The Essential Royal Ballet

Delve into the archive of The Royal Ballet in this special collection full of clips and interviews from the past ten years.

BBC Proms presenter Katie Derham introduces highlights from the past ten years at the Royal Ballet in this special, extended edition of Essential Royal Ballet. Presented on location in Covent Garden at the iconic Royal Opera House, Katie weaves the history of ballet through carefully curated excerpts from the past decade of performances and goes behind the scenes to see what it takes to be a dancer in the company of The Royal Ballet as they prepare to take to the stage.

From the great classics of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker to the exciting frontiers of contemporary dance, Katie takes us on a romp through the repertory, showcasing the diversity of the UK’s biggest ballet company. With stunning solos, passionate pas de deux and jaw-dropping numbers for the corps de ballet, it is a chance to see your favourite dancers up close, including Carlos Acosta, Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae, alongside rising stars like Francesca Hayward and Matthew Ball, who will introduce their favourite ballets and share stories of their life on the stage.

The ballets featured include the classics Giselle, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker while the 20th-century heritage of the Royal Ballet is explored in works by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. The contemporary life of the company is showcased in works by Christopher Wheeldon, and Wayne McGregor, along side recent productions of classic works.

Recording location The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Genre Ballet
Dance Company The Royal Ballet
Duration 105 minutes
Producer Peter Jones
Audio format Dolby Stereo and DTS Digital Surround 5.1