The UK’s leading fresh potato brand Albert Bartlett has turned to ballet to help sell its spuds with the release of a new video featuring respected dancers Reece Clarke and Fumi Kaneko.
The pair are both first soloists with The Royal Ballet, and Clarke is a long-term ambassador for the Albert Bartlett brand.
In the video, the dancers perform sections of Tchaikovsky’s legendaryThe Sleeping Beautyin Albert Bartlett’s Jersey factory. Meanwhile, Albert Bartlett’s Jersey Royal seed potatoes are preparing to be tucked in themselves before being woken up in November and planted early in the new year.
Reece Clarke said:“When we started talking through this project and heard that the seed potatoes go to sleep, The Sleeping Beauty was the natural choice to help tell the story.
“Everyone knows it, it’s super fun to dance and it’s always one of the highlights of our yearly programme of performances. It was a new and interesting challenge to perform in a potato factory in 30-degree heat, but we’re very happy with the finished piece.
“2020 has obviously been a challenging year for the arts, so to receive Albert Bartlett’s ongoing support is very important to me.”
Clarke has worked with Albert Bartlett since 2012, and with the brand’s support he has been able to relocate from Scotland to London, attend the world-renowned Royal Ballet School, and ultimately rise through the ranks of The Royal Ballet Company to the rank of first soloist.
Albert Bartlett continues to support the performer as he dances around the world. The brand had also previously supported Clarke’s brothers when they were dancing professionally.
Michael Jarvis, head of marketing at Albert Bartlett, said:“We put a lot of care an attention into our precious little Jersey Royals, and since this is the time when we put them to sleep for a few months before they are planted, we thought we’d show them some extra love with this video.
“Both Reece and our Jerseys are very important to us, so it’s nice to able to combine the two of them in such a fun and entertaining way.”
On Friday 9 October The Royal Ballet will return for a unique livestreamed celebration as the whole company is reunited on its home stage for the first time in seven months.
The company will perform the programme, together with the orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
