In the Community

This Season, now almost a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion, we are running a project that brings together London based Ukrainians (including settled citizens and those displaced by war) with the Royal Opera Chorus.  

Over two months, participants will work with artists from the Royal Opera House to explore traditional Ukrainian music and a set of opera choruses that are suitable for amateur singers. The project is designed to help attendees share their lived experiences and find support from the wider Ukrainian community, as well as to enrich The Royal Opera’s own musical repertory by providing space to discover and learn about Ukrainian choral music.  

The project is being supported by The Cathedral Choir of Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family – London's largest Ukrainian Church – as well as by Ukrainians in London, a network organisation which works closely with Ukrainians who have either settled permanently in the UK or have been displaced by the war that began in 2014, when Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea. It will involve 45 participants, recruited through relevant community groups and via the Royal Opera House’s wider network, and it will culminate in a free, public sharing event on Thursday 16 March. Ukrainian translators will be present in all rehearsals to support those with varying English language ability. 

William Spaulding, Chorus Director, said: ‘The heroic fortitude of those plagued by the scourge of war inspires us all. This is our way of showing solidarity with them. The Great Connector: music, unimpeded by linguistic barriers, is our instrument. Singing and breathing together creates shared purpose and mutual understanding. We hope to fulfil one of the great promises of art: to create meaning in the face of hardship.'

One of our recent Creative Exchanges took place towards the end of the 2021/22 Season and was part of Kiln Theatre’s 'Minding the Gap' project – designed for young people who are newly arrived in the UK. The project brings together schools, colleges and charities to deliver creative programmes, developing students’ confidence, language and teamwork skills and supporting their EAL/ESOL studies.   

Every Friday from 4 March until 1 April 2022, students from schools in the London borough of Brent attended workshops at the Royal Opera House, choreographing short works inspired by their lived experiences and relationships with food. The project was tied to Royal Ballet Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon’s much-anticipated full-length work for the Company, Like Water for Chocolate, which opened to critical acclaim, and the final film featured live projections by visual artist Hugo Dalton. It was shown during #WorldBalletDay 2022.  

‘A lot of people think ballet is sacred, that you can't mess with it,’ says David Pickering, a former Royal Ballet Soloist who now works as the Creative Associate in the Royal Opera House’s Learning and Participation department. ‘That's just not the case at all. You can use the fundamental principles of ballet—like extension, balancing, turns, and counterpull—with anyone from young children to grown-ups with access needs. Once you have them, the sky’s the limit.’ 

Pickering speaks from experience. For nine years, he taught Monday Moves, a weekly dance programme in the De Valois studio for visually impaired adults. Started by modern dancer Stanley Hamilton, the class was made up of participants from all walks of life—from NHS workers to musicians—some of whom attended regularly since the 80s. Initially, Monday Moves focused on exercise, stretching, and free movement as a way to help visually impaired people improve their posture. Shortly after Hamilton sadly fell ill in the early 2010s, Pickering took over as Monday Moves’ main teacher and shifted the focus towards ballet.  

It was a smart move: through the course of teaching the class ‘it became very apparent that compared to other dance forms, ballet has got a lot of named movements and positions,’ says Pickering. As a result, regular attendees acquired a vocabulary that enabled them to—aided by audio description and tactile feedback—learn and reproduce complex choreography inspired by the ballets on stage at the Royal Opera House. ‘The group would embrace everything from the classics to more abstract pieces by the likes of Wayne McGregor and Frederick Ashton,’ he adds, noting that working with live musicians every class also helped provide ‘the full Royal Opera House experience.’  

The programme was more than just a weekly dance class. Pickering often organised sessions with the costume, prop, and armoury departments so the class participants could touch objects, try on garments, and learn about their historical significance. ‘Anything sensory with a group like Monday Moves is hugely beneficial,’ he says. Sometimes, the group would attend bespoke ‘touch tours’—pre-show sensory tours giving context to visually impaired audience members by enabling them to familiarise themselves with the studio and productions—as well as Royal Ballet rehearsals on the Main Stage. ‘Kevin O'Hare, the Royal Ballet’s Director, was 100% aware of the group and would invite them along.’  

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, and these additional activities presented their own challenges.  For example, while the class’s carers often provided audio description for Royal Ballet rehearsals, they weren’t necessarily best placed to do so. Ramona Williams—one of Monday Moves’ participants, who also gives sight loss awareness training to organisations and employers—explains that audio description should really be delivered by people who are present during the Company’s creation process and have an in-depth knowledge of the work. Many lessons were learnt, but ‘it was 100% a two-way dialogue,’ says Pickering, noting how he has applied knowledge he accrued to other programmes he works on. ‘It's about learning how to work with who's in front of you, and planning how to make that space inclusive for each and every member of the class.’ 

Pickering obviously made some mistakes over the years—he recalls asking the group to spell their names with their bodies in an exercise inspired by Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, before realising one member of the group had never seen the alphabet and only read braille. Overtime, however, he developed techniques to ensure everyone felt welcome and included. ‘We always started by making a semicircle. Whoever was in the room would do a ballet movement and say their name,’ says Williams, explaining that with a visually impaired class, unless it’s explicitly stated, you can’t presume everyone knows who is present. ‘David also always took us around the space so we knew how big it was or if there were any props lying around.’  

Practices like this, combined with the fact that the class always took place in the same studio, enabled the participants to orient themselves and feel self-assured. ‘They could travel, run, jump, and be free to do things that they couldn't do safely anywhere else,’ says Pickering. Consequently, the Monday Movers not only developed their creativity, mobility, flexibility, and balance, but also their confidence. ‘Even though I was really confident already, it made me feel more comfortable to just go out and be myself,’ says Williams. There was also a strong social aspect to the class. ‘You could meet visually impaired people who were like you. We’d often have coffee after class. It gave us independence.’ 

In 2020, the Royal Opera House had to cancel Monday Moves as a result of COVID-19-induced financial and logistical challenges, but they are committed to staying connected with the group they’ve known and loved for so many decades. Since then, the Learning and Participation team have run ‘Creative Exchanges’—eight-week long creative projects for underrepresented and underserved adult communities—for former Monday Moves participants and the wider visually impaired community.  

The first took place earlier this year. Inspired by Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody (1980), the series of workshops featured a guest appearance from Lesley Collier—the first to dance the female principal role alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov—and, as with some other creative exchanges, culminated in a performance in the Paul Hamlyn Hall during a Live at Lunch event. ‘We always loved doing sharings at Monday Moves,’ says Williams, recalling one where she brought in some sight loss simulation glasses for members of the public to try. ‘It opened up people’s minds. People have this misconception you’re either blind or partially sighted, but there are many different spectrums of sight loss. Only a small percentage of people with sight loss are totally blind, while others might be able to see light and dark, see shapes, or see blurrily.’ Sharing this information changed the way audiences thought too. ‘They didn’t look at us with pity,’ she adds, ‘or think that the Royal Opera House was exploiting us, which I’ve heard people say before. People think that if you’re visually impaired, you can't do anything. That’s not true. We can make our own informed decisions.’ 

The legacy of the Monday Moves programme is keenly felt in other ways too, and points raised by the group have inspired internal conversations about access at the organisation. Amongst other things, they’ve highlighted the need for better audio descriptions of performances, more accessible routes into the building—Pickering notes that getting from Covent Garden tube station to the Royal Opera House is a ‘hell of a journey’ for someone with sight loss—people to take care of service dogs during performances, and regular touch tours that are available as standard practice, not just when requested. All of these services are things that the Royal Opera House has committed to improving. 

Learnings from over 30 years of Monday Moves will also inspire an upcoming teacher training workshop. It will offer a rare opportunity for dance teachers from around the country to gain valuable knowledge on how to run classes for people with access needs, and the hope is that the influence of Monday Moves will ripple out far beyond the Royal Opera House. ‘It can be so easy to shut down certain groups of people, because one might wrongly assume that it’s not possible to achieve as much as they actually can,’ says Pickering. ‘I found it remarkable what people could do in that class. I feel very lucky to have been the caretaker of a really brilliant group of people over the last eight or nine years, and for us to be able to share and enjoy the repertory of The Royal Ballet together.’ 

On Friday 2 December 2022, the Royal Opera House was delighted to host a mass performance event with 600 students in Coventry Cathedral, celebrating the success of a programme that has widened access to world-class art in the area for over three years. 

Across the day, 22 classes from 10 different primary schools shared individual 5-minute dances inspired by The Nutcracker – the result of a five-week scheme of work provided by the Royal Opera House and delivered by teachers in the area. The morning and afternoon sessions included mass-participation workshops led by Royal Ballet dance artists, and final performances by students in front of their parents and carers. Attending schools included: Earlsdon Primary, Southfields Primary and Sherbourne Fields School. 

Garrie Rogers, a teacher from Southfields Primary, said: ‘I am so proud of the emotional development I have seen in our children during our Create and Dance work. Up until the morning of the showcase, and even just before they stood up to perform, I saw nerves and apprehension. To then see the joy on their faces as they performed and the excitement afterwards, was a pleasure to behold. The atmosphere in the cathedral was electric and every group seemed to feed off the energy in the room. It really did showcase the hard work and wealth of creativity and passion in our children.’  

Rebecca Bollands, Deputy Headteacher of Earlsdon Primary, added: ‘The showcase at the cathedral made me feel immensely proud of all the Coventry teachers who have not only attended all the ROH CPD, but have gone back to their schools and worked so hard with their pupils. We have had very challenging times with covid and the current economic situation, so it was an absolute pleasure to see children having the opportunity to be creative and to have joy in their lives. This event will have a very special place in my heart. Thank you ROH!’ 

Jillian Barker, Director of Learning and Participation, said: ‘We at the Royal Opera House are so proud of our work with our partners in the Coventry area. It was thrilling to see the mass dance event in the extraordinary setting of Coventry Cathedral and to see how creative each child was in response to The Nutcracker. We want to inspire the creativity of the next generation and bring the arts to the heart of the community. We were thrilled that we were recognized by Pearson Award Committee for making a real impact across Coventry, and we look forward to continuing this work in schools and communities up and down the country too.’ 

Over 2022, the programme included a full range of events and activities both online and in person. In September, The Royal Ballet presented two special gala performances at Cast, reflecting their commitment to the area, and bookending a mass performance with 300 school children on Sir Nigel Gresley Square outside the theatre. Students at Doncaster college were invited to design parts of the costume, responding to a brief set by the Royal Opera House.

Across the year, the Royal Opera House’s National Schools Programme offered in-person training opportunities for KS1 and KS2 teachers; free, curriculum-linked schemes of work developed by teachers, for teachers; a number of introductory films to inspire and entertain students; and support for schools on their Artsmark journey. Four virtual rehearsals and workshops were livestreamed from Covent Garden, and over 100 Doncaster school children attended Schools’ Matinees in London, supported by travel grants. The Royal Ballet took part in Doncaster Cultural Education Partnership’s in-person Jubilee Celebrations back in May, bringing dance to another 130 children from 5 schools; and Chance to Dance – ROH’s longstanding ballet talent development programme – continued its work with Year 3 children in five schools across the borough, bringing together local and national dance industry partners to foster greater access to the art form and diversify the pool of young people entering training.

Across 2022, the programme reached a total of 73 schools, 148 teachers and 1656 students. All content was completely free to access, improving arts education for all.

High House Production Park is the result of a unique partnership between Arts Council England East, East of England Development Agency, High House Community Group, National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills, Royal Opera House, Thurrock Borough Council and the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

The 14-acre site is home to The Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre, which stores over 20,000 costumes from the Royal Opera House repertory, together with over 6,000 items from the historic collection. This includes items worn by Maria Callas and Margot Fonteyn. In a unique partnership with South Essex College and University of the Arts London, the Royal Opera House has established a new BA (Hons.) degree course in Costume Construction, delivered from the Centre’s bespoke workrooms.   

The site is also home to The Production Workshop, which opened in December 2010 when the previous Royal Opera House production facility had to be relocated from East London following London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics. It is here that the sets and scenery for the Royal Opera House are built by teams of highly-skilled scenic artists, carpenters, draughtsman, and metalworkers. 

Next door to both of these is the Backstage Centre: a flagship national training centre for Creative & Cultural Skills, and High House Artists’ Studios. The 39 artists’ studios and four work/live units are managed by Acme Studios. Also on site are Grade II listed barns, from which the ROH has delivered a Learning and Community engagement programme for the local and wider community since 2006. Before this date the ROH Production Workshops were based in Bow, East London.   

High House Production Park opened to the public in 2010, and continues to bring together highly skilled practitioners from across the backstage, technical and live music sectors. 

Thurrock Trailblazer is an innovative programme that offers high-quality arts and cultural activities, visits to heritage sites and specialist teacher training. It began as a partnership with Thurrock Council and is a unique programme of activity offered to schools in the area that draws on the long-standing expertise of Thurrock teachers, and acts as a pilot for our Create and Learn programmes and Cultural Champion training across the country. 

Since 2014, the programme has worked with over 70 cultural organisations and reached 90% of the schools in the borough. It has provided skills development for hundreds of teachers through over 700 online and in-person training opportunities, and has offered countless live performances and resources for EYFS-KS5+ and SEND students. 370 teachers have trained as 'Cultural Champions' to become future leaders of cultural learning, and over 30,000 young people in 49 schools have taken part in events and activities. 

Over the year, it includes:  

• 6 modules of Cultural Champion twilight training, designed to improve teachers’ confidence and encourage them to lead creative school initiatives 
• ROH Create and Learn teacher training  
• Exclusive live and online events with the Royal Opera House 
• Artsmark support through ROH Bridge 
• ROH Trailblazer school liaison support  

Most importantly, however, it offers a ‘Cultural Catalogue’ of educational projects collated by the Royal Opera House and run by local, regional and national arts organisations. This includes theatres, museums, galleries, orchestras, professional artists, writers and choreographers. Schools sign up to multiple projects per year, and receive a full year of support from the Royal Opera House for a subsidised price of £500 + £1.30 per pupil on roll. 

The 2022/23 offer includes: 

• 28 local, regional and national Cultural Partners, including 3 new partnerships   
• over 100 high-quality educational offers, including for EYFS-KS5+ and SEND students   
• 20 training and CPD opportunities virtually or in Thurrock   
• 5 projects on offer from ROH National Programmes  
• 10 live performances to choose from 

To find out more visit the Thurrock Trailblazers page.

The event began in the Covent Garden Piazza, where Royal Ballet Principal dancers Cesar Corrales and Francesca Hayward welcomed Little Amal into the building. In the Paul Hamlyn Hall, London-based Syrian oud player Rihab Azar performed reflections on lullabies and tunes she heard as a child growing up in Syria, followed by a short presentation of the Royal Opera House’s staff-made quilt, sewn together by Thurrock textile group Kite Spirit.  

Later performances included Valentino Zucchetti’s specially choreographed duet to Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vocalise, P. 34, No. 14’ (Nitin Sawhney Version) — danced by Royal Ballet Soloist Joseph Sissens and First Artist of The Royal Ballet Lukas B. Brændsrød — and two commissioned narratives by Phosphoros Theatre: a theatre company and charity that makes socially engaged performance with, for, and by refugees and asylum seekers. Written by Kate Duffy-Syedi, directed by Esther Dix, and with music by Goitom Fesshaye, the narratives were performed by Tewodros Aregawe and Syed Haleem Najibi. Citizens of the World Choir, a choir for displaced people and their allies, made a later appearance, joining members of the Royal Opera Chorus to sing a specially commissioned piece by composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson, conducted by choir co-founder and Musical Director Becky Dell.   

Following a second performance by members of the Royal Opera Chorus, the night ended with both a short programme of lullabies, sung by The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Young Artists April Kojejo-Audiger and Michael Sikich, and a filmed performance of ‘As We Close Our Sleepy Eyes’ from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, sung by three of our Thurrock Trailblazer schools: Deneholm Primary School, Warren Primary School and Tilbury Pioneer Academy.