Students to join The Royal Ballet

Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé are the first of the School’s graduate-year students to be offered professional contracts so far this academic year. Both have been invited to join The Royal Ballet from early December 2012: the first steps towards the School achieving an impressive seventh year of every graduating student securing a professional contract either in the UK or overseas.

Harrow-born Anna Rose trained locally form age 5, becoming a Royal Ballet School Junior Associate before successfully auditioning for the Lower School, White Lodge in 2005. She has won several awards whilst attending the School including in 2011 winning The Royal Ballet School Achievement Award, second place at the Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance and the Director’s Prize for most promising student. In the same year, she was also named Young British Dancer of the Year. In April 2013, Anna Rose will accompany students of The Royal Ballet School to perform at the Palais Garnier in Paris in a Gala to celebrate the tercentenary of the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Portuguese-born Marcelino’s early training was at the National Conservatoire in Lisbon. His successes include junior division gold medals at the Youth America Grand Prix 2009 and at the USA International Ballet Competition 2010. At the Prix de Lausanne in 2010, he was awarded a Scholarship to join The Royal Ballet Upper School, receiving further support from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. His entry for the 2011 Ursula Moreton Choreographic Award - N’ca cré sabi - won second prize and went on to be performed at the School’s end-of-year season at the Linbury Studio Theatre in July 2011 and will be performed at the The Canadian National Ballet School’s Assemblée Internationale in Toronto in April 2013.

Photo: Jim Fletcher