In Conversation with LAURRETTA SUMMERSCALES … (In-person and Zoom)

Photo credits:

Above: Laurretta headshot by Sinead Bunn

Left: Lauretta as Katerina in Cranko’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’ in Munich, courtesy of summerscales.org 

Monday 11 December 2023 
7.30pm 🇬🇧
In-person interview, with Zoom

VENUE :  Royal Ballet Upper School, 46 Floral St, London WC2E 9DA

INTERVIEWER : Dance writer Deborah Weiss, who trained at the RB School, joined ENB from there, and subsequently became a senior soloist also at the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich.

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BIOGRAPHY

Laurretta was born in Runnymede, Surrey and started her training with all dance genres at her mother’s school, Summerscales Performing Arts, as well as taking extra ballet at the Susan Robinson School of Ballet. Laurretta enjoyed a very artistic childhood and was always on stage dancing in competitions or performing musicals in her mother’s productions.

Life opportunities that have stayed with her are, travelling and dancing at the 2000 Olympics in Australia, performing with the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House in 2004 and dancing at Disneyland Paris on several occasions. In 2007 she was accepted at English National Ballet School and after studying for eighteen months, director, Wayne Eagling offered her a contract to join the Company.

Laurretta performed many principal roles over the years, her most memorable being Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis at the London Coliseum when she was just 17 years old.  Pas de trois in Suite en Blanc and debuting Odette/Odile in Swan Lake when she was 22, at the Royal Albert Hall. Laurretta officially received the rank of Principal on her 25th birthday by Tamara Rojo, who took over as director in 2012.

In 2017, Laurretta decided that she wanted to stretch her repertoire further by taking a sabbatical year and moved to the Bavarian State Ballet as Principal, after which she joined the company full time in 2018.

Laurretta has danced wonderful works such as Onegin, Spartacus, La Fille mal Gardée, La Bayadere, and Schmetterling, just to name a few. She has a vast repertoire and has danced all over the world.

Laurretta has also participated in many competitions, winning Gold at China’s International Ballet Competition in 2013, The People’s Choice Award in 2013 and 2015 at ENB’s Emerging Dancer, Joyce Percy Memorial Award, Stella Mann Award, Baines-Hewitt Award, Young Dancer of the Year 2007-2009 at the AED and Molly Lake Award.

Laurretta is really passionate about giving opportunities to the younger generation and is very happy to be a patron of both the All England Dance and the UK World Cup teams.

Photos and videos on Lauretta’s own website   
https://summerscales.org/

Biography from Bayerische Staatsballett, Munich https://www.staatsoper.de/en/biographies/summerscales-laurretta

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This event is a hybrid LBC event.  Hybrid events offer both an in-person interview experience, as well as offering Zoom access for those further afield.  Both members AND non-members are required to book in advance, for ALL options.  

*** DEADLINE for in-person bookings is Saturday 9 December 2023 ***