MIRABELLE SEYMOUR to dance as soloist with ROYAL BALLET in WORLD PREMIERE

Aged just 12, Mirabelle Seymour has been chosen by resident Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne Mcgregor to create a solo role in his new ballet ‘Raven Girl’, on stage at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Raven Girl is a collaboration between Author Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveller’s Wife) who has written the modern-day fairytale, Choreographer Wayne Mcgregor (‘Machina’ from Metamorphosis, Chroma) and Composer Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, The talented Mr Ripley). It tells the story of a Raven Girl – her father is a Postman, her mother a Raven he rescues after falling from the nest as a fledgling bird, he takes her home and they fall in love.....

Mirabelle has been rehearsing with Wayne McGregor and her partner Ed Watson (Principal dancer with the Royal Ballet) for 3 weeks to prepare for the role of the fledgling bird. The World Premiere was performed last night to a sell –out audience and Miss Canneaux was there to watch in awe as Mirabelle appeared from beneath a cloak at the foot of a huge rock, a terrified, tiny, weightless, bird, lifted tenderly in one arm by the postman (Ed Watson) who takes her home to recover. She sits watching the postman striking a series of beautiful, frightened, birdlike poses. Gaining in confidence she performs a series of intricate, delicate steps and movements moving up to the table she balances posed on one leg before appearing to flutter around the postman’s head as he throws her expertly around his neck before letting her fly away.

At the end of the ballet Mirabelle stood in line with Royal Ballet stars Sarah Lamb, Eric Underwood, Olivia Cowley, Ed Watson and Thiago Soares, she was the first soloist invited forward to take the first of many curtain calls until Wayne McGregor appeared onstage to take his bow, holding her hand and inviting her forward to receive her applause once again.

CONGRATULATIONS MIRABELLE – you are the most beautiful young ballerina we have ever seen!

Mirabelle will be dancing in 3 more performances of Raven Girl – Wednesday 29th May at 2pm, Monday 3rd June at 7.30pm and the final performance on Saturday 8th June at 7pm, tickets are available from the Royal Opera House.

Julia Canneaux