inside the magazine from Northern Ballet Theatre Issue 6 Winter 2009
CELEBRATIONS Dancing in the streets of Leeds UNWRITTEN DREAMS David Nixon’s vision for the future of NBT NORTHERN SOUL Ballet rooted in the North
inside
3 NBT news
Dancing in the street
6 Ballet with Northern soul – 40 years of NBT
8 Unwritten dreams An interview with David Nixon
issue 6
10 The special event NBT’s 40th Anniversary Gala
12 Pull-out-and-keep Your pull out and keep schedule of tour dates and Friends events
14 The special event A Christmas Carol alumni performance
17 In good company A look at NBT today
18 momentum Update on NBT’s building project
20 Learning & Access Ambitions for the future
22 NBT Academy Cover image: David Ward Photo: Bill Cooper
Building a 21st century ballet school
Photo: Richard Moran
5 David Nixon Artistic Director NBT Welcome to the second of our 40th Anniversary editions of inside. 2009 has been a very exciting year for us so far but the main celebrations are at the culmination of our 40th Anniversary year when we are holding two unique events which I would like to tell you more about. I am honoured to be welcoming to Leeds this December artists from some of Europe’s leading dance companies. The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet du Rhin and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo have all agreed to perform with Northern Ballet Theatre for our 40th Anniversary Gala. The evening will also comprise several short works created especially for the event, one of which will be a new piece by the incredible Gillian Lynne. Another unique moment will be the performance of Wayne McGregor’s Nimbus by NBT dancers. Nimbus was created for a Royal Ballet Gala and I am thrilled to have a work by the star of British choreography as part of the evening. I would like to thank all the artistic directors and artists who are giving their time to support us on this very special occasion. I am also looking forward to welcoming back to NBT some of our past dancers for the special alumni performance of A Christmas Carol on 5 December at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. The dancers who will join us span many years of NBT history and I am sure they will bring back fond memories. In this issue we also catch up with the momentum capital fundraising campaign which will soon have reached its £1.5million fundraising target. It’s incredible that in the space of just a little under two years we have achieved this. I can’t thank all the momentum supporters enough; the new building is the future of the Company and by donating to momentum you are supporting NBT into the future. For those wishing to support momentum for the first time or to give more, you will have the chance to do so at our Christmas performances or you could buy a brick, a seat or sponsor a particular area of the building. NBT’s Anniversary has been more than a time of celebration, it has also been a moment to remember our heritage and reflect on our achievements, to take stock as a company and ask so many questions about what we are and where we are going. I for one look forward to our future with great hope and excitement and as NBT forges ahead we hope you will come with us on our journey. Best wishes, David Nixon
inside: NBTnews
After three successful years NBT’s School Roadshows are back by popular demand. NBT will give more than 20 free Roadshows in primary schools in and around Leeds this autumn. The Roadshows offer pupils who might otherwise not have access to dance the opportunity to find out what it takes to be a dancer and watch footage from NBT productions. Over the past two years NBT has delivered more than 50 Roadshows to in-excess of 8000 pupils.
National Dance Awards
Tobias Batley. Photo: Bill Cooper
First Soloist Tobias Batley has been shortlisted in the Male Artist (Classical) category at the prestigious Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. The awards ceremony takes place on 21 January 2010 at the Royal Opera House in London. Good luck Toby!
Ebay auction NBT has launched an online auction to support momentum. The auction offers people the opportunity to have adventures in dance and beyond, which normally money couldn’t buy. Prizes include: a chance for a child to perform with NBT in a performance of A Christmas Carol at the Grand Theatre, Leeds and a chance to conduct the NBT Orchestra under the tutelage of Music Director John Pryce-Jones at an NBT rehearsal. The auction has also been supported by artist Ashley Jackson, City Inn Leeds, Brasserie Blanc, Harewood House, the Queens Hotel, anCnoc whisky and Yorkshire Tea. Bid online from 23 November at www.northernballettheatre.co.uk/ebay
Photo: Lisa Stonehouse
On the road again
Welcome to NBT
Promotions
NBT welcomes dancers Ayami Miyata from the Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monaco and Jeremy Curnier from the Royal Ballet School; William Simmonds from English National Ballet School, Daniel Clarke from Elmhurst School for Dance and Anna Blackwell from Central School of Ballet join NBT as Apprentices.
Congratulations to the following dancers who have been promoted: Kenneth Tindall and Martha Leebolt from Soloist to Premier Dancer (a position previously known as Leading Artist); Tobias Batley and Hannah Bateman from Junior Soloist to First Soloist; Ashley Dixon and Yi Song from Coryphée to Soloist; John Hull and David Ward from Dancer to Soloist; Ayana Kanda, Michela Paolacci, Christie Duncan and Julie Charlet from Dancer to Coryphée. Jim Hannon is the new Flyman/Rigger having been promoted from 4th Stage Technician.
Abigail Wilkinson has joined the Electrics Department as Assistant Electrician and Joe Strange is the new 4th Stage Technician.
Podcasts NBT has stepped into the world of podcasts. There are currently four podcasts available on the NBT website. Listen to David and members of NBT talking about the 40th Anniversary programme, the new building and the NBT Academy, and to Gillian Lynne talking about A Simple Man at: http://www.northernballettheatre.co.uk/podcasts.aspx
Blogging, tweeting and facebook If you haven’t visited NBT’s blog then you’re missing out on exclusive videos, photos and interviews with the dancers and artistic, technical and administrative teams. Visit www.northernballettheatre.co.uk and click on blog. You can join NBT’s Facebook fan page at: www.facebook.com/northernballettheatre and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBTlive
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inside: NBT news Don't Just Sit There partners.
Photo: Paul Floyd Blake.
Farewell
NBT joins the Cultural Olympiad
NBT has said a fond farewell to Principal Artist Keiko Amemori (pictured), dancers Dianne Gray and James Pickup and Apprentice Brice Asnar who left the Company at the end of the spring/summer season. Soloist Ginnie Ray is on maternity leave and has given birth to a daughter, Rebecca. Sharon Watson who was covering maternity leave as the Director of Learning & Access has taken up her new role as Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre. We look forward to working with Sharon in the future as Phoenix is our partner in our new building. We welcome back Selina McGonagle following her period of maternity leave. Dan Alcock has left his position as NBT Flyman/Rigger to join the Dinosaurs Live tour.
NBT is delighted to be partner in two major projects that will be part of the Cultural Olympiad for London 2012. One of the projects, Don’t Just Sit There, will be led by NBT with partners: Education Leeds, College of Chinese Physical Culture, Open Minds Theatre Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Marketing Leeds and the Rugby Football League.Together the partners will harness their resources to tackle issues arising from sedentary lifestyles. It is part of imove,Yorkshire’s signature cultural programme which has awarded £855,000 to three groundbreaking partnerships between leading Yorkshire-based organisations for the creation of an ambitious series of projects linking art and sport in exciting new ways in the run up to London 2012. Inspired by the forthcoming Olympics, imove aims to transform the relationship between people in Yorkshire and their moving bodies through unique crossovers between culture, sport and physical education. Don’t Just Sit There aims to teach people about their bodies and increase participation in sport and physical activity using dance, physical theatre, music, sport and alternative movement forms. NBT is the driving force behind Leeds Canvas with Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Leeds Met Gallery and Studio Theatre, Situation Leeds, Leeds City Council and Leeds Art Gallery. Leeds Canvas has been selected as the Yorkshire region winner of a £500,000 commission for Artists taking the lead, one of the major projects for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Photo: Merlin Hendy
Internationally acclaimed filmmakers and artists the Quay Brothers will use the entire city as the ‘canvas’ for a series of art interventions and installations, building up to a spectacular one-off event centred around Leeds’ Dark Arches. Leeds Canvas is one of 12 commissions that will be realised across the UK over the next three years, each inspired by their location and celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April building work began on our eagerly anticipated new headquarters with Phoenix Dance Theatre. The two companies came together with supporters of the building project for the ground breaking ceremony. The building work is now forging ahead and you can watch daily progress with special time-lapse footage at www.buildingmomentum.co.uk
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New Directors for NBT
New building breaks ground
Photo: Lisa Stonehouse
New building breaks ground
We have appointed five new members to our Board of Directors: Chris Bailey, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Society, Leeds Metroplitan University; Cath Lennon, Acting Principal of Brigshaw High School, Leeds; Maxine Room, Principal and Chief Executive of Lewisham College, London; Victoria Tomlinson, founder and owner of Harrogate-based PR consultancy, Northern Lights; and Veronica Wadley, ex-Editor of the London Evening Standard and an arts and media consultant.
inside: NBT’s Street Party
Dancing in the Street Shoppers in Leeds got more than they bargained for when NBT took its 40th Anniversary celebrations to the streets in September.
This page: Dancers, shoppers and staff celebrate NBT’s 40th Anniversary in the streets of Leeds. Photos: Ryan Hopkinson
Ballet on Briggate saw NBT dancers come together with Phoenix Dance Theatre, NBT Academy students and members of the community for Leeds’ biggest birthday bash. Thousands of shoppers watched the action on stage which took place for two hours on a Saturday afternoon. Selina McGonagle, NBT’s Director of Learning & Access organised the day:“For many people this was their first experience of ballet. For us this was an excellent opportunity to take ballet into the public domain, where people can experience it for free and in a familiar environment. The response from the public was fantastic and many more people in Leeds know that they live in one of the UK’s richest cities for dance.”
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inside: the big feature It’s hard to imagine a time when very little dance existed outside of London. If you lived in ‘the regions’ your local theatre might just receive the occasional visit from a London-based company. Into this void stepped Northern Ballet Theatre, or Northern Dance Theatre as it was then known. In 1969 it became the only English dance company permanently based outside London. NBT was making history and has been trailblazing ever since.
Ballet with N NBT’s remarkable story may start in 1969 but its roots extend much further back to Western Theatre Ballet, a company set up by Elizabeth West and Peter Darrell in 1957 in Bristol. NBT’s founding Artistic Director, Laverne Meyer, joined this Company which, after the death of Elizabeth West, moved to Scotland under Peter Darrell where it became Scottish Theatre Ballet, now Scottish Ballet. Laverne Meyer had plans for his own company and in May 1968 the Arts Council commissioned him to undertake a feasibility study which concluded that there was support and demand for a dance company based permanently in the north-west of England. Meyer then prepared three trial performances which took place in March 1969 and on the success of these, got the green light to proceed. It was a clear move by the Arts Council to decentralise dance activity away from London and as such was a ground-breaking decision. The Company gave its first performances at the University Theatre, Manchester on 28 November 1969. The name of Northern Dance Theatre at that time reflected its programme of more contemporary works and classics suited to a smaller company. It performed mainly in venues within a 50 mile radius of Manchester. This page: NBT dancers in A Simple Man. Photo: Bill Cooper
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Laverne Meyer continued as Artistic Director until 1976 when he handed over the reigns to ex-Royal Ballet
dancer, Robert de Warren. De Warren changed the name to Northern Ballet Theatre to better reflect the direction in which he wanted to take the Company – less mixed programmes of contemporary works and more smallerscale versions of the major full-length ballets. Under de Warren’s leadership Princess Margaret became NBT’s first Royal Patron and Rudolf Nureyev became Artist Laureate, performing with the Company in a number of productions. Dame Alicia Markova created Les Sylphides for NBT in 1978 and during this period Michael Corder choreographed for NBT and ex-Royal Ballet director Ross Stretton performed with the Company. Robert de Warren left NBT in 1987 and in that same year Gillian Lynne created A Simple Man to commemorate the centenary of the birth of northern painter, L.S. Lowry. The work was performed by NBT with the central character of Lowry created on ex-Royal Ballet dancer and well-known actor Christopher Gable. A Simple Man was and remains an important work in NBT’s repertoire as it introduced NBT to the man who would become its third Artistic Director. It was under Gable’s directorship that NBT defined itself as a company that placed originality and entertainment at its heart and became a leader in narrative dance, placing as much emphasis on acting as the dancing. Gable’s productions of Romeo & Juliet (1991) and A Christmas Carol (1992) are examples of such work and
orthern soul remain in the NBT repertoire to this day. Gable saw the Company through some of its most tempestuous times including proposed funding cuts which threatened its very existence, as well as moves from Manchester to Halifax and to Leeds. Christopher Gable’s untimely death from cancer in 1998 was a tragic loss. Ex-English National Ballet dancer Stefano Giannetti took over the helm at NBT for a year before the Board found a new Artistic Director and stability in Canadian-born David Nixon. Nixon joined NBT in 2001 and immediately set about refreshing the repertoire whilst continuing the tradition of mixing ballet and theatre. Nixon’s output has been prolific; he has brought a host of ballets to the repertoire and created eight new full-length productions for NBT.
Read more about NBT in our 40th Anniversary book. Packed full of beautiful images and insights, it is an essential addition to the bookshelves of dance lovers everywhere. The book costs £10 and you can buy your copy on tour or on-line at: http://www.northernballettheatre. co.uk/brochure.aspx
Some say life begins at 40 and the future certainly looks bright for NBT. The company is fundraising for its new building in central Leeds with Phoenix Dance Theatre. There it will produce new work and eventually launch a full-time classical dance school, a dream held dear by Christopher Gable. From its beginnings as a company with 11 dancers touring small-scale venues throughout the North West to its current position as one of the UK’s five large ballet companies touring nationally and internationally, NBT’s dance journey is a triumph.
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inside: the big interview
Unwritten dreams and possibilities Northern Ballet Theatre’s Anniversary is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the Company’s achievements as well as to consider its ambitions for the future. NBT’s Artistic Director David Nixon shares his vision for the future.
This is a year of celebration for NBT, what do you feel are the things you would most like to celebrate about your time as Artistic Director? I would most like to celebrate the accomplishments of the Company over the last eight years without forgetting all of the years before which make NBT what it is today. We have created and staged 17 fullevening works with five original music scores over these eight years. The working environment of the Company is at an all time high and the performance and technical level of the Company, as an ensemble alongside the technical department, is at its collective highest ever. What direction would you like to take the Company in now? I would like to develop and evolve our performance and acting abilities taking them into new territory.
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I would like to see the Company become a centre for research and development in narrative dance styles, develop the creativity in our productions and strengthen our presence in Leeds. What is the driving force behind your vision for NBT? The driving force is my belief in and passion for storytelling through dance and its ability to connect with the audience while simultaneously developing intelligent, thoughtprovoking and emotionally charged performances from the dancers. The constant evolution of the dancers I work with on stage and as people enables me to carry my vision forward and push the boundaries of creating new work. The total faith I have in my wife, Yoko Ichino’s methodology and how her training liberates dancers and ultimately makes them expressive and seamless.
What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing NBT in the next few years? The challenges facing NBT are in many ways ongoing: how to get the audiences of Leeds to embrace the Company in larger numbers; to encourage audiences to become braver and more imaginative in the productions they choose to see in order to help move the art form forward; the continued inequity of funding between NBT and the other major ballet companies and the possible risks of taking on a new building. How will the new building influence the future? The building is a symbol of unwritten dreams and possibilities. It is a space in which we will be creative and accessible while increasing the overall quality of our
work. It will help us to raise the profile of the Company. Its stateof-the-art facilities and the unique combination of classical and contemporary dance will make it an important centre for dance. The expansion of the NBT Academy will make for a brighter future overall. How do the plans for the Academy fit in with the future of the Company? The Academy will give NBT a greater profile and will hopefully attract talent that will supply the future dancers of NBT. Students who are already trained in the ethos and movement style of the Company means that NBT will be able to evolve at a quicker rate and be even stronger in its identity of movement and expression.
In an increasingly competitive environment what can NBT offer that is different from other companies? The Company’s unique way of telling stories and giving performances that are not only technically strong, but also emotionally powerful and from the heart, sets NBT aside with a unique identity. There is a strong companywide philosophy and as an ensemble we are a powerful group. How do you motivate yourself and the dancers? The dancers and my wife are my main motivation. Watching these young men and women grow as both people and performers and witnessing my wife’s passion for teaching young people and her wisdom in the art form makes my heart beat and stimulates my
senses. The dancers find motivation through the work we perform, the approach to that work and the diversity of inspirational characters they draw upon. The energy and perhaps love I give to the Company is also a motivation.
Main pic: David Nixon and Pippa Moore in rehearsal. Photo: Bill Cooper
How has the dance scene changed since you started at NBT? How do you see it changing in the future? There is much more dance on offer today and with less to spend I feel audiences have retreated back to being more conservative with their choices. I believe that aesthetics and interests will change over the next few years and we will have to evolve too, taking bold and brave decisions and actions to lead that change.
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inside: the special event
Northern Ballet Theatre’s
40th Annive 12 December, 7pm at the Grand Theatre, Leeds No matter how old we are,we are even more capable of creating new and exciting ballets. Mark Baldwin, Artistic Director, Rambert Dance Company
featuring Northern Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Les Ballet de Monte Carlo and Ballet du Rhin.
David Nixon will create a showstopping finale for NBT.
Main pic: Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley. Photo: Bill Cooper Inset top: Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares in the Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. Photo: Dee Conway Inset bottom: Rambert Dance Company. Photo: Eric Richmond
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Reid Anderson (Artistic Director) and The Stuttgart Ballet
What better way to celebrate your 40th Anniversary than to invite your friends over? So we did... a stellar line up of luminaries from the world of dance will join dancers of NBT for our 40th Anniversary Gala in aid of momentum, our capital fundraising campaign. NBT will perform a new work by Gillian Lynne and Nimbus choreographed by Wayne McGregor, resident artist of the Royal Opera House and Artistic Director of Random Dance Company.
“This is an incredible way to draw to a close NBT’s 40th Anniversary celebrations and fundraise for our future. Some of the companies performing with NBT are rarely seen in the UK and would not have been seen in this part of the country for a long time, if at all. It will be a treat for ballet lovers everywhere and, of course, especially for audiences in our home town of Leeds. It will be an inspiring evening of dance and I would like to thank all the companies and artists who are giving their time to support NBT on this special occasion.” David Nixon, Artistic Director, NBT
Stuttgart Ballet will perform in Leeds. We hope that it will be a spectacular evening celebrating the achievements of your wonderful Company and wish the whole organisation a very happy birthday.”
“My outstanding memory of NBT is a performance I saw of Christopher Gable’s production of Romeo and Juliet. I vividly remember its vitality and freshness alongside the passionate commitment of the dancers and felt certain that a successful future was guaranteed for this unique dance theatre company. It has proved to be so - many congratulations and Happy 40th Birthday!”
“Many congratulations on your 40th birthday. Rambert Dance Company is twice your age so we know how important birthdays are! We would like to present two short movements from The Comedy of Change for you – an absolutely brand new work which reminds us no matter how old we are, we are even more capable of creating new and exciting ballets.” Mark Baldwin, Artistic Director, Rambert Dance Company
Dame Monica Mason, Director, The Royal Ballet “We are thrilled that two of our dancers will be taking part in a Gala celebrating the 40th Birthday of NBT and that they will be dancing a pas de deux choreographed by our founder John Cranko. As far as I know it will be the first time that artists from the
NBT would like to the thank the artistic directors and companies of all our guest artists and First Direct, Harvey Nichols and City Inn (Leeds) for supporting the Gala event.
rsary Gala It will be a treat for ballet lovers everywhere and,of course, especially for audiences in our home town of Leeds.
A spectacular evening celebrating the achievements of your wonderful company
David Nixon, Artistic Director, NBT
Reid Anderson, Artistic Director, The Stuttgart Ballet
Booking information Tickets: £25 - £60 Includes a glass of champagne before the performance and a Gala programme. Box office: 0844 848 2706 Book online at https://tickets.leedsgrand theatre.com/welcome.asp Gala package £150 • Champagne reception in the theatre bar before the performance • Best stalls or circle seats • Interval drinks • Gala Programme • Three course dinner in the Rose Bowl, Leeds (transport provided) Booking: Janet Myers on janet.myers@northernballet theatre.co.uk or 0133 274 5355 Ruby package £200 • Champagne reception in the Emerald Grand Hall before the performance • Best dress circle seat • Interval drinks • Gala Programme • Three course dinner in the Howard Assembly Room (wine and coffee included) Booking: Melanie Aram on melanie.aram@northernballet theatre.co.uk or 0113 274 5355
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inside: friends events
Your pull-out-and-
Photo: HANSON
Photo: Bill Cooper
to NBT’s 2009/10 tour
Tue 10 - Sat 14 November Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre Box office: 0114 249 6000
Thu 17 – Sun 27 December Leeds, Grand Theatre Box office: 0844 848 2701
Tue 17 – Sat 21 November Nottingham, Theatre Royal Box office: 0115 989 5555
Tue 23 - Sat 27 March Woking, New Victoria Theatre Box office: 0844 871 7645
Tue 1 – Thu 10 December* Leeds, Grand Theatre *Sat 5 December: Alumni performance of A Christmas Carol Box office: 0844 848 2701
Tue 13 - Sat 17 April Nottingham, Theatre Royal Box office: 0115 989 5555
Friends event Fri 4 December Meet NBT Alumni
Tue 20 - Sat 24 April Milton Keynes Theatre Box office: 0844 871 7652 Tue 27 April - Sat 1 May Norwich, Theatre Royal Box office: 01603 630 000
Tue 23 - Thu 25 Februar Leeds, Grand Theatre Box office: 0844 848 270
ary 701
Photo: Merlin Hendy
Photo: Merlin Hendy
Photo: Merlin Hendy
-keep guide
Sat 27 February - Sat 6 March Leeds, Grand Theatre Box office: 0844 848 2701
Thu 11 - Sat 13 March Edinburgh, Festival Theatre Box office: 0131 529 6000
Wed 19 - Sat 22 May Hull, New Theatre Box office: 01482 226 655
Tue 16 - Sat 20 March Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre Box office: 0114 249 6000
Tue 8 - Sat 12 June Cardiff, New Theatre Box office: 029 2087 8889
Please note, booking fees may apply
inside: the special event
past present future 40 years melt into one evening as A Christmas Carol reunites alumni and existing dancers. On 5 December NBT alumni will join the current Company at the Grand Theatre, Leeds for a unique event. Past and present dancers will together perform one of NBT’s most popular and enduring productions, A Christmas Carol. inside speaks to NBT alumni Viki Westall, Graciela Kaplan and Fiona Beale about what this event means to them.
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Viki Westall is a name still closely associated with NBT. A Leading Artist with NBT until 1996, her involvement with the Company didn’t end when she stopped dancing. She is a teacher at the NBT Academy, working with Yoko Ichino’s syllabus, helping to develop strong healthy dancers. Viki has also been working alongside David Nixon on the plans for this special alumni performance. “David’s idea is to link the past, present and future of the Company and to capture the spirit and character that all the dancers have brought to it. As far as possible the idea is to have the original cast performing, but of course that will depend on how things are looking in rehearsal. Obviously David has the power of veto! The response has been amazing. Over 35 dancers have been in touch wanting to be involved. I think that is a wonderful tribute to the Company. People make very tight bonds at NBT, because of the touring and the nature of the work, so this performance will also be a great opportunity for people to see each other again.” Viki last performed with NBT in A Christmas Carol in Edinburgh in 1996, when she danced the role of Scrooge’s nephew’s wife. She hopes to be able to dance that role again in December. “Teaching has helped to keep me in good shape – I can still jump higher than most of my students actually! But of course I am going to have to work very hard to achieve the standard required for a professional performance.” Graciela Kaplan was a Principal Ballerina with NBT. She joined the Company in 1985 working first with Artistic Director Robert de Warren and later Christopher Gable. She danced numerous leading roles and created the roles of Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet and Nephew’s Wife in A Christmas Carol.
Graciela last performed with the Company 13 years ago. Since then she has been teaching Pilates, and runs her own very busy Pilates studio in Holmfirth, where she lives. “NBT was my life,” she tells us.“I loved everything about it! It was such a wrench for us all to stop dancing – but once you stop, you stop. That is how it is for dancers. I love my life now and I love my work but the chance to have a little taste of this all again is so marvellous!”
The response has been amazing.Over 35 dancers have been in touch wanting to be involved.I think that is a wonderful tribute to the Company.
So how does Graciela feel about the idea of performing after such a long time? “I think what David Nixon is doing in bringing the alumni together again is phenomenal. I am so excited about performing with the Company and seeing all my old friends. My only fear is that they will have to drag me off stage kicking and screaming! “I am in good shape but I have not done ballet in 4 years and not been en pointe at all! I am 51 years old, one of my knees is wonky and my back’s not great so I have asked to perform a less physically demanding role than those I danced in the original cast. So I will dance the role of Hag and hopefully I won’t need a year of physiotherapy afterwards!” Viki agrees that this is a unique opportunity to reunite old friends: “I am really excited about the alumni performance and dancing with my company and my friends again. I’m nervous too of course, and every now and then I think “what have I let myself in for?” But this will be the only chance my daughter will have to see me dance so it is a very important opportunity for me.” Dancers Fiona Beale (née Wallis) and her husband Jonathan Beale both joined NBT together in 1995, on graduating from Central School of Ballet, and got married after their first year of dancing with the Company. Fiona last performed with the Company in A Christmas Carol in 2002. We asked her what she has been up to since leaving NBT.
Main photo: Adam Temple and Fiona Beale as Mr and Mrs Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol Photo: Brian Slater
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daughter still at home. How does she keep in shape? “I do Pilates and yoga every week, and aerobics.”
Main pic and inset: NBT Alumni in A Christmas Carol Photo: Brian Slater
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“Apart from having babies?” she laughs (she has three children between the ages of 23 months and 7 years old).“I did a diploma in fashion and dress making, and have done some commissioned work since. I also worked for a charity called Mercy Ministries, which helps young women between the ages of 16 and 28 dealing with life issues such as eating disorders, abuse, addictions and unplanned pregnancies. Initially I worked there as an intake coordinator and then later as a counsellor.” Fiona is now a full-time mum, taking advantage of having her youngest
It seems Pilates is a popular exercise choice for ex-dancers? “It helps you stretch and to develop your core stability,” Fiona explains,“especially after having babies! I have started taking the open classes at NBT too, with Jane Tucker, to help get the fine tuning and strength back. Initially it was really weird to come back to West Park but it felt sort of automatic too. I think I probably looked pretty different when I last looked in those mirrors!” So how does she feel about coming back to the stage now? “So excited, slightly apprehensive too but I am willing to rise to the challenge.” Viki agrees:“I think the nerves will develop for us all as things progress but we have danced this production so many times and had so much fun together I hope it will be a lovely celebration.”
“It’s great to have a goal like this,” Fiona says,“to have to get back to a certain standard while you still can!” Viki, Graciela and Fiona are just three of the alumni returning to dance with NBT. Jeremy Kerridge, Matthew Hunt and David Kierce, amongst others, are also due to perform with NBT. Casting is subject to change. Visit the NBT website for updates: www.northernballettheatre.co.uk The alumni performance of A Christmas Carol takes place on Saturday 5 December, 7pm at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. Tickets are available now by calling the box office on 0844 848 2701 or book online at www.leedsgrandtheatre.co.uk Grand Theatre, Leeds.
Friends of NBT are invited to meet our returning dancers in the evening on Friday 4 December. To book a place contact Judith Baker on 0113 274 5355 or email judith.baker@northernballettheatre. co.uk
Photo: Brian Slater
perfect company Northern Ballet Theatre is the sum of its many parts – the dancers, the technical team, the teaching team, the administration team, the orchestra and the management. Together we are one company working hard to make NBT one of the UK’s most successful dance companies. We value everyone’s contribution and we would like to acknowledge everyone who has contributed to the success of NBT in the past and the present.
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inside: the momentum campaign
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campaign gaining pace Give big for the Big Give
Help us keep in tune
Northern Ballet Theatre has been accepted onto this year’s Big Give Matched Funding Challenge. The scheme sees The Reed Foundation join together with trustees and donors of charities to raise a total of £12million for charity this Christmas.
Over £1.4million has now been raised for the momentum campaign. In July this year the Trustees of The Monument Trust awarded our project a generous grant of £200,000. This significant contribution confirms the project‘s importance for the future of dance and the role NBT and Phoenix will play in shaping the cultural fabric of the North of England. Such support, combined with the generosity of several regional trusts, businesses and individuals, means that we are close to delivering the target set for the momentum campaign in February 2008.
The Big Give is a website dedicated to promoting philanthropy and working with charities to ensure they can reach as many donors as possible. The Matched Funding Challenge comes into effect in December and money NBT can raise towards the momentum campaign will be matched by The Big Give and The Reed Foundation, thus doubling the public donation. Sir Alec Reed, philanthropist and Chair of The Reed Foundation, has put up an extra £1million for the Challenge, boosting the potential challenge fundraising total. The philanthropist decided to double his donation to the fund after charities responded more enthusiastically than expected to this year’s scheme. The aim is to encourage giving and allow donors to maximise donations to their chosen charities. Please visit the website from 7-11 December to make a secure donation to the campaign. Online donations of £5 to £5000 will be doubled and we can then access a matched funding pot of up to £50,000. By donating in this way you can turn your £50 donation into £100 donation at no extra cost! Further details on the scheme can be found at www.thebiggive.co.uk or speak to Melanie in NBT’s Fundraising Department.
So close in fact, that with the help of our audience and supporters we can begin to look ahead to our future within the building. When the new £12million centre for dance is completed in September 2010 both NBT and Phoenix will be able to move in and start work immediately. The centre will contain the very best facilities, allowing both companies to expand their artistic horizons and provide dance training to the young artists of the future. However, in order to ensure that NBT and Phoenix make full use of the available commercial opportunities and are able to forge a sustainable future they must fundraise for a number of additional items not included in the original cost plan. By raising extra funds and increasing our target to £1.75million both companies will ensure they can develop innovative and flexible business models.
final phase of the campaign. If we can raise £50,000 from this Big Ask we will reach our goal and reach our capital fundraising target. We currently have over 650 Friends of NBT and if each member gave £1.50 a week or £6 a month for a year we would reach our goal. NBT is moving from a building with two studios to a building with seven studios. It is essential that each studio has a piano in order for us to carry out our professional training and our community classes. £50,000 will allow us to buy these pianos and we need the help of all the Friends of NBT to do it. Your support will be invaluable – you can donate on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Donations can be made by cheque or by visiting our website www.buildingmomentum.co.uk. Give to NBT through The Big Give or by giving to our Christmas collections on tour. Please talk to Melanie in the Fundraising Department if you would like to discuss your donation by calling 0113 274 5355 or email melanie.aram@northernballettheatre.co.uk
Main image: Jessica Morgan relaxing before a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Top left: Anna Blackwell backstage at Swan Lake. Bottom left: Georgina May backstage at Swan Lake. Photos: Lisa Stonehouse
At this crucial time for the campaign NBT would like to ask all of its Friends, audience members and supporters to donate to this
Top right: Artists impression of the new building Image: The Strategic Design Alliance
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inside: Learning & Access
Changing lives through dance With the creation of the Learning & Access department in 1989 Northern Ballet Theatre announced its long-standing commitment to widen access to dance. Over the past 20 years the department has carried out this commitment in education and community settings, regionally, nationally and internationally. Selina McGonagle, Director of Learning & Access, tells inside about the future for the department.
Left: Talking Dance. Photo: Brian Slater Middle: Shaping Space. Photo: Brian Slater Right: Dancition. Photo: Tim Smith
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Christopher Gable’s vision that “theatre is fundamentally a place of storytelling” meant his narrative approach informed the ballets NBT produced and in turn a platform was created for education work to become more dynamic and wide-reaching. At the heart of NBT’s education work is a desire to combine narrative movement and live music in order to widen access to dance and encourage the development of the art form as a way of communicating and enhancing learning. In 2010 NBT’s new building will provide world-class facilities and resources which will mean Learning & Access can deliver a wider range of
activities that offer the public high quality opportunities to engage with dance. Now is an excellent time to reflect on 20 years of achievement while looking forward with anticipation to a bright future. So what are our next challenges? The new building will provide more scope to continue our commitment to championing dance and we will be able to offer more classes and workshops that motivate people to become active. The potential of the new building to connect us with a wider spectrum of the general public is huge and will challenge us to think bigger and better than ever before. A stronger relationship will be built
with partner dance organisation Phoenix Dance Theatre, providing a unique opportunity to create projects that allow involvement and insight into both contemporary and classical dance programmes. Over the last few years a large amount of research and consultation has taken place around cultural learning and the importance of offering young people cultural experiences. Find your Talent, the government initiative offering young people the chance to experience new cultural activities, is already at the heart of NBT’s work. In the new building we will be able to offer more young people the excitement and
spectacle of performance and open their eyes to the many ways of being involved in culture. Working with teachers will be another focus, developing confidence in the ability for children to learn outside the classroom and enhance the curriculum with theatre excursions and creating work to perform in the studio theatre. NBT has been involved with Creative Partnerships, a scheme to place creativity at the heart of the National Curriculum, from its infancy and will continue to develop work through the programme that is innovative inspiring young people and their educators to think creatively.
The opening of the new building coincides with the lead up to the Olympic Games in London and the Cultural Olympiad activity planned for the Yorkshire region. NBT is a partner in two major Cultural Olympiad projects for the Yorkshire region, Don’t Just Sit There and Leeds Canvas. As part of this activity NBT will be extending work with Further Education colleges in Leeds and Hull to develop the skills of performing arts students to deliver dance education work in schools. Mentoring schemes will improve the quality of dance provision in schools and the volume of young people we can involve.
Although we will have a new home with excellent facilities, NBT will continue to deliver a large proportion of its work across the region and nationally in a variety of settings. To initiate access we need to meet participants on familiar ground before we can encourage them to venture into a dance studio.
Above: Get Creative. Photo: Jo Dean
Dance is unique in that it offers everybody, no matter what age or ability, the opportunity to be active, physically and creatively, and to gain a sense of well-being through social interaction. To secure the future of dance education we need to clearly define the important roles that culture and dance play in society and the part we play in raising that awareness.
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inside:Northern Ballet Theatre Academy
Building for the future
The Northern Ballet Theatre Academy is the new name for our Classical Training programme. Our new building will allow the Academy to grow over the coming years and our ambition is to have a full-time dance school associated with the main Company. The NBT Academy is proud that its students graduate to further training at the UK’s most prestigious schools. Most recently Sophie Hall, Matthew Valentine and Matthew Topliss joined the Scottish Academy and the Rambert School. At the moment Yorkshire’s most promising young dancers have to leave the North of England to achieve their ambitions to become professional dancers. Not only is this draining the region of its talented youngsters it is also a drain on resources for the families and can be very hard emotionally when young people move away from home at such a tender age. NBT’s new building and the plans for the Academy could see all this change. David Nixon is looking forward to the opportunities the new building will bring for
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the Academy,“Yoko Ichino (NBT’s Ballet Mistress and curriculum leader) and I have shared a vision for creating a full-time school since we first arrived at NBT. The new building will give us the starting point we have been waiting for to make that dream a reality. Although proud to see our students succeed in full-time schools we wish we could offer them the option of staying at NBT. Yoko’s training methods for the students are the same as those for the Company dancers, the level of training the students receive is of a remarkably high standard. We want to give our students the opportunity to build upon those training methods, stay with us at 16 and hopefully one day progress into the Company. To make the full time school a reality will be hard work, we will need a lot of support but ultimately it could be one of the most exciting developments in NBT’s history.”
Main pic: NBT Graduates (left to right) Joshua Barwick (Elmhurst), Leon Moran (Central School of Ballet), Dale Rhodes (English National Ballet School), Andrew McNicol (Royal Ballet School), Matthew Topliss (The Royal Scottish Academy). Photo: Darren Goldsmith Inset: Students Joshua Ockerby and Reece Ainsworth chat to dancer Tobias Batley. Photo: Simon Lawson
inside is published biannually by Northern Ballet Theatre Northern Ballet Theatre West Park Centre Spen Lane Leeds LS16 5BE Telephone +44 (0)113 274 5355 Fax +44 (0)113 274 5381 www.northernballettheatre.co.uk BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chris Bailey Councillor Bernard Atha CBE (Chairman) Dr Jo Butterworth Graham Dewhirst David Forbes Susie Hargreaves Alan Harrison Denise Jagger Professor Simon Lee Cath Lennon Councillor John Procter Maxine Room Phil Swallow Victoria Tomlinson Veronica Wadley ARTISTIC DIRECTOR David Nixon CHIEF EXECUTIVE Mark Skipper MUSIC DIRECTOR John Pryce-Jones INSIDE EDITORIAL TEAM Laraine Penson Ruth Burke-Kennedy Catherine Mullaney Northern Ballet Theatre is a touring narrative dance company whose distinctive blend of classical dance and theatre is renowned for captivating new audiences. For up to 30 weeks of the year NBT’s company of 40 dancers tour a combination of new work and acclaimed repertory pieces to all four UK countries and overseas.This extensive touring schedule demonstrates NBT’s commitment to providing opportunities for all people to have access to excellence in dance performance and participation.
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Main pic: Tobias Batley. Photo: Bill Cooper