Eugene Onegin: The hidden artistic context to RAD Grade 8 Ballet

Art inspires art.

Pushkin’s epic novel in verse inspired Tchaikovsky’s opera of the same name. Then came Cranko’s ballet in 1965. These cumulative artworks inspired RAD faculty choreographing what would become the Grade 8 syllabus. In this webinar, Dr Catherine Charlwood presents the literary and musical context to this performance exam. Featuring literary, musical and choreographic excerpts, this detailed delve into the artistic context behind Grade 8 promises to be of interest to teachers and students alike.

What’s in it for you?

• New teaching ideas
• Give your students an edge
• Deepen your understanding of Grade 8
• Be inspired by ballet, literary and musical history

There will be time for audience Q&A at the end. Whether I can answer all questions is another matter!

Unlike the preceding Grades, Grade 8 RAD is a performance exam, where only the dances are marked. With each dance having a distinctive quality, there are different ‘roles’ for the dancer/candidate to embody. However, teachers can struggle to know the artistic contexts available for them to draw upon for this purpose. The music used comes from Tchaikovsky’s opera Onegin or Cranko’s Tchaikovsky selection for his ballet Eugene Onegin. Both of these artworks draw on Pushkin’s original verse novel, and each of these artworks can provide valuable stimuli for the Grade 8 teacher and dancer.

This webinar delves inside these different artworks to provoke discussion about the characterisation of different dances, when students might align themselves more with Olga or Tatiana, and the dramatic narrative which underpins all three artworks and, arguably, the Grade 8 syllabus. It will incorporate audience Q&A.

NB. This is not an official RAD event. It is a free offering by an enthusiastic researcher and registered RAD teacher who loves all things Onegin, including Grade 8.