Review of the year 2010/11
A powerhouse for inventive da Founded in Manchester in 1969 and based in Leeds since 1996, Northern Ballet has grown to become one of the UK’s best loved companies and an important international cultural ambassador. We are renowned for creating inventive narrative ballets and for touring these throughout the UK and overseas reaching audiences who might otherwise not have access to world-class dance. In October 2010 after a wait of many years Northern Ballet and the contemporary dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre moved into their new centre for dance at Quarry Hill in Leeds. The building has seven dance studios, a health suite, wardrobe facilities and a café. The two ground floor studios provide the largest rehearsal space in Europe. It is the biggest centre of its type outside London.The building cost £12m and was supported by • Leeds City Council £6.5m • Arts Council England £4m • Northern Ballet’s momentum campaign £1.5m In January 2011 Northern Ballet’s Royal Patron HRH The Earl of Wessex formally opened the building. We held an open day where the public were invited to come and watch performances, take part in workshops, talks and demonstrations and find out more about Northern Ballet.
View images of our new building click to find out more about Northern Ballet’s new building experience our open day
ance Within the centre for dance, the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre offers an exciting programme of performances year-round, including dance, music and comedy. We have also successfully hired out performance and rehearsal space to other dance companies, educational establishments, and for conferences and meetings.
Over 2,500 people came to our new building to take part in activities and watch performances during the opening celebrations
n r o B s i n A Quee In February 2011 the Company premiered Cleopatra. This was our first new full-length creation after a hiatus of almost three years and was a huge success in Leeds and on tour. It brought together an original score by composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, choreography by David Nixon OBE, designs by David Nixon and Christopher Giles and lighting by Tim Mitchell. Northern Ballet employed projection designer Nina Dunn to make use of cutting edge projections on the set, a first for Northern Ballet, and Patricia Doyle co-directed the production. The role of Cleopatra was created on premier dancer Martha Leebolt, whose outstanding skill as a performer was acknowledged in January when she won a top accolade at the National Dance Awards. Martha won the award for Outstanding Female Performance (Classical) for her portrayal as the Marquise De Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons. Martha said: ‘This award is not only a personal achievement for me but also one for Northern Ballet. We are a unique and close-knit group that has a built-in support for one another. Our accolades are won as a team.’
Click to find out more about Cleopatra
Take a closer look at Christopher Giles’ costume drawings for Cleopatra
We premièred our new production of Cleopatra at Leeds Grand Theatre on Saturday 26 February 2011. We asked our audience what they thought of the production. This is what they said …
‘I loved it. It was absolutely fantastic. E what you expect from Northern Ballet. choreography, amazing dancing... a br night out and I would recommend it to
The London première of Cleopatra attracted a host of famous faces – which ones do you recognise?
Exactly . Brilliant rilliant o anyone’ view more Cleopatra images
d a o r e h t On In 2010-11 we gave 140 performances during 22 weeks of national touring, performing to 114,369 people. Our tour incorporated the capital cities of Great Britain (London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff) and included smaller towns such as Llandudno, Milton Keynes and Woking. In Northern Ballet’s home city of Leeds we performed in two venues, the Grand Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse. In July dancers and technical staff travelled to Hong Kong and Macau to perform Peter Pan. In September they travelled to Bangkok to perform A Christmas Carol at the International Dance Festival and in December they flew to Beijing to perform Madame Butterfly and Romeo & Juliet.
A day in the life of a touring company
Click a place name to find out more about what’s on near you
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Newcastle Belfast
Bradford Manchester
Leeds
Hull
Sheffield
Llandudno
Nottingham Norwich Milton Keynes Aylesbury Cardiff Bath
London Woking
Canterbury
Productions Performances in the 2010/11 season celebrated the breadth and depth of Northern Ballet’s narrative works. Peter Pan, Dangerous Liaisons, Swan Lake, Madame Butterfly and The Nutcracker all choreographed by Artistic Director David Nixon OBE were revived in the year and show the ability of the dancers to depict emotions and tell a complex narrative story through movement. ‘… the best dance actors in the world’ Dance Europe Performances of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Christopher Gable (Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director 1987 to 1998), are a tribute to the Company’s longevity and the enduring popularity of the productions it creates. A widespread national tour of Cleopatra continued into 2011, taking in 11 venues in total and generating ticket sales of over £1.2m.
Dangerous Liaisons ‘A whirlpool of lust, love and loss’ The Times
view more Dangerous Liaisons images
Swan Lake ‘Wholly surprising, achingly moving, beautifully crafted and tearfully romantic – it’s simply stunning!’ Yorkshire Evening Post view more Swan Lake images Northern Ballet opened the new Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury with a performance of Swan Lake. The gala opening was attended by stars of stage and screen, some of whom came backstage to meet the Company after the performance.
view Aylesbury Theatre opening
The Nutcracker ‘A Christmas cracker by a star company’ Sunday Express
view more Nutcracker images
Peter Pan ‘Northern Ballet has a magnificent company of trained classical ballet dancers who bring their sublime talents to the productions, drawing out emotion and nuances of the story to delight and enthral the audience’ Surrey Advertiser read more Peter Pan reviews view more Peter Pan images
A Christmas Carol ‘...just as it should be’ Daily Express
view more A Christmas Carol images
Romeo & Juliet ‘...perfect blend of classic ballet, drama and live music, for which the Company is renowned’ Wakefield Midweek Extra
view more Romeo & Juliet images
Madame Butterfly ‘***** … simply stunning’ Metro ‘…dance really is the perfect medium to express the tragedy of Madame Butterfly … A triumph of artistry worth a visit by anyone’ Sunday Express
view more Madame Butterfly images
Northern Ballet launch programme ‘Brushes with ecstasy’ Daily Telegraph The launch of our new home featured a series of performances over three nights in our Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre. The programme tracked the transition of the dancer from novice to student to professional. Both Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre performed excerpts from their repertoire and students from Northern Ballet Academy and participants from our school and community group courses also took part. Northern Ballet repertoire included Powerhouse Rhumba, originally choreographed by David Nixon for our 40th Anniversary Gala. We also performed a sneak preview of Cleopatra, which was still in creation.
‘The dance is pacey and energetic, short choreographic sequences which merge seamlessly one into another’ The Lady
more launch programme images
Cleopatra ‘Modern Ballet at its best in Northern Ballet’s latest adaptation of a well known classic’ Woman and Home ‘Few dance companies are as deserving of praise as Northern Ballet… Martha Leebolt’s performance in the title role deserves special credit’ Evening Standard ‘David Nixon’s Cleopatra is more than just a ballet: it is a statement of artistic intent’ Dance Europe read the celebrity reviews view more Cleopatra images
The making of Cleopatra
A future for our Company
Just as we found ourselves riding the crest of a wave, in March 2011 we were informed of a decrease in our funding. Having achieved so much on limited resources, it came as a huge disappointment. Without increased support we will have to significantly reduce the number of dancers in the Company. We passionately believe that new work is vitally important and we need a full complement of dancers to produce and perform these ballets. Our Sponsor a Dancer campaign invites support from members of the public, private donors, companies, trusts and foundations to sponsor a dancer of their choice. Find out more about the campaign at
northernballet.com/sponsoradancer
sponsor a dancer now download the leaflet
r e c n a d a r o s n o sp
Join in Our ground-breaking Learning programme gives access for all people to engage in the highest quality dance activities and our growing Academy provides opportunity and inspiration, as well as unrivalled classical dance training, to the dancers of the future. We work with individuals of all ages and abilities to help everyone enjoy the benefits and satisfaction of dance and we provide workshops and learning experiences with educational establishments and the community as a whole.
Learning experience Northern Ballet works with education and community groups to encourage interest and enthusiasm for dance and theatre. We delivered workshops and projects in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region, as well as an extensive programme of work at the theatres on the national tour. Special events were also provided for children and adults with learning difficulties and disabilities to encourage their freedom of expression and to enhance their communication skills through creative arts.
Activities in the year The START project working with schools Step Closer open days, talks and family fun days The Cultural Olympiad – Don’t Just Sit There Dungeons and Dancers at Leeds Town Hall Hong Kong Continuing Professional Development Working with the visually impaired touch tours
Northern Ballet Academy is a Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) and also offers ballet classes for all abilities and all age groups through the Associate Programme and Open Class Programme. The CAT Scheme had 54 young dancers on an intensive course of ballet training for children from 11 years upwards. The Associate Programme currently has 85 students who train once a week in Classical and Contemporary Dance. To complement the weekly classes an International Summer School took place in July with 72 students from Northern Ballet Academy as well as visiting students from across the world attending classes and workshops to improve their dance skills. The facilities at Northern Ballet’s new home have made it possible to offer open classes to encourage everyone to dance from Mini Movers to the over 55s. The number of classes offered has grown since Northern Ballet first moved into the building in October 2010; 233 children participated in regular children’s classes and 81 adults attended evening classes regularly. There are currently 27 weekly classes for children, young people and adults.
download the Financial Statement
Find out more about Northern Ballet at
northernballet.com
Northern Ballet Theatre Limited trading as Northern Ballet. Registered charity no. 259140. Company registration no. 947096.
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