The Tribune

FOR two nights only this week, some of the world’s most iconic ballet dancers from one of the most revered ballet companies will headline two dynamic shows of grace and precision set on the Great Lawn of Old Fort Bay Club for ‘Iconique’ Dinner Ballet Gala.

The 360-seat, all-inclusive dinner, presented by the Covent Garden Dance Company and Old Fort Bay Club, will feature three sections of Classical, Neo-Classical, and Contemporary performance ballet. The show has been dubbed ‘some of the world’s most iconic dancers in one of the world’s most beautiful locations’ and is scheduled for two special and intimate performances in Old Fort on February 14 and 16.

Covent Garden Dance is world-renowned for its ability to produce and present some of the most acclaimed and admired ballet and dance gala programs.

Covent Garden Dance director Matt Brady described it as a “world premiere of a gala program created especially for Nassau, Bahamas that will probably never be repeated with this collection of dancers.”

“The iconic stars aligned,” Brady said of this one in a lifetime evening of ballet. “The cast are all iconic in each of their own ways. There are ten cast members, all of whom I know and/or have worked with for the exact reason they are here. They are all incredible.

From the well known British dancer Xander Parish, who was the only British Dancer to make it to Principal at The Mariinsky world-renowned Russian company, to Mackenzie Brown the youngest dancer to ever have made Principal at Stuttgart Ballet. Each and every one of these dancers is iconic in their own way.” The all-star collection of ballet dancers includes internationally acclaimed and Nikinsky Award winning Lucia Lacarra, Prix de Lausanne winner Matthew Golding, who has earned numerous major roles including Prince Florimund in the Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and Fate in Carlos Acosta’s Carmen. One of the most highly regarded principal dancers with the Royal Danish Ballet, Jon Axel Fransson, will also grace the stage as a part of the ensemble.

‘Iconique’ is anticipated to be one of the most magical evenings of ballet and dance The Bahamas has ever witnessed with powerful performances and the best in gourmet dining. Holly Jean Dorger, Ksenia Ovsyanick, Zdenek Konvalina, Mara Galeazzi and Jason Kittelberger will all complete this ‘iconic’ company for this stellar night of ballet.

“The programme we have put together is one that we feel will appeal to all across the board,” Brady added. “If you have never been to see a ballet performance before, then this is the perfect production to come to because it is a gala-style format with a collection of short works performed by some of the greatest dancers in the world. Each work is around four to seven minutes long and there are a variety of styles and themes. So, if one work might not be to your taste the next probably will. Each work on this program is incredibly special. Even if you are a well-heeled balletomane, there will be works on here that you will have never seen that will stay with you forever.”

With only 36 tables available, Iconique is designed to be an intimate event. Tickets are $350 can be reserved at events@coventgardendance.com or through the Old Fort offices.

The company of dancers will arrive for rehearsals the week of the two shows and will take the time to meet local dancers, learning the craft of ballet in Nassau-based dance companies. Brady hopes that showcasing the traditional and modern dances will energise Bahamian ballerinas to maintain their love of the dance.

Brady said The Bahamas provided the ideal location for ‘Iconique’ after the pandemic placed a halt on plans that were already in the works since 2019.

“The Bahamas are the perfect backdrop for our concept and we were determined to make it happen,” Brady said. “Anita Wheeler of Old Fort Bay Club serendipitously came to our flagship production at Hatch House in the UK last July and got in touch to tell us about Old Fort Bay Club. And so, this new journey began.”