Morgann Runacre-Temple Returns for Third Staging of Swingle Stepping

Choreographer Morgann Runacre-Temple will restage her contemporary work Swingle Stepping for Year 11 students at The Royal Ballet School during summer performances at Opera Holland Park from 2-5 July. Six years have passed since she originally created the piece for Royal Ballet School students in 2019.

The Choreographer’s Journey

Runacre-Temple works as a freelance choreographer and movement director based in London, with an extensive portfolio spanning dance, theatre, film and opera (). She has created works for renowned ballet companies across the UK and Europe, including Northern Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet, Graz Opera, Alberta Ballet, and Ballet Central.

Her career began after graduating from Central School of Ballet in 2004, where she met her frequent collaborator Jessica Wright. Together, known as “Jess and Morgs,” they have created award-winning dance films, including The Try Out for Channel 4’s RANDOM ACTS, The Last Resort for English National Ballet & TATE Liverpool, and Curing Albrecht for English National Ballet & Manchester International Festival, which won Best Film 2018 at NRDFF and Best Director at Portland Dance Film Festival.

From 2009 to 2015, Runacre-Temple served as choreographer-in-residence at Ballet Ireland, creating five full-length ballets including Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Scheherazade, and Carmen. Her recent work includes Coppélia for Scottish Ballet, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival to critical acclaim, and Averno, a contemporary retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades for Stuttgart Ballet.

The Evolution of Swingle Stepping

Swingle Stepping combines rhythmic elements with playful movement vocabulary, drawing inspiration from a unique musical fusion. “The main source of inspiration is the playfulness in music – a combination of Swingle Singers and The Blues Brothers,” Runacre-Temple explained. The music features The Swingle Singers’ acapella version of The Blues Brothers, creating what she describes as “humanity and simplicity in unaccompanied voice [that] gives a freshness that meets dance well.”

This marks its third remounting at the School, following the original 2019 creation and a 2020 post-COVID staging. “Each new cast adds richness and another layer of personality,” Runacre-Temple noted about working with different student cohorts. “I can see in the choreography the traces of dancers who have previously danced the work.”

The choreographic process emphasizes collaboration between choreographer and students. “I worked very collaboratively in the studios with the dancers, and their individual ways of moving inspired the piece,” she explained. “Some sections are really to do with the particular dancer’s individuality, whilst other sections are about the group moving as one, being sensitive and tuned into one another.”

Opera Holland Park: A Unique Venue

Opera Holland Park’s outdoor amphitheatre will host the summer performances, presenting unique staging challenges that differ from traditional theatre spaces. Founded in 1996, Opera Holland Park has deep roots in civic heritage and operates from a canopied open-air auditorium surrounded by the beautiful formal gardens and wilded woodlands of Holland Park.

The venue welcomes over 30,000 audiences each summer to what has become London’s biggest summer opera festival. In 2020, the auditorium was completely redesigned with international performance designer takis, reflecting the natural beauty of the theatre’s setting. The 1,000-seat auditorium features improved comfort, acoustics and technical facilities under a high tensile fabric canopy designed by Architen Landrell.

The Royal Ballet School has maintained a relationship with Opera Holland Park since 2016, when students first returned for their end-of-year summer performances. The 2025 programme, curated by new Artistic Director Iain Mackay in his first season, presents students aged 11 to 19 demonstrating skills and artistry in classical and contemporary dance.

Student feedback from previous Opera Holland Park performances highlights the venue’s special atmosphere. “Opera Holland Park is special because it brings the whole Royal Ballet School together in a small space,” noted Year 11 student Ruben in 2024. “Working closely with students from White Lodge and Upper School is exhilarating.”

Contemporary Training at The Royal Ballet School

Contemporary choreographic voices like Runacre-Temple’s complement the School’s classical curriculum, reflecting the evolution of professional ballet training. The Royal Ballet School recognises that “all professional classical dancers must also have a strong knowledge and understanding of contemporary movement,” offering classes designed to help students “gain a strong foundation in contemporary technique.”

This approach reflects broader changes in ballet education. Contemporary ballet emerged in the 1980s as choreographers mixed classical ballet techniques with contemporary dance, including modern dance elements such as floorwork, barefoot performance, and expanded upper body movements. The style honours classical ballet history whilst finding ways to innovate and make the art form relevant to contemporary audiences.

Students working with contemporary choreographers like Runacre-Temple gain exposure to different creative methodologies and movement styles. “The energy, verve and excitement to be part of a creative process,” she observed about working with young dancers. “They develop so much during the period that I work with them as they are at such a crucial point in their training, and that is very inspiring to see.”

Professional Preparation Through Diverse Repertoire

Opera Holland Park performances provide Year 11 students with professional-level experience before advancing to Upper School. The outdoor venue mirrors challenges they may encounter in their future careers, from adapting to different acoustic conditions to performing in non-traditional spaces.

Year 11 students must master both technical precision and interpretive flexibility to perform contemporary works effectively. Each collaboration allows choreographers to observe how different groups approach the same material, whilst students learn to adapt their classical technique to diverse choreographic demands.

The 2025 programme balances classical works like the ‘Aurora’s Wedding’ suite from The Sleeping Beauty, re-staged by Anthony Dowell in 2018, and Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, with contemporary pieces including new works by Ruth Brill, Hannah Joseph, Jessica Lang, and Arielle Smith.

The Collaborative Creative Process

Runacre-Temple’s approach emphasises individual creativity within collaborative frameworks. The costume design for Swingle Stepping reflects this philosophy: “The costumes are very simple, but bright. We decided that yellow reflected the feeling of ‘joy’ in the piece that we wanted to find, whilst still being visually clean so that you can see the detail and gesture.”

She hopes students gain more than technical skills from the experience: “I hope they feel the joy of dancing together as a group, as a community – to feel connected to one another and able to share a moment in time together, creating memories from that experience.”

Career Development and Industry Connections

Collaborations between the School and professional choreographers maintain connections to current developments in contemporary dance. Students engage with evolving choreographic practices whilst preserving their classical foundation, preparing them for careers in companies that increasingly program both classical and contemporary works.

Runacre-Temple’s career demonstrates the possibilities for contemporary choreographers working across multiple disciplines. Her film work, including collaborations on theatre productions like Lazarus in Amsterdam and Hamlet at London’s National Theatre, shows how dance training can lead to diverse creative opportunities.

Working with contemporary movement vocabulary challenges students to adapt their classical technique to different choreographic demands. Swingle Stepping requires performers to develop qualities that extend beyond traditional ballet training, incorporating elements that reflect current approaches to dance creation and performance.

Summer Performance Significance

The Summer Performance season represents a culmination of the academic year’s training, bringing together students from both White Lodge and Upper School. Five performances from 2-5 July showcase the range of work students undertake, from Petipa’s classical precision to contemporary explorations of movement and musicality.

For audiences, Runacre-Temple hopes they experience “fun, tenderness and a sense of connectivity between the group.” The outdoor setting of Opera Holland Park adds another dimension to these performances, creating what students describe as a unique atmosphere where the natural beauty of the park enhances the artistic experience.

Summer performances feature both classical and contemporary works, reflecting programming choices students will encounter in professional companies that present varied repertoires. This exposure prepares graduates for careers in an industry where versatility and adaptability are essential qualities for success.

The return of Swingle Stepping for its third staging demonstrates the lasting value of contemporary work within classical training institutions, showing how collaboration between established choreographers and emerging artists continues to enrich the educational experience whilst preparing students for evolving professional demands.

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