Royal Ballet opts for an all-female cast after facing criticism for violence against women

‘It’s important that we look at the stories we’re telling, where they come from and who has written them’

THE Royal Ballet has commissioned a major all-women production as it works to redress accusations about the treatment of women on stage.

Kevin O’hare, director of the company, said they needed to “hit the right chord for the audiences of today”, reexamining stories about women to check they are told in the “right way”.

A new work by Aletta Collins, a female choreographer, is to star an allfemale cast, in the most significant commission of its kind.

Mr O’hare said the company’s work off-stage would also encourage ballet dancers to work on their own choreography workshops to develop ideas from a female perspective.

It follows some criticism for British ballet about the “gratuitous violence” against women on stage.

Writing about the Royal Ballet production of The Wind last year, Luke Jennings argued “there is an increasingly acute issue surrounding women’s roles in ballet”, with the dance critic claiming: “In the last few seasons the Royal Ballet stage has seen record numbers of female characters brutalised and killed.”

Mr O’hare told The Telegraph the company is now carefully considering how the female perspective is represented. “It’s very important that we look at the stories we’re telling, and where they come from and who has written the stories,” he said. “Whether they’re from a woman’s point of view… we’re constantly looking at the stories we tell and want to tell them in the right way. As we move on with new work, we’re always looking at how we’re portraying people and hitting the right chord for the audiences for today.”

Ms Collins will present the all-female ballet as part of New Music, at the Linbury Theatre.

Other commissions for the 2018-19 season include The Unknown Soldier, by Alastair Marriott, while Wayne Mcgregor will present a new ballet with a set designed by Tacita Dean.

Carlos Acosta and Darcey Bussell will return to coach the talent of the future in productions of Don Quixote and Winter Dreams respectively. an evening