Can’t wait to “bring joy to the audiences again.” says 27 years old Royal Ballet dancer Anna Rose O’Sullivan.
Anna Rose O’Sullivan had last performed in December to the London audiences in “The Nutcracker”. She played the role of Clara in a handful of shows and was going to debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy, but could not because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The entertainment venue was shut down due to the pandemic, thereby bring about a pause in her debut.
This is why O’Sullivan was so excited about Britain’s largest ballet company reopening again. The company is expected to open its doors again next week. The Royal Ballet also welcomes back all the audience, on Tuesday, to the Royal Opera House with “21st Century Choreographers” This is an invitation that is being put forward after five months.
The soloist further stated to Reuters, “There’s been so much anticipation amongst us all and the training, staying self-motivated as dancers, it’s really tested our resilience,” She continued her statement to add her enthusiasm by saying, “But I feel even more passion for what I do now.”
Royal Ballet Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon’s “Within the Golden Hour” opens the program, which also features a short work by American choreographer Kyle Abraham. Two works by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, dance-drama “The Statement” and “Solo Echo” follow.
“At the beginning, we were in our kitchens and in our living rooms training so the postman would walk past and I was training, which was very different to what we’re used to,” O’Sullivan said, adding dancers had been put in groups and were being tested twice a week now ahead of the reopening.
Performing arts venues were all closed in Britain in March 2020, like elsewhere, in accordance with the lockdown measures declared. There was a reopening at the end of the year but did not last long as another lockdown was declared.
This reopening that is to happen in the coming week is after the permission which allows entertainment venues to open in England provided all measures such as social distancing and other such protective steps are followed.
With the venue reopening, Kevin O’Hare’s views were taken on the crowd expected. He said, “Ticket sales are doing really well, I think people are slightly nervous and unsure a little bit and so we’re telling them about everything that we’ve done to make sure that the Opera House is super safe,” He also added, “Everything is in order. Everything is cleaned and checked.”
In the past months, the company stayed active by streaming performances, “one of the silver linings” from a difficult year, O’Hare said.
“It’s tens of thousands of people watching live at the same time,” he said. “We try not to think about it too much or we’d be very nervous but it really is great that we can reach so many people that way.”
