do this to your body – but it is possible’
Portrait of the artist: Edward Watson, dancer
Portrait of a dancer
Edward Watson: this is what ballet does to your body
Edward Watson (in rehearsal)
Prince Charles celebrates the Royal Ballet’s Principal dancer Edward Watson
Edward Watson to retire as Royal Ballet principal dancer
Edward Watson & the way into MacMillan
The ballet dancers growing old gracefully
Royal Ballet dancer fed up with critic’s references to his ginger hair
Edward Watson awarded MBE for services to dance
Photos
Honest Photographs that Show the “Sweat, Blood, and Repetition” behind the Royal Ballet
Giant leap off stage: farewell to the Royal Ballet’s stunning Edward Watson – in pictures
Anna Rose O’Sullivan
Royal Opera House Page: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/anna-rose-osullivan
Royal Ballet Flickr
Anna Rose O’Sullivan Instagram
Videos — Rehearsals
Rehearsing “Queen of the Dryads, Amour” from Don Quixote
Rehearsing the Sugar Plum Fairy Pas de Deux, from The Nutcracker (2020)
Sugar Plum Grand Pas de Deux rehearsal clip
Rehearsing “Songbird and Enchanted Fairies” from The Sleeping Beauty (2016)
Rehearsing the “Neapolitan Dance” from Swan Lake
Cupid Variation
A First Glimpse of The Royal Ballet’s Illustrated ‘Farewell’ with Twyla Tharp
Voices of Spring, with Valentino Zucchetti
Videos — Performances
La Fille Mal Gardée – Act I Pas de Deux
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux extract
Don Quixote – Cupid Variation
Nutcracker Act I Pas de Deux
Concerto – First Movement (with James Hay)
Concerto – Final Movement
Within the Golden Hour Quartet
Solo from when she was 10
Videos — Interviews and Other
A Day in a Life with Anna Rose O’Sullivan
Anna Rose O’Sullivan on Her Debut in The Nutcracker
Why the Royal Ballet Love Performing The Nutcracker
What’s it Like to Perform in The Nutcracker
Why the Royal Ballet Love Performing Concerto
Royal Ballet Dancers Keep Moving under Lockdown (and an article too), and the YouTube link for the same video
From Kitchen to Stage: Royal Ballet Dancers Prepare for Reopening
Anna Rose O’Sullivan Interview for London Children’s Ballet
Interview, Age 9
Dancing with Marcelino Sambé
La Fille mal gardée
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux extract
The Nutcracker Act I pas de deux
La fille mal gardée coda rehearsal royal ballet
Articles
A Day in the Life: Anna Rose O’Sullivan
An Interview with Ballet Dancer Anna Rose O’Sullivan
Cupcakes & Conversation with Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Soloist, The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet’s New Romeo & Juliet Share Their Secrets to On-Stage Chemistry
There’s a Difference Between Wanting to Reach Your Full Potential and Getting to the Top
I Dreamed of Dancing in Darcey Bussell’s Shoes… Now I’m the Royal Ballet Lead in The Nutcracker
Royal Ballet’s Uplifting Nutcracker with Francesca Hayward, Alexander Campbell, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, James Hay, and the Ubiquitous Gary Avis
The Little Girl Who Went from Pigeon-Toed Baby to Soloist at the Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet Leaps out of Lockdown
Anna Rose O’Sullivan tag on DanceTabs
Pictures
Sambe and O’Sullivan in the Bluebird Pas de Deux
A Picture from the rehearsal for Romeo & Juliet
Ballet Production Links
*I’m including links to the rehearsals to many of these productions. Rehearsals tend to be rather long (most are more than an hour), but they give you a great sense of the dancers and the stories. Also, they’re just really interesting to watch. Special thanks to my best friend for finding all of these and sending them to me.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Steaming on Marquee TV
Playlist of the making of, behind the scenes, and clips from the ballet
The Mad Tea Party (because this is amazing choreography)
Rehearsals
2017 Rehearsal (1 hour, 2017, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, James Hay, “Alice & the White Rabbit”; Calvin Richardson, Joseph Sissens, “the Mad Hatter”)
Mad Tea Party (11 minutes, 2012, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Alexander Campbell, Liam Scarlett, James Hay)
Caterpillar Scene (15 minutes, 2017, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Fernando Montaño)
Card Scene (10 minutes, 2017, corps de ballet)
Cinderella
Streaming on Marquee TV (The Dutch Ballet’s 2014 production)
The Sleeping Beauty
Streaming on Marquee TV (The Royal Ballet, 2016 production)
Playlist of behind the scenes, making of, and clips
Clip: Carabosse Curses Aurora (McNally is just astonishing in this role)
Rehearsals
2016 Rehearsal (1 hour 15 minutes, 2016, Kristen McNally, Olivia Cowley, “Carabosse”; Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Tierny Heap, ” Songbird and Enchanted Garden Fairies”)
2019 Rehearsal (1 hour 14 minutes, 2019, Yu Hang, “Fairy of the Woodland Glade”; discussion of “Les Beaux Dormants”; Sae Maeda, Leticia Dias, “Songbird and Golden Vine Fairies”)
Carabosse (15 minutes, 2011, Kristen McNally)
Pas de Deux* (20 minutes, 2014, Yuhui Choe, Benjamin Ella)
Pas de Deux* (10 minutes, 2016, Yasmine Naghdi, Matthew Ball)
Fairies and Cavaliers (20 minutes, 2019, a lot of people)
Rose Adage (20 minutes, 2019, Fumi Kaneko, Joseph Aumeer, Téo Dubreuil, Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød, Thomas Mock)
Flight Pattern & The Statement
Streamed on the Royal Opera House site (both were only available for a limited time)
Clip of Kristen McNally and Marcelino Sambé
Crystal Pite on her ballet “Flight Pattern”
“My way of coping with the world at the moment” (Crystal Pite on “Flight Pattern”)
A clip from “The Statement”
Rehearsals
Flight Pattern (1 hour 10 minutes, 2017, Kristen McNally, Isabella Gasparini, Mica Bradbury, Solomon Golding, Calvin Richardson, Joseph Sissens)
Two Pieces by Crystal Pite (1 hour, 10 minutes, 2021, Francesca Hayward, Isabella Gasparini, Cesar Corrales, “Solo Echo”; Ashley Dean, Joseph Sissens, Kristen McNally, Calvin Richardson, “The Statement”)
The Royal Ballet Rehearse “The Statement” (2 minutes 41 seconds, 2021, Ashley Dean, Joseph Sissens, Kristen McNally, Calvin Richardson)
**Crystal Pite is a choreographer to watch. She has an astonishing talent. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Jewels
Streaming on Marquee TV (Mariinsky Ballet)
Playlist of behind the scenes, making, and clips
Rehearsals
2017 Long Rehearsal* (1 hour 11 minutes, 2017, Sarah Lamb, Steven McRae, “Rubies”; Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares, “Diamonds”)
Rubies* (6 minutes, 2017, Sarah Lamb, Steven McRae)
Diamonds* (8 minutes, 2017, Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares)
The Winter’s Tale
Streaming on Marquee TV (The Royal Ballet streamed the production with Ed Watson for a brief period of time on YouTube, which I was lucky enough to see)
Playlist of behind the scenes, making of, and clips
Rehearsal
Winter’s Tale (1 hour 20 minutes, 2018, Fumi Kaneko, “Hermione”; Tierny Heap, “Paulina”; Akane Takada, “Perdita”)
The Nutcracker
The 2016 and 2018 productions are streaming on Marquee TV
Playlist of behind the scenes, making of, and clips
Rehearsals
2015 (1 hour 5 minutes, Lauren Cuthbertson, Matthew Golding “Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux”; Fumi Kaneko, James Hay, “Vivandière and Soldier Dolls”)
2016 (1 hour 10 minutes, Letitia Stock, Marcelino Sambé, “Hans-Peter & Clara”; Clare Calvert, “the Rose Fairy”)
2017 (1 hour, Tierny Heap, Mayara Magri, “the Rose Fairy”; Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Nicol Edmonds, “Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux”)
2018 (55 minutes, Isabella Gasparini, David Yudes, Gary Avis, Thomas Mock, “Clara, Hans-Peter, Drosselmeyer, Mouse King various scenes”)
2020 (51 minutes, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Marcelino Sambé, “Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux”; Romany Pajdak, Leo Dixon, “Hans-Peter & Clara”)
Sugarplum Fairy Pas de Deux (24 minutes, 2012, Fumi Kaneko, Nehemiah Kish)