Neglia Alumna Adelaide Clauss to Dance with the Royal Danish Ballet
[Photo credit Theo Kossenas: The Washington Ballet’s Lilac Garden. Adelaide Clauss.]
Neglia Ballet is proud to announce alumna Adelaide Clauss will be dancing with the Royal Danish Ballet this Spring. She is the first dancer to participate in a new dancer exchange program started by the Washington Ballet’s Artistic Director. Adelaide began dancing at Neglia Conservatory of Ballet at the age of 6 and was the first Marie in Neglia Ballet Artists’ first production of the Nutcracker in 2009. She is currently a company apprentice with The Washington Ballet. Congratulations Adelaide!
Please continue reading the recent press release from The Washington Ballet…
The Washington Ballet Announces Royal Danish Ballet Dancer Exchange: Buffalo Native Adelaide Clauss Selected to Participate
WASHINGTON, DC, March 19, 2018 – The Washington Ballet (TWB) is pleased to announce that Adelaide Clauss, of Buffalo, New York will be the first dancer to participate in a new dancer exchange program with the Royal Danish Ballet initiated by Artistic Director Julie Kent.
In an effort to expand TWB’s international presence and to encourage the artistic development of its dancers, The Washington Ballet Dancer Exchange Program will commence this spring in a partnership with the Royal Danish Ballet, and each company will exchange one corps female dancer to participate in a performance with the opposing company. This program is designed to offer the exchange dancer the opportunity to train, rehearse and perform with another major, international company. The experience should be a thrilling one, offering insight into another company that will heighten the dancer’s overall ability and artistry.
“I am delighted to collaborate with the Royal Danish Ballet on this important and unique initiative that provides an invaluable opportunity for dancers to learn from and collaborate with other artists and among other dance companies,” said Julie Kent. “This is an enrichment opportunity for each dancer and for the company that welcomes them, and everyone will benefit from their shared experience.”
The Royal Danish Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded. It was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance. The company was founded with the opening of the Royal Danish Theatre, which has served as its home since that time. The Royal Danish Ballet School was founded in 1771 under the French ballet teacher Pierre Laurent, then Vincenzo Galeotti developed it and August Bournonville founded his methodology for the school.
TWB’s Company Apprentice Adelaide Clauss will join The Royal Danish Ballet in April to prepare for May and June performances of Etudes by Harald Lander and Napoli by Auguste Bournonville at 2 Old Stage of the Royal Danish Theater May 5, 12, 17, 23 and June 1 and 9 as well as Swan Lake by Nikolaj Hubbe and Silja Schandorff at Copenhagen Opera House May 18, 26 and June 3. Clauss is in her second season with TWB and joined us from the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. She started her ballet training at The Neglia Conservatory of Ballet and began training at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in 2012.
Birgitta Lawrence, Corps Member of The Royal Danish Ballet, will join TWB in March and will commence rehearsal for the April Mixed Masters program in which she will perform in Serenade and The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody). Lawrence is a prior recipient of dance scholarships to Jacobs Pillow, National Ballet of Canada Summer Program, and Boston Ballet Summer Program.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON BALLET: The Washington Ballet (TWB), one of the pre-eminent ballet organizations in the United States, was originally founded as The Washington School of Ballet in 1944 by legendary ballet pioneer Mary Day and incorporated as a professional company in 1976.TWB built an international reputation presenting bold works by choreographers from around the world, including Choo San Goh, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, Hans van Manen, Paul Taylor and Jiří Kylián as well as neoclassical masterworks and fresh staging of 19th century classics. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Julie Kent since 2016, her long-term vision is to create a sustainable world-class ballet company for the nation’s capital. Kent is dedicated to using TWB’s solid foundation to further develop and build the institution by concurrently expanding the size of the professional company while appropriately broadening its repertoire to include repertoire that was previously unrealized. She also embraces work from emergent choreographers of the 21st century including Alexei Ratmansky, Clifton Brown, Gemma Bond, Justin Peck and Ethan Stiefel, among others. Her commitment to the development of both the dancer and the art form will be fulfilled through presentation of established repertoire which serves as the foundation of all major ballet companies throughout the world while reaffirming the TWB tradition of annually commissioning new works that will contribute to the evolution of ballet while also presenting works that resonate with contemporary audiences. Kent’s leadership supports TWB’s three-part mission: ensuring excellence in its professional performance company; growing the next generation of dancers through its Washington School of Ballet, PTP programs, and Studio Company; and serving the community in which it resides through robust community engagement programs. These efforts will continue to propel TWB to a more prominent place within the nation’s capital and beyond.
