Y DANCE

Romeo and Juliet
Choreographer Kenneth Macmillan
Company Various, including The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB)
First performance:       February 1965 (Royal Ballet) June 1992 (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Dance style:     Ballet
Choreographic style: Narrative and dramatic. Macmillan explores behaviour and emotions in depth.
Theme:      Forbidden love, family conflict, growing up.
Starting point:        Shakespeare’s play
Structure:         Three Acts with 13 scenes
Dancers:             A large cast including 14 soloists
Accompaniment:             Serge Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Opus 64 Classical, orchestral.
Costume:      Nicholas Georgiadis (BRB version: Paul Andrews)   Rich and lavish. Realistic, suggesting time, place and social class (Renaissance Italy).
Lighting:       Original design by William Bundy, redesigned by John B Read (both versions).  Theatrical. Suggests time of day. Used dramatically in night-time balcony and tomb scenes. The spotlight highlights the romantic duets between the lovers.
Set:    Nicholas Georgiadis. (BRB version: Paul Andrews) Realistic, representing various locations, indoor and out. The main set is a timberframed structure on two levels with staircases, balconies, arches and doorways.  The effect is grand, old and worn. Some features are significantly over-large such as birdcages in Juliet’s bedroom. A range of realistic props enhances characters and locations.
Staging:  Proscenium