Foundation grant for RNZB International performance

RNZB Principals Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Kihiro Kusukami with past RNZB Artist Levi Teachout in Ultra Folly

The RNZB Foundation is proud to support the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s participation in The Royal Ballet’s International Draft Works in London in April. 

This important grant will help enable the RNZB to present Ultra Folly by Choreographer in Residence Sarah Foster-Sproull at the Linbury Studio Theatre, at the Royal Opera House. International Draft Works is a major choreographic platform that brings together leading ballet companies from around the world to present new short works. 

Participants this year include Birmingham Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, Zurich Ballet and the RNZB.  

Alongside the performances, choreographers and dancers will attend a series of workshops delivered by industry leaders, contributing to their professional development. International Draft Works also offers networking opportunities for visiting artists through events and working alongside Royal Ballet company dancers and creatives. 

Sarah Foster-Sproull’s Ultra Folly, created for four RNZB dancers in early 2020, was developed during a period when New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world by the Covid-19 pandemic. This London season marks the first time the work will be presented on a ‘main stage’ offering Sarah the opportunity to bring her work to the UK for the first time. For the dancers of the RNZB, it is a chance to learn, rehearse and perform alongside their international peers. 

It is also the first time RNZB artists will perform in the UK since 2016, after a planned 2020 appearance was cancelled due to Covid-19. For New Zealand’s national ballet company, international exchange is vital to artistic growth, connection and visibility.  

Following its London premiere, Ultra Folly will return home as part of RNZB’s July Winter Season touring Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.