20th Anniversary interview with Myriam Ould-Braham.

Myriam Ould-Braham
Photo Credit: James Bort

Following our interview with Myriam ahead of her appearance at Iconique 2026, we caught up with our Covent Garden Dance Company Étoile again to discover what she is looking forward to most about performing as part of our 20 year anniversary gala, her third Ballet Under the Stars appearance.

This July, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Covent Garden Dance Company - how would you describe what Matt has created?

What strikes me above all is the atmosphere; there is a real friendliness within the organisation, and we meet dancers I have had the chance to encounter at other galas. But this gala has something special, a truly unique atmosphere. That is exactly what Matt has managed to create: something rare, and for me, it is precious.

Hatch House 2023 - Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What are you most looking forward to about returning to the stage at Hatch House with Mickaël?

It was a truly amazing experience. Dancing in the middle of nature is something unique, you could feel that the audience was happy, there was extraordinary energy and atmosphere. I am also looking forward to reconnecting with dancers I have met abroad, catching up on their news, and seeing how they have progressed. These are always very special moments of sharing.

You will be performing Act IV Pas De Deux from Nureyev's Swan Lake and Le Parc Kissing Pas, by Angelin Preljocaj. What do you hope the audience will feel when you dance these pieces together?

I would like the audience to feel above all a unique moment, like a bubble of happiness. A moment of sweetness, out of time, that touches them and marks their evening.

Photo credit: Eddy Raphael - The Bahamas

What have you been working on, since stepping back from your full time commitments at the Paris Opera Ballet, Myriam?

Following my official departure from the Paris Opera in May 2024, I had the opportunity to dance in some very beautiful theatres, such as La Scala in Milan, and to meet wonderful people: dancers, rehearsal pianists… These experiences made this transition more pleasant and smoother. They allowed me to take a step back and rethink time differently.

I then took a year to fully devote myself to my family, as well as to the things that are close to my heart and that my career had not always allowed me to explore, particularly teaching. This has always been essential to me, and this stage of my life confirmed how deeply attached I am to it.

After this precious break, I chose to return to dance. It is part of my life, and I feel the desire to continue having beautiful experiences, while continuing the teaching and sharing that are essential to me.

Children from a local dance school - the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance - will perform on stage with you. How important is it to provide these opportunities to children?

It’s an excellent initiative, and I truly believe in it. Sharing the stage with younger people is essential; they are the new generation, and it is important for them to have real stage experiences, to meet artists, to have genuine exchanges. Seeing multiple generations come together on stage is always something powerful. I am sincerely happy that young dancers have the opportunity to perform alongside more experienced soloists; it is valuable for their journey.

Myriam Ould-Braham & Mickaël Lafon performing Swan Lake pas de deux at Hatch House 2023
Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What three things do people not know about you?

I am extremely shy, I love tranquility, and the third will remain my little secret!

Interview with Zai Calliste

We were delighted to be the first to interview Zai Calliste after receiving his Emerging Artist award on Thursday 28 May. We discussed his meteoric year and discovered how joining our stage alongside English National Ballet Principal Dancers Gareth Haw and Emma Hawes for Ballet Under the Stars 2025, made his transition from vocational to professional dancer feel seamless.

Photo credit: Isabella Turolla

Zai Calliste is an Artist with the English National Ballet. Originally from Australia, Zai trained at Annette Roselli's Dance Academy in Brisbane before crossing the pond to join the prestigious English National Ballet School. He joined the Covent Garden Dance Company for Ballet Under the Stars at Hatch House in July 2026 - his first professional performance after being accepted into the English National Ballet company. We have been delighted to support his career and to welcome him back to dance at Hatch House in July 2026.

Huge congratulations on your Emerging Artist award! How are you feeling.

Honestly, I am still in shock! I am ecstatic, shocked and happy. Tonight, I really felt in the moment, without stressing too much, and that’s something I’ve really tried to work on. I am very grateful for everyone who helped me.”

Photo credit: Isabella Turolla

Since performing at Hatch House in July last year, tell us what you have been doing and what are you currently working on.

Three things all at once! Romeo & Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and I have also been preparing for the ENB’s Emerging Dancer Award. It has always been a dream of mine and I am so honoured to have done it. As a result, I have been rehearsing Marius Petipa’s Le Talisman every day, working hard on building up the stamina as it is a full on pas de deux. It has been a massive learning curve, being coached by Carmen Picares and ENB principal, Gareth Haw who has also been coaching me.

Getting to know Gareth at Hatch House last year was amazing. We built a connection before company classes had even started, and it felt like I had a friend in the company as a new graduate, just at the right time, before I started the season.

I have also loved touring this year. At school you wait anxiously for that one performance, but since joining the company you get the change to dive deep into roles and bring something new to different audiences. That is important to me and why I chose ENB.

CGDC is turning 20 this year at Hatch House. How would you summarise the ethos of the company? 

The ethos is exciting, fresh and supportive. Matt and the company really foster the art form and carry it forward whilst also maintaining the traditions of the art. Creating galas in new venues and bringing it to new audiences is so important.

Zai dancing at Hatch House in 2025 - photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What was it like performing at Hatch House last year?

It came as such a welcome surprise after graduating from the English National Ballet School. When Lynne Charles, told me about the invitation, I was so excited to do it. Ballet Under the Stars was my first professional gig out of ballet school.

The garden scenery is such an interesting place to dance and share the art form with new audiences outside of a theatre. It is not every day you get to dance in such a beautiful outdoor setting. It was so lovely to bring our art to an open space.

For me performing at Hatch House bridged the gap between professional and student and that opportunity was so important. I was able to see how the professionals prepare, get advice and watch their craft, that all helped me to start my journey.

How are you feeling about dancing at Ballet Under the Stars in its 20th anniversary year?

I am so excited to be asked to be back again. Hatch House 2025 was the highlight of my year last year. So this year, I am excited to show something different and new and hopefully bring a more mature performance.

Photo credit: Isabella Turolla

You will be performing alongside some world-renowned artists, what are you most looking forward to?

Connections honestly; just the fact that we all the share the same industry, you never know when it may be useful or valuable. Plus you get the chance to build lifelong partnerships and friendships. You also get to see how artists prepare and how they manage stress and anxiety, this is not something you are prepared for at school, to just step out in front of hundreds of thousands of people to do a solo or lead role.

Who are you most looking forward to sharing the stage with?

Hard question. I would say Viola Pantuso. We have met a lot through coincidences, through friends and she is so up and coming and so close in age to me, doing amazing things. Getting to share the stage with her will be incredible.

What will you be dancing?

As part of the ENB’s Emerging Artist Award, I have been preparing and rehearsing and will therefore be performing Marius Petipa’s Le Talisman, so Taela and I will dance this. We are also hoping to perform a new neo classical piece, that Taela and I would like to put to Matt. Finally, I will be dancing a solo piece called Nature boy by company member, Rentaro Nakaakai, which he has choreographed on me for Emerging Dancer.

As soon as the performances at Hatch are over, I start my second season at ENB, so I will going straight to bed and heading into rehearsals the next morning!

Photo credit - Isabella Turolla

What do you hope the audience at Ballet Under the Stars will feel when they watch you dance?

Moved and inspired. Ballet can be seen as out of people’s grasp, but in reality, we all feel emotions, and through ballet, we are all able to connect through the emotions portrayed through the body.

I hope to bring connection to the art on a deeper level and not allow it to be about how many good pirouettes we do.

Is ballet a dying art?

The impact of Timothée Chalamet’s statement can be interpreted in a few different ways – Firstly, it was a very shallow comment, especially given he was raised in a family in the industry, and he should reflect on that. It is easy to immediately go to the negative of everything, but what he did unknowingly was that he brought people back to the theatre and to watch ballet. I try and look at things positively.

Obviously my first reaction was we put our heart and soul into this art form and spend years tying to perfect it, but also thank you! For putting us back in the spotlight and reinvigorating the art with younger and diverse audiences!

Ballet is a tradition, it gets passed down and perhaps his comment being heard by younger generations will actually bring it to a wider and younger range of demographics; each with their own approach and each different age group bringing their own influence.

What would your favourite role to dance be?

Hmm, it’s really hard as I am still so new to all of them. I think, Carmen is the one I am most looking forward to performing in. I saw it when I was at the English National Ballet school and it was amazing.

Photo credit: Isabella Turolla

Tell us three things people don’t know about you.

A) I used to play rugby league when I went to ballet school in Australia.

B) I like fashion. For me it is another form of creativity and self-expression.

C) I love horror films – Conjuring 2 is my favourite!

Interview with Taela Rose Graff

Taking a breather from a flurry of rehearsals at the English National Ballet, we caught up with Artist, Taela Rose Graff, about her whirlwind year, what she is most looking forward to about performing at Hatch House and what she really thinks of Timothée Chalamet’s views on whether ballet is a dying art.

All photo credits: Isabella Turolla

Taela Graff is a professional ballet dancer with English National Ballet and formerly danced with Houston Ballet. Originally from the United States, she trained at the prestigious School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet.

How important is it to prove Timothée Chalamet’s view that ballet is a dying art, wrong?

Timothée Chalamet targeted the wrong community! There are new generations who really appreciate this art form and draw people in – ballet is a constantly evolving thing.

We have so many companies doing such diverse performances, there is so much versatility and dance forms, so many new things, we are always creating new works. Ballet is definitely not a dying art form, by saying it is, you are limiting and not expanding your mind to what is possible.

What the Covent Garden Dance Company and Dicky Buckle Fund do is extremely important; to show the arts to a younger generation. I used to think ballet was boring, I had been a gymnast in training (7-13) but watching the New York City Ballet at 13, ignited a passion in me. That moment drove all of this to happen for me.

I was doing rhythmic gymnastics fulltime up to age 13 and I wanted to go to the Olympics. I was taught by a Russian coach. All Russian gymnasts train with a Vaganova ballet influence, and my coach said I needed to do ballet. My Mum gave me an ultimatum! I thought ballet was boring, but she said if I didn’t do it, I could not do gymnastics, so I went once or twice a week and started to fall in love a bit when I performed for the first time; I was cast in the Miami City ballet Nutcracker, and that was the first time in my life, that I conceded that ballet wasn’t too bad.

But it was when I saw my first performance at the Lincoln Centre – it was Balanchine’s Jewels - that the spark was lit. The New York City Ballet danced Rubies, Bolshoi Ballet did Diamonds and another company did Emeralds. It was my first exposure to the ballet with such a prestigious company. In that moment, that was when I decided I wanted to be a ballet dancer. I was 13.

It is incredibly important for everyone to have access to this kind of art and performance because it inspires. Art in any form can inspire portraits, literature, anything in everyday life. I find so many parallels to other people who share a passion for art. We are all interconnected by emotions, inspired by art for development and growth.

What are you currently working on?

At the moment it is a whirlwind of rehearsals at ENB. We are working on a new triple bill creation for the next season, called Rhythm Riot. This includes Romeo and Juliet, Auguries of Innocence by Jae Man Joo and Symphony in Three Movements by George Balanchine, which we are yet to start rehearsing. That is all for next season but we are also building up to ending this season with Sleeping Beauty.

Tell us a little about your recent journey to your first season at ENB.

Coming to London was a surprise for me, I wasn’t expecting to move to the UK when I did – and now I have been here for a full season. Previously, I was at Houston Ballet for two years, but felt it was time for a change. I auditioned last February and secured a contract and was so excited to get the opportunity. I moved to London at the end of July and the season started in August. Not anything I would have imagined for myself.

“It has been a transformational season for me in terms of mindset and as dancer.”

I kicked off the season with Lilac Fairy, in Sleeping Beauty and it felt crazy to have an opportunity like that, right off the bat, it has been very exciting. Then we went into Nutcracker and I danced the role of Ice Queen which was an amazing opportunity. It is a beautiful costume, with an incredible headdress which in itself is very challenging as a dancer. I really enjoyed the experience; it has been so nice to switch my mindset from corps to company roles. It was very height orientated in the corps in Houston, but my height is appreciated here and Aaron (ENB Artistic Director) sees potential for me. It has been challenging mindset wise, but such a cool opportunity to be front and centre and get over nerves. I have also made some incredible friends in Lois Fraiz and Zai Calliste (both performed in Hatch House 2025) and Jakob Wheway. Lois has just helped me find my first home in London!

How are you feeling about dancing at Ballet Under the Stars?

This gala comes in as part of the whirlwind of everything happening for me, so this is a big step change. This will be my first opportunity to do a gala of this prestige and I am so excited and nervous. I am bringing everything I have learned this year to the Hatch House stage, including managing my nerves. It is an incredible opportunity and is a cool way to kick off my next period of growth, to upgrade to the next stepping stone.

Who are you most looking forward to sharing the stage with?

I couldn’t choose; it is a whirlwind for me. I am not used to working alongside this big segment of the dance world. I fell into this world when I was 13 and so I am not as well versed in the dance world, it is so shiny to me, everything is so inspiring. It will be amazing to watch more seasoned performers prepare and carry themselves for a performance and learn to enhance my performance. I’m excited to meet all of them, I couldn’t choose!

You will be performing alongside some world-renowned artists, what are you most looking forward to?

I cannot wait to learn from these international artists. I am a visual learner, I am a people watcher and I am looking forward to observing behaviours and performances - which stems from dance, especially in a company space – with peers and ranks people that you look up to. I have benefitted the most from watching people doing those incredible roles and watching and learning from how they carry themselves in the studio and prepare mentally for the stage.

I am also looking forward to exploring another part of the UK to get new inspiration. As dancers, we are always chasing inspiration – it keeps us moving and it gets hard when you stay still. I am inspired to see these dancers, see a new space and tap into my own new potential, It will be a challenge and I will have Zai by my side, but I am excited for the opportunity to keep growing and be a sponge and soak it all up. These are the years where I take it all in.

What will you be dancing?

Zai and I met this season and we became close very quickly. He is doing Marius Petipa’s Le Talisman for the ENB Emerging Dancer award, so we will dance this and are also performing a contemporary piece, yet to be decided.

We hear that thanks to the Covent Garden Dance Company, you are connecting with your Bahamian heritage?

Courtney Celeste Fox and I are WhatsApping! I was born in Miami, but my Mum is Bahamian. This gala has brought my two worlds together. Courtney introduced me to an opportunity for Bahamian Independence Day and a fashion show in July when the Ambassador comes over. It is a full circle opportunity, I don’t have too much of a link to my Bahamian heritage because my Mum moved to the States over 20 years ago, but she didn’t know she would be staying in the US. Now I have the time as an adult to reconnect. I am desperate to link to my Bahamian heritage; my mum is one of 10 siblings and there are some people I haven’t even met yet, it would be so cool to link back to the Bahamas through this gala opportunity.

What do you hope the audience at Ballet Under the Stars will feel when they watch you dance?

So, you have technical performers, and they are amazing, but for me, as a late starter to ballet, I grasped the emotion and artistry. That is what I want to bring to my performance – that is always my main focus. I hope that the audience will feel the passion and joy that Zai and I both have for this art form. It can feel very heavy for people to put themselves on a stage, in front of the limelight.

If you really think it through, you need courage and love for this art form to do something so terrifying. We are both young dancers starting out in our careers and we hope they feel the hopes and dreams and hunger that we have for this art.

Plus I hope we can convey the lightness and juvenility of Le Talisman. It is light and flirty and very fitting to match our immaturity, joy and hunger for what’s possible. I hope we can bring this to the stage.  

What would your favourite role to dance be?

It is constantly changing, but I think Myrtha in Akram Khan’s Giselle. It is a very dark and emotional role, something you get to do as a seasoned dancer. Now I’m doing the light hearted roles, but I would like to dive into my darker artistry in the future.

Tell us three things people don’t know about you.

1) I’m a home body – I love just being at home on my days off.

2) I crochet. My mum and I used to have a legwarmers business, she is an  amazing seamstress and used to make all my costumes. Then we combined our talents and I would crochet and she would sew the legwarmers.

3) I was part of a TV show, En Pointe, on Disney Plus. My mum and I both appeared on that show and there is a scene where she is making me legwarmers before I went off to fulltime ballet school aged 14. I was so little and naive and it is quite nostalgic to look back at that time, I go back to that series when I am feeling low, and it reminds me how far I’ve come.

Iconique 2026 - Director’s note.

With the last traces of sand shaken from our suitcases, we caught up with our Director, Matt Brady, to reflect on our two sold-out performances of Iconique at The Island House, Nassau in The Bahamas.

Iconique 2026 proved a resounding success, seamlessly uniting world-class artistry with a continued commitment to championing Bahamian talent.

“Ballet and Opera may not sit at the centre of contemporary culture Mr Chalamet,” Matt observed, “but Iconique yet again reveals the enduring depth of their connection with audiences worldwide.”

As Covent Garden Dance marks its 20th anniversary year, there is much to celebrate. From the creation of new works and the nurturing of emerging talent, to captivating loyal audiences and inspiring a new generation of dance lovers, our productions continue to embody all that is the most compelling about the art form.

In its third Bahamas presentation, Iconique 2026 once again welcomed an exceptional roster of international artists. Paris Opera Ballet Étoile Myriam Ould-Braham, renowned for her diaphanous style, partnered by Mickaël Lafon, enchanted audiences with the celebrated ‘kissing’ pas de deux from Le Parc. New York City Ballet principals, Sara Mearns and Robbie Fairchild brought luminous depth to Christopher Wheeldon’s “The Two of Us.” Xander Parish and Joy Womack ignited the stage, bringing the brilliance of Marinsky-honed classical technique to a vivid and commanding “Firebird,” with Womack also delivering a deeply moving interpretation of Fokine’s “Dying Swan.”

Photo credit: Eddy Raphael

A particular highlight of this year’s programme was the continued commitment to nurturing Bahamian talent. Courtney Celeste Fox returned to create the second part of In Time Part II, developed in collaboration with students selected from dance schools across The Bahamas, offering a powerful and authentic reflection of emerging local artistry. The work was further elevated by the Iconique debut of Bahamian soprano Stanesha Diligence, whose remarkable voice brought a striking new dimension to the piece.

We were also honoured to welcome the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the First Lady to our opening night performance, whose presence underscored the cultural significance of the event and its growing place within the nation’s artistic landscape.

In Time Part II - Photo credit: Eddy Raphael

We also extend our warmest congratulations to Ian Poitier, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, and all those involved in the creation of The Creative and Performing Arts School of The Bahamas (CAPAS). Now formally enshrined through an Act of Parliament, CAPAS stands as a landmark achievement—established as a national institution and set to become the first performing arts school of its scale and ambition in the Caribbean.

This historic moment, marked by the assent of Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Cynthia A. Pratt, signals a powerful commitment to the future of the arts in The Bahamas. It represents not only an investment in education, but a lasting legacy for generations of young artists to come.

With near sold-out performances, idyllic conditions and the steadfast support of the local community, Iconique 2026 stood as a refined testament to the powerful synergy of international excellence and artistry united on stage.

As we look ahead to our 20th Anniversary of the Covent Garden Dance Company this July, we are heartened by the overwhelming response - with 70% of our seats sold at our UK flagship venue, Hatch House, it is a humbling endorsement, and one we carry forward with pride and renewed inspiration.

With near sold-out performances, idyllic conditions and the steadfast support of the local community, Iconique 2026 stood as a refined testament to the powerful synergy of international excellence and artistry united on stage.

We cannot wait to return to Hatch House for Ballet Under The Stars on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July 2026.

Tickets start at £185 and include, a beautiful three course gourmet dinner and all 12 world class performances. Grounds open at 5:30pm and shut at 1:30am. Post show, the audience are invited to join us in the cocktail lounge for drinks and dancing till 1am. The full programme will be announced throughout May & June - please subscribe to our mailing list for exclusive news.

Emma Hawes & Gareth Haw, English National Ballet - Ballet Under The Stars 2025
Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

If you wish to make an enquiry about booking tickets to Ballet Under The Stars, please click on the booking button below.

Iconique - The Bahamas 2026 Programme

After 12 months of planning, we are so delighted to share our full Iconique, 2026 programme with you.

From a world première to iconic classical, commercial to contemporary, there is something to delight every dance novice and dance connoisseur alike.

Read on and book your seats before it is too late.

Book now

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Don’t forget to share the love of dance - Inspire the next generation Book Matinée Tickets

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Mickaël Lafon reveals all…

Photo credit: Julien Benhamou

Partners in life, and on the stage, for the first time Paris Opéra Ballet, Sujét, Mickaël Lafon and Etoile, Myriam Ould Braham, will be performing a pas de deux from a new piece entitled DRIFT WOOD by Imre & Marne van Opstal. This unique piece has only been performed before in France, but will soon grace our stage at Iconique 2026 as an international première.

Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

Scroll down to discover what else this exceptional couple will be dancing at Iconique, The Bahamas and preview this stunning new work.

Click below to watch a sneak preview of DRIFT WOOD.

Read our interview with Etoile, Myriam Ould Braham to discover more about what this iconic ballet couple will be dancing.

Mickaël Lafon & Myriam Ould Braham dancing at Hatch House in July 2023. Photo credit: Alice Pennefather.

READ THE INTERVIEW

ekleido performances at Iconique

We are delighted to reveal that ekleido are returning to join the Covent Garden Dance Company and will be premièring two signature pieces ‘SPLICE’ and ‘CLINQUANT’ at Iconique on Friday 6th & Saturday 7th March 2026 at The Island House, The Bahamas.

Watch Hannah & Faye’s video to discover more

Choreographed and Performed by: Hannah Ekholm & Faye Stoeser
Music composed by: Floating Points
Lighting Design: Joshie Harriette
Costume Design: George H Wale
Costume made by: George H Wale & Octavia Austin
Rehearsal Director: Oliver Chapman
Photography: Jack Thomson
Trailer Creation: Genevieve Reeves

A Bahamian Première

ekleido is a choreographic duo made up of Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser who choreograph for live performance and film. They have both individually had extensive dance careers within the contemporary dance world, commercial industry and underground club/street dance scenes.

Their work has been performed at venues and festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, Latitude Festival, Ballet Nights at Ministry of Sound, Secret Garden Party, The Place, Lilian Baylis, Dance Festival Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Stanley Arts, Dance.Film.Performance.

We interviewed Hannah and Faye ahead of their appearances at Hatch House 2025 - you can read their interview by clicking the button below.

Read our interview with ekleido

Ekleido's critically acclaimed SPLICE explores the connection and architecture between two dancers, finding the balance between limitation and possibility, featuring an original score by world-renowned electronic musician Floating Points.

Children’s Matinée at Iconique

The stuff that dreams are made of! We are delighted to return to The Bahamas with our second Children’s Matinée Performance - an unique opportunity to be inspired by dancers at the very height of their international careers.

Last year, both in The Bahamas and at Hatch House, we were honoured to collaborate with the extraordinarily talented Courtney Celeste Fox, a celebrated Bahamian ballerina. Not only did Courtney create an exciting new piece for our programme, but she also curated and hosted a fun, interactive matinée performance designed especially for children.

BOOK YOUR SEATS

The 90-minute matinée, taking place between 11:00am and 12:30pm on Sunday, 8th March includes engaging audience interaction, an introduction to the behind-the-scenes world of theatre (including lighting, music cues, and stagecraft), and two performances from our main programme. Children are then invited to join Courtney on stage to learn and perform a joyful, high-energy choreography—an experience that is as entertaining as it is educational.

Courtney, known for both her artistic excellence and her warm, approachable presence, brings a wealth of experience working with children in performance and education. With technical support from our brilliant chief technician, Ella, the matinée promises to be a magical and memorable event for the whole family.

We hope to see you there!

To book, click the button below

Interview with Sara Mearns

After bravely sharing her story of her hearing loss with the world, we caught up with Principal of the New York City Ballet, Sara Mearns, ahead of her performances at Iconique 2026 on 6th and 7th March.

Photo credit: Mark Mann.

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About Sara Mearns

Sara Mearns is one of the most celebrated ballerinas of her generation and a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, she trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet and the School of American Ballet before joining New York City Ballet in 2006. She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2008, at just 22 years old. Renowned for her musical sensitivity, dramatic depth, and commanding stage presence, Mearns is particularly acclaimed for her interpretations of Balanchine and Robbins, as well as for her work with leading contemporary choreographers, including Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, and Pam Tanowitz. Her repertoire spans classical, neoclassical, and modern works, earning her widespread critical praise. Mearns has received numerous honours, including the Princess Grace Award and the Benois de la Danse.

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What have you been working on recently, both professionally and personally?

I have been performing in New York City Ballet’s winter season and also working with Jodi Melnick on our full evening work, SuperBloom, that’s happening on March 27th and 28th at the 92st Y at the Harkness Center for Dance in New York. I’m also working on advocating for mental health in dancers and hearing loss in young people. 

Sara Mearns advocating for hearing loss awareness

Have you danced in the Bahamas before? What excites you most about performing at Iconique 2026?

I have never danced or even travelled to the Bahamas before! This is all very exciting for me to experience the island and this gala. 

You will be partnering with Robbie Fairchild - have you danced together before and if so where and what did you perform?

Robbie and I have known each other for over 20 years now and have performed together for almost the same amount of time. We of course performed at NYCB together, we have toured together, we have danced Twyla Tharp together, we have done it all. He is truly the best. 

Photo credit: Sarah Silver.

What do you hope you leave the audience feeling as a result of watching you perform?

I never want to tell the audience how to feel or give them a preconceived notion of how they should feel when they watch dance. Every time I go out there, I feel something different, I dance it a different and new way, no show is ever the same for me, and I want the audience to feel whatever they need to when they are there. It’s all about being in the moment, fully, and without pressure. 

You will be dancing alongside some stars of the international world of dance, who are you most looking forward to sharing the stage with?

I have always admired the dancers from the Royal Ballet in London, I think they are just the most beautiful, so I’m really looking forward to watching them from the wings. 

Photo credit: Sarah Silver.

What will you be working on after Iconique?

Again, my project with Jodi Melnick, then NYCB’s spring season comes in April and may so will be working hard on that. 

Can you share three things that people may not know about you?

- I have raced an F1 Ferrari road car at the Indi race course, and I love it. 

- I have 50 percent hearing loss in both ears and perform with hearing aids in. 

- I am a classical music fanatic. 

Robbie Fairchild returns to Iconique

Since appearing at Iconique 2025, Robbie Fairchild has had an incredible year. We caught up with him ahead of his return to the Covent Garden Dance Company performances at Iconique 2026, to discover more about why Robbie is excited to return to The Bahamas on 6th and 7th March 2026.

Tell us all about your recent return to American in Paris, Robbie.

Being back on stage in an American in Paris, in Switzerland was so incredible. To be doing it 10 years later with Christopher Wheeldon, there working with me, (we hadn’t worked together on it on the show since 2017 when I did in London last); that was so special. Special to see how we have both changed - him as a Director, me as a performer and an actor - it meant the world to me to have that experience.

What have you done since your return from Geneva?

I have been straight into rehearsals for an evening of dance and song with The American Pops Orchestra that performs on February 3rd in Washington DC, in a non Trump affiliated theatre! We are working with Broadway dancers and it’s been really fun choreographing.

Why did you want to return to dance at Iconique 2026?

I wanted to return to Iconique, because there is something so special about the cultural exchange with the Bahamians, they are so kind, so sweet and to bring what we do in our part of our world to that gorgeous island, felt really wonderful and I am so happy to do it again.

Lauren Cuthbertson, Royal Ballet & Robbie Fairchild - Iconique 2026
Photo credit: Eddy Raphael

What was your favourite moment from Iconique 2025?

Getting to dance with Lauren Cuthbertson. She and I have been friends for almost a decade and had never danced together. We both dance Christopher Wheeldon stuff so often, so to get to do that together; her from London, me from New York, it was really, really special.

Photo credit: Eddy Raphael.

How would you describe the Iconique guest experience?

Wonderful! From what I know, guests have a beautiful three course dinner and between each course they get to see an incredible programme of works performed by this fabulous cast of dancers. And all in the Bahamas! What more could you want from an evening?!

Tell us who you will be partnering at Iconique 2026.

I will be dancing with Sara Mearns because she and I dance together a lot. We danced at New York City Ballet a lot and we have a Christopher Wheeldon pas de deux that is beautiful, that I thought would be perfect at Iconique. We have danced before at New York City Center, in Mexico, in Vale, the list goes on.

Sara Mearns and Robbie Fairchild dancing at New York City Center
Photo credit: Christopher Duggan

Robbie Fairchild coaching Royal Ballet Principals in The Two of Us, the piece he will dance with Sara Mearns at Iconique 2026.

What are you most looking forward to about Iconique 2026.

Seeing friends I made there last year; the hosts that we stayed with, seeing Matt (CGDC Director) again, seeing how this all comes about every year with the people who show up to make art in a beautiful place.

What do you prefer - the time on or behind stage more?

It’s both. It is all of it. It is meeting new people, seeing what they do and seeing what they do in other parts of the world and how we have a shared experience on stage and behind the scenes. It really is the full experience of it, that I love. I love the adventure of meeting new people.

Read our 2025 interview with Robbie Fairchild

Interview with Myriam Ould-Braham - Iconique

Myriam Ould-Braham at Hatch House in July 2023.
Photo Credit: Alice Pennefather

What have you been working on this year, since stepping back from your full time commitments at the Paris Opera Ballet, Myriam?

Following my official departure from the Paris Opera in May 2024, I had the opportunity to dance in some very beautiful theatres, such as La Scala in Milan, and to meet wonderful people: dancers, rehearsal pianists… These experiences made this transition more pleasant and smoother. They allowed me to take a step back and rethink time differently.

I then took a year to fully devote myself to my family, as well as to the things that are close to my heart and that my career had not always allowed me to explore, particularly teaching. This has always been essential to me, and this stage of my life confirmed how deeply attached I am to it.

After this precious break, I chose to return to dance. It is part of my life, and I feel the desire to continue having beautiful experiences, while continuing the teaching and sharing that are essential to me.

What will you dance at The Island House in the Bahamas?

I chose the first piece by Van Opstal after seeing the ballet in December. The creation deeply moved me; I was touched by the dedication of the Opera dancers and the strength emanating from this work. The pas de deux performed by Mickaël Lafon with Clémence Gros particularly moved me and completely amazed me. There is a great fluidity to it, with moments of beautiful intensity.

When I was invited to dance at Iconique with Mickaël, we immediately had the same desire: to share the pas de deux he had danced. For the second piece, we chose to dance the pas de deux from Le Parc. I am very happy to be able to present it for the first time. It is a pas de deux that we should have danced some time ago, but the conditions weren’t right. In March, we have the pleasure of presenting it to you, and we are deeply honoured.

Myriam Ould-Braham & Mickaël Lafon performing Swan Lake pas de deux at Hatch House 2023
Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What do you hope the audience will feel when you dance these pieces together?

I would like the audience to feel above all a unique moment, like a bubble of happiness. A moment of sweetness, out of time, that touches them and marks their evening.

What are you most looking forward to about returning to dance with the Covent Garden Dance Company?

What I am most looking forward to is reconnecting with dancers I have met abroad, catching up on their news, and seeing how they have progressed. These are always very special moments of sharing.

Hatch House 2023 - Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

Hatch House 2023 - Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What will you work on when you return to Paris?

Upon my return to Paris, I will work on a creation that I am working on with Mickaël. We are fortunate to be able to dance with great musicians in an iconic location: the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.

Have you ever danced in the Bahamas before? Will you bring your children with you?

Yes, we would like to take our children, since it is vacation time in Paris at that period. It is an exceptional event, and I find it wonderful to be able to share this moment with them. However, we do not wish to disrupt or impose ourselves. So we will see if it happens naturally.

What three things do people not know about you?

I am extremely shy, I love tranquility, and the third will remain my little secret!

Interview with Florent Melac

In the middle of his performances at the Nervi International Ballet Festival, Italy, we caught up with Principal Dancer of the Paris Opéra Ballet, Florent Melac, to discover what inspired his creation of Moonlight; soon to be performed by Lauren Cuthbertson and Gareth Haw at Ballet Under The Stars 2025.

Photo credit: Julien Benhamou

Florent Melac entered the Paris Opéra Ballet school in 2005, and was admitted into the Paris Opéra Ballet company in 2010, he was promoted Coryphée in 2014, Sujet in 2019 and Premier Danseur in 2023. 

He regularly performs in a wide variety of repertoire from great classical pieces to contemporary creations:, Le Lac des Cygnes, Roméo et Juliette, Cinderella, la Bayadère, La Belle au Bois Dormant, Casse-noisette (R. Noureev), Caligula, (N. Leriche), Coppélia, Giselle (P. Bart), La Fille Mal Gardée (F. Ashton), Un Jour ou Deux. (M. Cunningham), Paquita, (P. Lacotte), L’Histoire de Manon, (K. MacMillan), Thèmes et Variations, (G. Balanchine), Prince Crown Rudolf in Mayerling (K.MacMillan), the role of Eugene Oneguine in Oneguine (J.Cranko), Rhapsody (F.Ashton), l’Oiseau de Feu (M.Béjart), le Chant du Compagnon Errant (M.Béjart), main part in Blake Works I (William Forsythe), Polyphonia and After The Rain, (C. Wheeldon), Alea Sands and L’Anatomie de la Sensation, (W. McGregor), the classical duet Play (A.Ekman), the creations of Daphnis et Chloé and La nuit s’achève (Benjamin Millepied)

Beside his work at Paris Opéra, Florent frequently performs in galas in France and around the world. Florent Melac is also known as a choreographer of pieces such as A Corps Essence (ballet for 15 dancers and two soloists created at Toronto National’s Ballet School, Paris Opéra Ballet and Stuttgart Staatstheater), Melancholia Splenica (ballet for two couples created at Paris Opéra),  Après un Rêve (Pas de Deux created for the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum in Paris) and the pas de deux Opus 27 that he performed with Agnès Letestu in Jean Vilar Theatre in Suresnes, and Theatre du Vesinet. In July 2020 the Modigliani Quartet ask him to choreograph for himself and with Agnes Letestu the Quatuor de Ravel to be performed all together in the Evian Music Festival. In March 2021 Anselm Kiefer asked him to choreograph a piece to illustrate his paintings. It was performed by Hugo Marchand and Hannah O’Neill in his exhibition at the Gagosian gallery. In March 2022 Jean-Marc Luisada (Famous French Pianist) asked him to choreograph Six Mazurkas of Chopin for him to perform at his concert at the Guimet Museum in Paris. In May 2023, he created for the Auditorium of Orsay Museum a new work for Hannah O’Neill and himself on the complete Piano adaptation of Daphnis et Chloé of Ravel.

Photo credit: Érik Sowaya

What have you been working on recently, Florent?

I recently worked on Sylvia by Manuel Legris! The first ballet performed for the opening of the Opéra Garnier in 1971 and recently revisited by Manuel Legris. I danced the role of Orion. A very interesting character because he is crucial for understanding the ballet's narrative, but also because he possesses a strong presence throughout the ballet. I enjoyed this role because Manuel Legris was able to add complexity to the character compared to the original version, and of course, it's always more enriching as an artist!

I also recently worked with the London City Ballet as choreographer for a new work where my duet "Moonlight" is also featured. Christopher Marney, the Artistic Director, wanted this duet to be part of his new season, but he wished to complement it with a second part in order to create a new piece in its own right. I really enjoyed working with his company and his dancers. It is a new company full of passion and talent that is likely to generate a lot of buzz!

Can you tell us what your favourite role is to dance?

The role I most love to interpret is undoubtedly Prince Rudolf in MacMillan's Mayerling. Once again, in my opinion, the complexity of the character makes it one of the most beautiful male roles in the ballet repertoire. The sequences of pas de deux with his five different partners, as well as the numerous variations of an uniquely styled dance each time, make it the most challenging role! Not to mention the music of Liszt; the most beautiful of composers and whose melodies pierce our hearts!

Photo credit: Maria Helena Buckley

When did you begin your journey into choreography?

I started choreography very early, at 15 years old. I began dancing with an incredible teacher who encouraged us to create through improvisation. And once I joined the Paris Opéra ballet school, the curriculum and the discipline of training left me no room for the imagination of movement. I then jumped at the first opportunities that came my way to regain that sense of creation that I had missed so much. I generally draw inspiration, like most choreographers I think, from music. It is my main driving force! But also, of course, from the dancers I have in front of me. Even though most of the time I choreograph and perform my pas de deux. I actually created Moonlight with Clémence Gross, who is Sujet (Soloist) of the Paris Opéra, while also creating the piece on myself.

Moonlight will be performed at Hatch House, July 2025 by Lauren Cuthbertson and Gareth Haw, what was your inspiration when creating the piece?

Moonlight was created very quickly for the event (Draft Works) organised by the Royal Ballet in London. As is often the case, I created my pas de deux by being inspired by the music. This is a reinterpretation of Beethoven's famous Moonlight Sonata. But this version is not for piano; it is performed by a string quartet. The sounds are much deeper and create an atmosphere that I find almost mysterious and, above all, much more enchanting.

What do you hope people feel, whilst watching Moonlight being performed?

I hope the audience will appreciate the fluidity of the movements and the musicality of the choreography. Through the sequences of circular and complex lifts, I like the idea that they represent the wave's movement on a slightly tumultuous sea. Obviously under the moonlight! It is no coincidence that a German poet, shortly after the composition of this piece, decided to give it this nickname, because he saw, in the first movement of this sonata, the evocation of a 'boat in the moonlight'.

Photo credit: Julien Benhamou

How does it make you feel to receive requests to dance Moonlight from other iconic dancers from across the channel?

I am obviously very happy with the success that this duet has had. And extremely grateful to the people who were able to appreciate it. It is an honour for me that such a prestigious dancer as Lauren Cuthbertson will interpret this duet. I could not have dreamed of anything better.

Many children will be watching the rehearsal of Moonlight, what do you hope it makes them feel?

It is often very hard to maintain a child's concentration; they can easily be distracted by many things! Above all, I hope that this duet provides them with a moment of escape; that is the most important thing for me! And that they manage to appreciate its integrity, also why not create a new passion and give them the desire to dance!

Interview with Xander Parish OBE

Named by Variety Magazine as one of their “10 Brits to Watch 2025,” we were delighted to catch up with Covent Garden Dance Company favourite, Xander Parish, to discover more about his recent acting debut and who he will be partnering at Iconique, 2026.

Biography:
Xander was born in East Yorkshire, England, and began dancing in Hull at the age of 8. He graduated from the Royal Ballet School in 2005 and joined The Royal Ballet in Covent Garden. In 2010, Xander made history as the first British dancer to join The Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was promoted to Principal dancer in July 2017 after the opening night of Swan Lake during the Mariinsky Ballet’s London season at Covent Garden.

His awards include the Positano Premia La Danza Léonide Massine Emerging Dancer on the International Scene Award, Best Young Male Dancer at the 1st Taglioni European Ballet Awards, and Outstanding Male Performance (Classical) for Apollo at the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. In 2017, the University of Hull awarded Xander an Honorary Doctorate, and in 2019, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for services to dance and UK-Russia Cultural Relations. In 2025, he was knighted by the Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies for achievements in the arts.

Photo credit: Carla Rhea

Xander has been a guest artist with companies including the Kremlin Ballet, Stanislavsky Ballet, English National Ballet, Opera National Bucharest, and American Ballet Theatre. In 2021, he launched the ballet training platform balletclass.com. From 2022 until 2024, he performed with the Norwegian National Ballet as a Principal Dancer. In November 2023, the company invited him to create and stage his own version of Raymonda Act III, titled “Raymonda Suite,” for 26 dancers.

In September 2022, Xander became Artistic Director of Reunited in Dance and has staged performances in prestigious venues internationally, beginning with the Segerstrom Centre for the Arts in Orange County, Festival Napa Valley, and most recently Teatro della Pergola in Florence as part of the New Generation Festival.

What you are currently working on aside from preparing for Ballet Under The Stars?

Back in September 2024, I made my acting debut in a new play called "The Gates of Kyiv" based on the life of the Soviet pianist Maria Yudina. It was my first time speaking on stage acting opposite Stockard Channing and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This play had its try out period at the Theatre Royal Windsor and now the producers want to transfer the production to the West End. I'm currently waiting for the dates to be fixed, but I hope that this will be one of my next projects.

Can you please tell me how long you have been working with the Covent Garden Dance Company?

That's a great question! I've had the pleasure of knowing Matt for quite a long time now and he's become not just someone I love working with but a great friend too. I think I worked with Covent Garden Dance Company for the first time in early 2018 when Matt put on a fabulous show in Dubai.

What is special about the Covent Garden Dance Company - what makes you return for more?!

Well that's easy - Matt! He's not just a great person to work with but always gives the artists a good time. Also, he doesn't just create a good show, he brings together a really nice group of people so it's always fun to be involved in his productions. 

Photo credit: Andrej Uspenski

What are you looking forward to most about performing at Hatch House again?

Dancing in the British countryside is something absolutely unique and special - even when it's occasionally wet it has a charm so irresistible that one can only want to return for more, and that goes for the audience as well as the performers! I'm certainly looking forward to returning again. 

Xander & Katya dancing George Balanchine’s Diamonds at Hatch House, 2024

What will you be performing and with whom?

This year, I'm bringing a new ballerina to Hatch House - Joy Womack. Joy and I have been friends for many years having met in Russia. Joy has quite an extraordinary story of her own as the first American ballerina to graduate from Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet Academy and join the Bolshoi Theatre. The expat community in Russia was extremely small during the time I was working in St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre so naturally Joy and I became friends. She's a ballerina of great tenacity and I've been delighted to include her in the performances which I have curated and staged for Reunited in Dance around the world.

I'm very happy that, thanks to Matt, I now have the opportunity to introduce Joy to Hatch House and vice versa! We will be performing two beautiful classic pieces - an extract from Fokine’s “Firebird” and the Rose Adage from act 1 of "The Sleeping Beauty" (helped out by a few other cavaliers from amongst the cast!)

When you’re dancing these works how does it make you feel, what do you hope the audience feels?

I believe that ballet is an extension of the music and it's the music that creates the feelings and atmosphere that the dancing thrives within. It was George Balanchine who said, "See the music, hear the dance", and how right he was. I love ballet because I get the opportunity to perform within these amazing pieces of music. I feel it and I hope the audience does too.

Photo credit:Natasha Razina

You will be performing alongside some wonderful artists from all around the world this year, who are you most looking forward to dancing alongside?

There will be a fair few of my former colleagues from The Royal Ballet performing so I shall look forward to catching up with them.

Many children will be coming to watch the rehearsal on the 24th July - how important are these opportunities for future generations of dancers?

Some of those children could be the part of the next generation of professional dancers so it is extremely important that they have the opportunity to watch and discover this extraordinary art form at a young age. Even for those who will not go on to be professionals, it will shape their development as they grow and learn so I believe it is very important.

Can you tell us three things people don’t know about you?

I have a great love of photography and I especially love using 35mm film. I actually had an exhibition in St Petersburg of backstage photos that I took at the Mariinsky Theatre which was great fun to organise!

I run a website called balletclass.com where I invite my colleagues from around the ballet world to teach their own ballet and training classes. I set it up during the pandemic as I wanted to gain some skills in entrepreneurship and learn how business works. It's been a side project ever since, from which I've learned many useful lessons.

I have a dog, a white multipoo called Winston. He may be little in size, but he has a big personality and has the big name to match!

Interview with Joy Womack

After the red carpet rounds of the Amazon Prime hit series, Étoile, and performing Firebird with Xander Parish in Italy, we had the delight of interviewing Joy Womack to discover more about her upcoming appearances with Covent Garden Dance Company.

Joy Womack is an internationally acclaimed American ballerina based in Paris. She made history as the first American woman to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a full company member after graduating from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

At age 19, she became a principal dancer with the Kremlin Ballet, launching an international career that has taken her to major stages across Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States.

A prizewinner at prestigious competitions including the Varna International Ballet Competition, the Moscow International Ballet Competition, and the Korea International Ballet Competition, Joy has performed leading roles in both classical and contemporary repertoire.

Photo credit: Jon Taylor

As well as appearing as a featured dancer on the Amazon Prime series Étoile, Joy’s life has been the subject of two films: Joy Womack: The White Swan (a documentary) and Joika (a Hollywood adaptation of her story). In 2025, Joy released her memoir Behind the Red Curtain, co-written with journalist Elizabeth Shockman, offering a rare and honest look inside the world of elite ballet.

Joy is the founder of the Joy Womack Ballet Foundation (JWBF), a non-profit organisation committed to supporting emerging dancers through scholarships, outreach, and cultural exchange. JWBF also produces The Joy of Dance, a gala concert series with live music that brings world-class ballet to new audiences while raising funds for artistic and humanitarian causes.

Can you please tell us what you have been rehearsing or performing?

I was thrilled to recently perform in Xander Parish’s Ballet Russes production in Florence as part of the New Generation Festival in 2025. It was a joy to dance works such as Chopiniana, Firebird, and the Tarantella from Raymonda. I also took part in an international festival in the Philippines, where I performed Roland Petit’s Carmen Pas de Deux and the second act of Swan Lake as the White Swan. I’m now eagerly preparing for Iconique at The Island House, Bahamas.

How was it stepping onto the Étoile stage? What was your favourite moment during filming?

Bringing ballet to the screen was both a wonderful challenge and a rewarding experience. One of my favourite moments was filming the gala scene at the Théâtre de la Chalet in Paris. I also loved working with Amy and Dan on a scene where I got to deliver a line in Russian. It was great fun to explore character work on camera.

Photo credit: Bjorn Bonig

What motivated you to join the Covent Garden Dance Company for Ballet Under The Stars at Hatch House 2025 and Iconique 2026?

I was incredibly touched by the invitation. I’ve long admired the dancers who have performed with the Covent Garden Dance Company in years past, and it feels like a dream come true to share the stage with Xander Parish for a third time. I have not had the privilege of performing in the UK often, and dancing for British and Bahamian audiences holds a special place in my heart.

What are you most looking forward to about performing at Hatch House and The Island House, The Bahamas?

I’m especially excited to perform for new audiences in such a unique setting. There’s something wonderful about dancing in a setting that feels rich in history. Being part of a performance series that is building a meaningful legacy is an honour. I look forward to meeting people who truly love and support ballet.

Photo credit: Masha Kulch

What will you be performing, and with whom?

I’ll be dancing Remember Me by Sofya Gaydukova and Firebird; both alongside Xander Parish.

Why did you choose these pieces?

Xander has a wonderful artistic eye, and I was excited to take on the repertoire he proposed. Firebird is rarely performed in the West, and I think it’s important to keep these historic works alive. Given that both Xander and I spent significant time performing in Russia, it feels especially meaningful to bring a piece like Firebird to new audiences.

When you’re dancing these works, how do they make you feel—and what do you hope the audience feels?

Firebird is a new role for me, so I’ve been immersed in the process of researching the character and shaping my own interpretation. I hope the audience feels the richness of these pieces; the tradition, the emotion, and the storytelling behind the steps.

At Hatch House, you’ll be performing alongside wonderful artists from all over the world—who are you most looking forward to watching?

It’s such a privilege to be surrounded by so many inspiring dancers. I remember seeing Sarah Lamb perform years ago at the Kremlin Ballet International Festival—her work ethic and artistry left a lasting impression, and I’m excited to see her again. I’ve also admired Lauren Cuthbertson for years, so to watch her live is a dream. I hear I’ll be dancing Rose Adagio with William Bracewell as one of my cavaliers, and I’m really looking forward to working together.

Many children will attend the rehearsal —how important are opportunities like this for the next generation of dancers?

Seeing live dance as a child is essential. It develops artistic sensitivity and shows young people what’s possible. Sadly, fewer children today have the chance to attend live performances, so initiatives like this are incredibly important. Giving children access to professional dance helps communicate the value of the arts and may even spark the dreams of the next generation of performers.

What is your favourite role to dance?

So far, I would say Romeo and Juliet and Giselle have been my favourites. A dream role for the future would be Raymonda or Manon.

Can you tell us three things people may not know about you?

I come from a family of nine children.

I have a toy poodle named Rachmaninov—named after my favourite composer.

And I absolutely love to host dinner parties and cook for friends and family.

Interview with EKLEIDO

As they rehearse their new The Dicky Buckle charity funded piece, we caught up with ekleido to share a little more about this year’s guest artists and the exciting two choreographic works they will perform.

ekleido is a choreographic duo made up of Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser who choreograph for live performance and film. They have both individually had extensive dance careers within the contemporary dance world, commercial industry and underground club/street dance scenes.

Their work takes influences from both their vocabularies combining contemporary dance and underground club/battle styles including New Way Voguing, bone-breaking and threading. 

Photo credit: Jack Thomson

Their work has been performed at venues and festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, Latitude Festival, Ballet Nights at Ministry of Sound, Secret Garden Party, The Place, Lilian Baylis, Dance Festival Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Stanley Arts, Dance.Film.Performance.

Photo credit: Jay Norman

Can you please tell us how you came to be working with Covent Garden Dance Company this summer?

Faye had been working with Rambert School students on a graduation piece and met Matt (Director of Covent Garden Dance) at a student showcase at the school and got chatting about Ekleido and the work we do as a dance company. We then invited board members of Covent Garden Dance to an open rehearsal of our piece SPLICE, and they took a liking to our work and invited us to perform at Hatch House.

What will you be dancing?

We will be performing SPLICE, a duet performed and choreographed by both of us and that has been touring to theatre and non theatre spaces such as music festivals for the last two years. This piece is our inaugural work as a choreographic duo. It came about after we both started pursuing choreography careers separately and serendipitously had been asked to create something individually for the same event; we decided spontaneously to create something together. The work received enthusiastic audience responses and further programming; and our collaboration flowed effortlessly through bringing together our unique backgrounds of contemporary dance with club dance influences which led us to create Ekleido.

The Dicky Buckle Fund also commissioned us to create a new work CLINQUANT which will also be a duet choreographed and performed by us both. CLINQUANT will delve into the tension between allure and authenticity, named after the word meaning glittering with deceptive beauty.

Photo credit: Deborah Jaffe

What has been your favourite moment whilst preparing for CGDC?

It always feels like a privilege to be given support to create new work, as it gives us the chance to develop as creatives. We are currently in a place in our choreographic practice where we feel like we’ve established a movement language that feels distinctive, so we are always eager to continue to push its boundaries further as well as delving into emotional arcs within our works. With the creative process of  CLINQUANT we have particularly enjoyed playing with musicality and playing into our feminine expression.

What inspired you to create this piece?

We are interested in exploring near perfect symmetry, and whilst remaining abstract in our narrative, we wanted to invite audiences to perceive their own meaning through the shapes we create with our bodies. We are fascinated by pushing the physical body to its limits leaving the dancers to have to rely on each other, as well as figuring out the efficiency as a pair. 

For SPLICE we were both really interested in how our backgrounds in contemporary dance and New Way Vogue could be incorporated into partner work, which is very much what the piece explores.

For CLINQUANT we were inspired by the power of femininity and the contrasts between order and chaos. Named after the word meaning glittering with deceptive beauty, it becomes a metaphor for the polished roles women are often expected to inhabit: captivating on the outside, but concealing strain, silence, and complexity beneath.

Photo credit: Henry Curtis

When you’re dancing this piece how does it make you feel?

SPLICE is a precise and technical duet which requires extreme focus so as not to miss a beat and to ensure the partnering is executed seamlessly. We have found that the times we have most enjoyed performing this work are when we use each other as support both physically and mentally, and allow the music to drive us. 

We haven’t performed CLINQUANT yet, however dancing it in the studio we definitely feel a sense of power and elegance, and we hope we can experience that feeling on stage too.

What do you hope the audience will feel/take away from your performance?

For SPLICE, we hope the audience will feel mesmerised, perhaps as though they've witnessed magic through the shapes and contortions we create; and inspired to get up and dance themselves due to the energetic movement and music.

For CLINQUANT, we hope audiences will feel a sense of femininity and empowerment from us, as well as being entranced by our movement.

Tell us about the piece of music you are using?

For SPLICE we’re dancing to an electronic track created by Floating Points - who’s known for creating innovative and cutting edge music. He recently created the ballet  ‘Mere Mortals’ for San Francisco Ballet. 

CLINQUANT has new music created by Ela Minus, Stella Mozgawa and Floating Points; a really exciting collaboration with three incredible artists.

How important are charities like the Dicky Buckle Fund for the future of dance?

Charities like Dicky Buckle Fund, gives new and upcoming artists opportunities to create and perform new work, which enables dance artists to continue to innovate, develop their practice and provide dance excellence to audiences. There is often limited funding for the dance sector, so charities like The Dicky Buckle Fund are crucial in keeping the dance sector alive.

Photo credit: Sophie Giddens

Where will you be taking this piece next?

SPLICE upcoming performances include Glastonbury Festival, Ballet Nights at Theatre Royal Glasgow, as well as touring in a double bill of our work ‘SPLICE | RORSCHACH’ to theatre and rural venues across the UK. CLINQUANT will also be performed in Ballet Nights at Ministry of Sound in the Autumn and we have exciting international interest for our work to be announced soon! 

You will be performing alongside some incredible artists from all around the world, who are you most looking forward to watching perform?

Having performed alongside Gareth Haw previously at Ballet Nights, it will be lovely to watch him again as he’s such a phenomenal dancer. We are of course excited to see everyone as it’s a stellar line up of artists. 

Photo credit: Genevieve Reeves

What do you like most about performing outside of the traditional theatre or studio?

There’s something more relaxed about it, and you can really feel that through the audience which is fun. We are both really used to dancing in unconventional spaces through Voguing and street dance, and it’s often where we see new people get introduced to dance which is lovely. 

Can you tell us three things people don’t know about you – fun facts perhaps?

Faye’s dad was in the band ‘The Foundations’ who famous hit was ‘Build Me Up Buttercup.’

Hannah was a competitive Ice Skater before going to dance school. 

As ekleido we work collaboratively, however in the Ballroom battle scene we’re competing in different teams (therefore we are also enemies!)

Interview with Gareth Haw

Photo credit: Andrew Seidel

Welsh born, Gareth Haw, trained in Chepstow before joining the Royal Ballet Lower and Upper School. Upon graduation, Gareth joined the Semperoper Ballett Dresden in 2015, where he grew through the ranks, before joining the English National Ballet as a First Soloist in 2023. He was promoted to Principal in 2024 and Lead Principal in Spring 2025.

Gareth has danced Principal roles in Watkin and Smith’s Nutcracker; Watkin’s Swan Lake, La Bayadere and Sleeping Beauty; Watkin and Beechey’s The Nutcracker; Dawson’s Giselle. Soloist roles in Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, and Four Temperaments; Forsythe’s The Second Detail, Artifact, and New Suite; Graham’s Errand into the Maze; Inger’s Walking Mad, and Carmen; Bausch’s Iphigenia auf Tauris; Ashton’s The Dream; Peck’s Heatscape; Ekman’s COW. His created roles include Paris, in Dawson’s Romeo and Juliet; Winter Principal Couple in Dawson’s The Four Seasons.

Gareth, can you tell us what you are currently rehearsing and performing?

I have been pretty busy of late performing as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty and I have just returned from Romania where I performed Giselle Act II and Metamorphosis by David Dawson. I also had the honour of performing the UK première of Slingerland Duet by William Forsythe.

Photo credit: Yoonsik Kim

What made you decide to join the Covent Garden Dance Company and perform at Hatch House this July?

I have been following CGDC for the past two years and really love the ethos. In February I was unable to join the Bahamas cast, but there was no way I could turn down the opportunity to dance with Lauren Cuthbertson. There is only one answer to that question! I have idolised her since I was in school and it was a dream opportunity.

What will you and Lauren be dancing?

We will be performing a double debut! We are both very keen to dance Le Parc as we saw the Paris Opera Ballet performing it a long time ago. We also will be performing Florent Melac’s beautiful piece Moonlight. There is such meaning behind both works that we both wanted to perform them for the first time.

What do you hope people feel when watching you?

If we manage to captivate an audience for a brief moment in time, enable them to forget the day to day, we will have done our job.

Photo credit: Yoonsik Kim

What excites you most about performing at Hatch House?

I love that it is not a conventional setting. Being outdoors rather than in a standard theatre in a big city, brings a different energy to the performance, it changes the atmosphere of the piece and it brings a different style of performance. I can’t wait.

You’ll be performing alongside some incredible artists, who are you most excited to watch?

William Bracewell. He is an extremely unique artist and what he represents as a male dancer is unique; he makes every role his own. It helps that he is also from Wales! I think we are the only two Welsh Principal dancers and that is something lovely. I am a massive fan and have been since I first saw him dance when I was 9 years old. It will be a full circle moment to dance alongside William.

Many children will be coming to watch the rehearsal on the 24th July - how important are these opportunities for future generations of dancers?

I experienced that thrill of watching professional dancers on stage when I was little. I grew up in rural Wales and I remember when I first watched the Royal Ballet perform. It is so important that we branch out of cities to expose a younger generation, include and inspire them. It is our responsibility to ensure ballet is not an elitist form but an accessible art.

What is your favourite role to dance?

I have performed as Albrecht in Giselle recently and it is a key pillar in classical ballet but it also explored the human emotional journey. Male dancers are often in white tights, but Albrecht’s emotional journey allows us to dance with freedom. Albrecht is my favourite role.

Can you share something people don’t know about you?

Before ballet, I was a slalom ski racer and I speak fluent German!

Interview with William Bracewell

After an unforgettable run of dancing Romeo to Marianela Nunez’s Juliet, we had the great privilege of interviewing Royal Ballet Principal Dancer, William Bracewell, before he dives down the rabbit hole into Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Photo credit: Unknown

Welsh dancer William Bracewell joined The Royal Ballet as a Soloist in 2017 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2018, Principal in 2022. Born in Swansea. William trained at the Pamela Miller Ballet School and, from the age of 11, at The Royal Ballet School. Whilst a student, he won the 2007 Young British Dancer of the Year Award and the grand prix at the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2010, promoted to first artist in 2012 and to soloist in 2014.

His repertory with The Royal Ballet and BRB includes Des Grieux, Oberon, Polixenes and Florizel (The Winter's Tale) Lead roles in Requiem, The Dante Project, Hamlet and Ophelia, Romeo, Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Prince (The Nutcracker), Franz (Coppélia), Oberon (The Dream), The Prince (Cinderella), Ferdinand (The Tempest), Salamander Prince (David Bintley’s The Prince of the Pagodas), First Seminarian (Carmina Burana), Prince Florimund (The Sleeping Beauty) pas de six (Giselle), Rajah/Caterpillar (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Ted Feltham (The Unknown Soldier), Kulygin (Winter Dreams), Beliaev (A Month in the Country), Dr John Brown (Like Water for Chocolate) and roles in Woolf Works, Dances at a Gathering, Symphonic Variations, Tombeaux, Obsidian Tear, Les Rendezvous, Elite Syncopations, ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café, Theme and Variations, Untouchable, Sylvia, Asphodel Meadows, Corybantic Games and DGV: Danse à grande vitesse.

William Bracewell as Prince Siegfried & Akane Takada as Odile in Swan Lake at the Royal Ballet & Opera House
Photo credit: unknown

His role creations for BRB included Le roi soleil (Bintley’s The King Dances), Alexander Whitley’s Kin and Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces. He has created roles for The Royal Ballet in Jessica Lang's Twinkle, Untitled 2023, Yugen, Corybantic Games, Dispatch Duet and The Weathering.

Bracewell's other awards include Best Male Dancer 2023 and Outstanding Male Performance (Classical) 2015 from Critics' Circle National Dance Awards.

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William, can you tell us what you are currently rehearsing and performing? 

It’s nearing the end of our season here at the Royal Ballet & Opera House and the final thing I’m performing here is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I’m also creating a new ballet with Cathy Marsden that will premiere in November 2025.

Photo credit: William Muir.

Can you please tell us what motivated you to join the Covent Garden Dance Company to perform at Hatch House this July?

It’s rare that I get to perform in such a beautiful part of the world so I was thrilled to be asked. Having danced with Sarah Lamb last summer, I was also incredibly keen to continue forming our relatively new dancing relationship.

What are you looking forward to most about performing at Hatch House?

I can’t wait to see the house and gardens and of course share the stage with Sarah both in repertoire we know well and something totally new to myself. I also cannot wait to see the gardens for the first time. After dancing, my second love is horticulture and gardening. I find it such a therapy and escape, if there is any help needed in the garden I’ll be there!

Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What will you be performing and why did you choose these pieces?

Myself and Sarah Lamb will be dancing an excerpt from La Bayadère and Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella pas de deux. Cinderella is a firm favourite of mine; the precision and detail all Ashton works combined with his musicality is such a joy to perform. I feel Sarah is an absolute master of this way of moving. La Bayadère is new to me, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of tackling something quite different.

When you’re dancing these works, what do you hope the audience feels?

These pieces are quite different from one another so hopefully the audience will be able to take away the contrast and versatility of our dancing. 

You will be performing alongside some wonderful artists from all around the world, who are you most looking forward to watching perform?

I always love seeing people dance that I haven’t before.

Many children will be coming to watch the rehearsal on the 24th July - how important are these opportunities for future generations of dancers?

Seeing dancers of the Royal Ballet perform was what made me want to start dancing more seriously, so I know how important these experiences are.

Photo credit: Alice Pennefather

What is your favourite role to dance?

It’s a tough question but probably of the classical ballets it would have to be Romeo and Juliet or Manon but there are too many to chose from…

Can you tell me three things people don’t know about you – fun facts perhaps?

• I am an excellent whistler (to some people’s annoyance).

• I built all the door frames and doors in my current flat (yes they are a little wonky)

• And my YouTube rabbit hole is electric car videos.

If you are yet to book your seats to watch William Bracewell and Sarah Lamb dance at Hatch House 2025, don’t delay, tickets are selling fast.

Interview with Sarah Lamb

Having just completed a run of sublime performances at the Royal Ballet & Opera House as Juliet in Kenneth Macmillan’s Romeo & Juliet, and ahead of her debut appearance at Hatch House 25-27 July, 2025, we were delighted to interview Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Sarah Lamb.

Sarah is an internationally acclaimed Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet. She joined the company in 2004 as a first soloist and was promoted to principal after eighteen months.

Photo credit - Andrej Uspenski

Sarah’s roots lead back to Massachusetts. She was born in Boston and trained with Madame Tatiana Nicolaevna Legat at the Boston Ballet School. In 1998 she was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and awarded a gold medal by President Clinton and performed Sleeping Beauty Act III at the Kennedy Center in 1998. Her many awards include three silver medals at the Third Japan International Ballet Competition in Nagoya (1999), the USA International Ballet Competition (2002). She was awarded the highest medal at the New York International Ballet Competition (2000).

Lamb’s repertory with the Company includes all the leading roles in the classical, dramatic and contemporary repertories as well as the masterpieces of Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth McMillan. She created the title role in Wayne McGregor’s Raven Girl and roles in his ballets Carbon Life, Live Fire Exercise, Limen, Chroma, Tetractys, Woolf Works, Multiverse, Yugen and The Dante Project. She also has created roles for the Company in Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale and Electric Counterpoint, Ratmansky’s 24 Preludes, David Dawson’s The Human Seasons and Twyla Tharp’s Illustrated ‘Farewell’.

Sarah has performed at the World Ballet Festival in Tokyo in 2015, 2018 and 2024 and is known by audiences across the globe. In 2023 Sarah received the Positano award for Best Female Dancer.

We cannot wait to watch Sarah grace the Hatch House stage on 25, 26 & 27 July 2025.

Photo credit - Andrej Uspenski

What you are currently rehearsing or performing?

I just finished Romeo and Juliet and am preparing for some performances in Mexico in a couple of weeks. I'm really looking forward to performing in Mexico again; it has been several years since I was there.

What motivated you to join the Covent Garden Dance Company to perform at Hatch House this July?

William Bracewell invited me, and I will always jump at an opportunity to dance with William! We performed for the first time together last summer at the World Ballet Festival, and we had a wonderful partnership, I'm looking forward to dancing together again this summer.

What will you be performing?

William and I are performing Ashton's Cinderella pas de deux, which we performed last summer in Tokyo, and an excerpt from Marius Petipa’s Shades Pas de Deux, from La Bayadère, which is a ballet William hasn't previously performed. 

Photo credit - Andrej Uspenski

What are you looking forward to most about performing at Hatch House?

It's always interesting to perform somewhere new, we are always in London so there are many parts of the UK that I have never seen! 

When you’re dancing these works how does it make you feel, what do you hope the audience feels?

Prokofiev's music for the Cinderella pas de deux in Act 2 is sublime and I hope the audience feels the same as I do when I perform. It is glorious. The pas de deux from La Bayadère is one of longing. Nikiya is a vision to Solor, and he is reunited with her in this otherworldly realm. She needs to exude these qualities of intangible beauty.

You will be performing alongside some wonderful artists from all around the world, who are you most looking forward to watching perform?

I don't know the final cast list but it will be exciting to see some familiar faces or meet new artists!

Photo credit - Andrej Uspenski

Many children will be coming to watch the rehearsal on the 24th July - how important are these opportunities for future generations of dancers?

I think rehearsals are a wonderful way to introduce new audiences. I think rehearsals can be more interesting to watch than performances! Young dancers especially feel closer to the work and the art, and it is so unique to be able to do what you love - for a young dancer to realise his/her dream is edifying. 

What is your favourite role to dance?

That's not a fair question there are too many!

Can you tell us three things people don’t know about you?

I love to read, and I take time every day to read the New Yorker Magazine. 

I used to love drawing, and I still do from time to time though I am not good at finding time for it.

I still don't have a driver's license which is rather remarkable as I lived in America until I was in my early 20s! 

Photo credit - Andrej Uspenski.

Children’s Matinée at Hatch House

We are delighted to introduce a brand-new addition to our weekend of world-class ballet and dance at the beautiful Hatch House near Tisbury: the Children’s Matinée Performance.

In previous years, we’ve welcomed families to attend our open dress rehearsals—a wonderful opportunity for young audiences to experience the magic of ballet in an informal and inspiring setting. However, due to unforeseen delays and the overwhelming popularity of last year’s rehearsal, we felt it was time to reimagine the experience for our younger guests.

This year, we were honoured to collaborate with the extraordinarily talented Courtney Celeste Fox, a celebrated Bahamian ballerina. Not only did Courtney create an exciting new piece for our programme, but she also curated and hosted a fun, interactive matinée performance designed especially for children.

BOOK YOUR SEATS

The 90-minute matinée, taking place between 2.45pm and 4:00pm on Thursday 24th July, includes engaging audience interaction, an introduction to the behind-the-scenes world of theatre (including lighting, music cues, and stagecraft), and two performances from our main programme. Children are then invited to join Courtney on stage to learn and perform a joyful, high-energy choreography—an experience that is as entertaining as it is educational.

Courtney, known for both her artistic excellence and her warm, approachable presence, brings a wealth of experience working with children in performance and education. With technical support from our brilliant chief technician, Ella, the matinée promises to be a magical and memorable event for the whole family.

We are excited to launch what we hope will become a beloved tradition at Hatch House: a children’s performance that inspires, delights, and invites the next generation into the world of dance.

We hope to see you there!

To book, click the button below

Iconique 2025 - Director’s Note

It was a distinct honour to present the second season of Iconique this past March at the renowned Old Fort Bay Club on New Providence Island, in the Bahamas. Across the weekend of March 7th and 8th, our company had the privilege of performing a rich and diverse programme in an open-air setting that remains one of the most exquisite in the world.

Photo credit - Eddy Raphael.

For the first time, we also offered a children’s matinee on Sunday morning—an energetic and joy-filled performance led by the luminous Courtney Celeste Spears, which was met with enthusiasm and delight by the next generation of Bahamian dance lovers.

Lauren Cuthbertson & Robbie Fairchild performing Christopher Wheeldon’s Mercurial Manoeuvres. Photo credit - Eddy Raphael.

The natural elements, once again, proved gracious. As the final notes of our dress rehearsal faded into the evening, the coastal winds calmed, blessing our opening night with near-perfect conditions and an atmosphere befitting the beauty of ballet beneath the stars.

We were delighted to read Mark Monahan’s report on Iconique and our upcoming Hatch House events. You can read the The Telegraph’s esteemed Chief Dance Critic and Arts Editor’s report by clicking the button below.

Among the many artistic highlights of this year’s edition was the creation and world premiere of an original work conceived and brought to life by Bahamian talent. Collaborating with the extraordinary Courtney Celeste Spears and her partner Vernal Adley, alongside acclaimed Bahamian composer Giveton Gelin, we sought to honor the cultural vibrancy of the island itself.

Photo credit: Robyn Damianos.

With the generous support of six local patrons and the creative vision of fashion designer Phylicia Ellis, this new piece emerged as a heartfelt celebration of Bahamian artistry. It is a rare and meaningful occasion when a work speaks so directly to the place in which it is born—this was one such moment.

To welcome choreographic works by some of the most significant figures in the canon of 20th and 21st-century ballet was both a privilege and a profound responsibility. The inclusion of George Balanchine, whose neoclassical innovations redefined the vocabulary of ballet; Maurice Béjart, whose theatrical vision electrified audiences and embraced the existential edge of dance; Benjamin Millepied, whose kinetic modernism continues to resonate with new audiences; and Christopher Wheeldon, whose seamless blend of classical structure and contemporary lyricism positions him as one of the leading choreographers of our time—each contributed to a program that celebrated the ever-evolving art of ballet.

Kateryna Chebykina & Alejandro Virelles performing George Balanchine’s Diamonds’ pas de deux.
Photo credit: Eddy Raphael

In particular, to present two works by Christopher Wheeldon—performed impeccably by Royal Ballet principal Lauren Cuthbertson and Broadway and New York City Ballet star Robbie Fairchild—was a personal milestone. That they accomplished such breath-taking performances with only five days of rehearsal, each learning a new piece in that time, speaks not only to their prodigious talent but to the passion and urgency that defines truly great artistry.

Lauren Cuthbertson & Robbie Fairchild performing Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour.
Photo credit - Eddy Raphael

Set to music by the likes of Georges Bizet, Sergei Prokofiev, and contemporary composer Ezio Bosso, our programme paid homage to the powerful union of choreography and musical composition—a cornerstone of ballet’s history from Petipa and Tchaikovsky to the present day.

Seojun Joon & Mikael Lafon performing Benjamin Millepied’s Nuits s'achève.

To work with a cast of this calibre, in a country of such beauty and warmth, and to contribute—however modestly—to the cultural dialogue of the Bahamas has been one of the great joys of my professional life. Ballet Iconique exists not only as a celebration of movement but as a living testament to ballet’s ability to evolve, to connect, and to inspire.

Matt Brady
Director

Curtain call
Photo credit - Eddy Raphael