Annual Report
2013/14
Contents
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01
Scottish Ballet is...
04 Introduction 06 2013/14 In theatres
Online
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2013/14 Season
Highland Fling Dance Odysseys (EIF) Autumn 2013 A Streetcar Named Desire (USA Tour) Hansel & Gretel Highland Fling (Hong Kong Tour) Achievements and Awards
22 Join In Education
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The Close Hansel & Gretel, and Me The Big Dance Pledge Education Abroad Join In Online
Ballet Stars of the Future
Associate Programme BA Modern Ballet
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Looking Ahead to Next Year
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Supporting Scottish Ballet
Supporters and Funders Director’s Circle
08 09
10 12 14 16 18 20 21
23 24 25 26 27 28
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Scottish Ballet Tramway 25 Albert Drive Glasgow G41 2PE Telephone +44 (0) 141 331 2931 Website scottishballet.co.uk
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Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s national dance company.
Creating world-class dance and learning opportunities designed to engage and excite diverse audiences. Awakening interest and igniting passion in the arts. Continuing to seek, nurture and foster talent within Scotland and beyond.
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03 Scottish Ballet performs Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations as part of its 2013 autumn season. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Introduction
Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s award-winning national dance company. We present a wide range of highquality dance to audiences across Scotland, the UK and abroad, with strong classical technique at the root of all of our work. This includes new versions of classic titles, seminal modern works from 20th century choreographers, signature pieces by living choreographers, and new commissions. Scottish Ballet performs all over the world and is typically on the road for six months each year. We regularly tour across Scotland and the UK, including at premiere theatres and events such as Sadler’s Wells in London and the Edinburgh International Festival. We also perform by invitation at leading venues and festivals abroad including in Europe, Asia and North America. As well as presenting in conventional dance venues, we routinely look for new creative opportunities to promote and showcase our work to the widest possible audience, be it through digital media, in unusual locations, or at one-off events. We also work with a variety of creative and delivery partners across Scotland and beyond. We collaborate regularly within the dance sector but also with partners across the arts and culture, education, and other aspects of public life. In addition to established relationships with venues and promoters, we work in partnership on a number of levels with, amongst others: dance companies, dance centres and agencies, YDance, Imaginate, National Galleries of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, National Museums Scotland, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Citizens Theatre, schools and colleges, Education Scotland, Visit Scotland, the Forestry Commission Scotland, BBC Scotland, a significant number of local authorities, and of course our neighbours at Tramway, the Hidden Gardens and the Work Room. Our partnership approach also extends into our business sponsor and donor relationships. Whether a first-time supporter or a long-standing partner, we seek to build and maintain meaningful relationships based on genuine and mutual benefit.
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05 The Company in rehearsal. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Scottish Ballet delivers a comprehensive Education programme with a range of access points for people of all ages and abilities, from toddlers through to octogenarians. Pre-vocational and vocational training opportunities are unique within Scotland and further afield. The long-established Associate Programme nurtures and fosters young talent, whilst recent initiatives are widening access to it by identifying and developing raw talent that might otherwise go unnoticed. In partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Ballet delivers the BA Modern Ballet, a three-year vocational course, which commenced in September 2009 and trains dancers to professional level. We also deliver a Masters in Dance Accompaniment in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the only course of its kind in Europe. 2013/14 was a seminal year in which Scottish Ballet achieved major expansion of its repertoire, significant growth in its production and touring, and a plethora of new partnerships. Under the leadership of Chief Executive/Executive Producer Cindy Sughrue and Artistic Director Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet achieved unprecedented public engagement across the year whilst securing an ambitious schedule of future activity stretching into 2016. Over half a million people connected with Scottish Ballet during 2013/14. We presented a total of 110 performances to nearly 90,000 people, and a further 19,000 people participated in face-to-face education and engagement activities. We exceeded our box office target for the year by 14%. We continued to see quantum growth in our online audience. We released two further ballet-based exercise videos, bringing the series to five episodes, which were downloaded more than 142,000 times during the year. We further developed our online resources, including webcasts and interactive projects, which were downloaded by nearly 168,000 people. The film that we commissioned from artist Rosalind Nashashibi for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art in 2012 — Lovely Young People, Beautiful Supple Bodies — formed part of the Northern Art Prize exhibition and was viewed by 137,000 people over a three-month period.
110
performances
90,000
audience members
19,000
education and engagement participatants
+14%
box office target
142,000 exercise video downloads
168,000
webcasts and interactive project downloads
2013/14
In Spring 2013 we presented the Company premiere of Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling and toured across Scotland with performances in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. Acquired on an exclusive worldwide license for 10 years, Scottish Ballet will be the sole vehicle for this unique take on the classic La Sylphide by one of Britain’s most inventive and popular choreographers. The tour was extremely well received by critics and audiences alike. In August 2013, we presented Dance Odysseys at the Edinburgh International Festival, a pioneering programme of new commissions, acquisitions, film and new media presented in a dynamic environment over a four-day period. We used Edinburgh Festival Theatre in an unconventional way, presenting work backstage and in public spaces, as well as on stage, throughout each day, taking the audience into areas that are normally the preserve of the performers, and taking performance front-of-house. Dance Odysseys provided Scottish Ballet with the opportunity to try a new way of working, building a substantial body of repertoire from a diverse group of choreographers and allowing the Company to both host and facilitate new work. It represented a new way of presenting dance to audiences, challenging the convention of the ‘mixed bill’ and public perceptions of ballet, and creating a sense of occasion. It was a bold move for a company of our size, and it attracted considerable interest from industry peers. One of the showcase pieces from Dance Odysseys — The Rite of Spring, choreographed by Artistic Director Christopher Hampson — featured in the autumn 2013 double bill alongside Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations. This was presented at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal over three nights as a precursor to the Genée International Ballet Competition Gala performance. In partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Ballet was delighted to co-host this major international event in Scotland for the first time.
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07 Principal dancer Christopher Harrison in rehearsal. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Immediately following the Genée, Scottish Ballet travelled to the USA with its award-winning production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Opening in New Orleans, where the piece is set, and travelling on to Florida over a period of two weeks, the production was rapturously received. The response from audiences and promoters alike was such that a further US tour has been secured for spring 2015. In his first work especially for Scottish Ballet, Christopher Hampson created a wonderful new family ballet in Hansel & Gretel, which received its world premiere in December 2013 followed by an eight-week UK tour. Using music from Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, the production proved to be extremely popular and will certainly join our rotation of winter season classics. Alongside this full-length production, we also produced a shorter version — Wee Hansel & Gretel — aimed at very young children. We presented 4 of these special matinees over the tour, all of which sold out. In February 2014, Scottish Ballet presented five sellout performances of Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Scottish Ballet had last appeared at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in 1986 with a production of La Sylphide, the classic ballet on which Highland Fling is based, so there was certainly a sense of connection nearly 30 years on. During the course of the year, the development of in-house choreographic talent continued through the Dancers’ Choreographic Group. The value of this was demonstrated when a piece by Sophie Laplane was chosen to be part of the Dance Odysseys programme at Edinburgh International Festival. Work developed in this forum is also feeding independent performance platforms during 2014. As we head into 2014/15, we will continue to produce and tour a wide range of work in the UK and mount the most ambitious programme of international touring in the Company’s 45-year history.
In Theatres
08 Bethany Kingsley-Garner as the Dew Drop Fairy in Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel. Photo by Andrew Ross.
During 2013/14, Scottish Ballet presented 110 performances to 89,640 people, serving audiences across Scotland, the UK and internationally. We continued to see regional fluctuations in ticket sales, but box office income overall remained strong.
Online
09 The Company in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Photo by Andrew Ross.
+35%
+27% Twitter
+74% Pinterest
+18% We continued to develop our use of digital technologies and online platforms, and to produce rich content for our digital community. We have increased our presence across all social media platforms with Facebook followers up by 35%, Twitter up by 27%, and Pinterest up by 74%. We started using Instagram and quickly attracted nearly 700 followers. This digital community is also expanding geographically, with significant reach into the United States, France, Italy, Hong Kong and Australia. Visits to our website continued to increase with unique visitors up by 18% and page views up by 14% on the previous year. Our e-newsletter circulation increased by 23% and open rates increased by 30%. Video views increased by 150% on YouTube and 5% on Vimeo, with total annual views of over 1,239,000. Scottish Ballet further developed the digital programme originally trialled in autumn 2012, and has produced a free iPad app available in iTunes. This interactive, evolving platform for sharing articles, photos, films and interviews about everything that goes into creating a production allows us to enhance audience experience and act as a sales tool for future productions. We have also designed this iPad app to be a framework that can be skinned and populated with a range of content, thereby creating a tool that can be used across the arts and creative industries.
unique website visitors
+14%
page views
+23%
e-newsletter circulation
+150% YouTube
+5% Vimeo,
1,239,000 total annual video views
2013/14 Season Highland Fling In Spring 2013 we presented the Company premiere of Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling and toured across Scotland with performances in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. Acquired on an exclusive worldwide license for 10 years, Scottish Ballet will be the sole vehicle for this unique take on the classic La Sylphide by one of Britain’s most inventive and popular choreographers. The tour was extremely well received by critics and audiences alike. “Wit, elegance and startling energy…” The Telegraph
“In soaring romance and heart rending tragedy, company and choreographer show off the extent of their considerable talents.” The Stage
“Not only do these dancers have great technique; they can carry a character with confidence and credibility.” The Scotsman
“This was a fantastic night out. Matthew Bourne and Scottish Ballet: an excellent mix. Vibrant and funny, all of the stage alive, engaging. The performance flew by.” Audience member, Glasgow
“Yet again Scottish Ballet comes up trumps. You are the most inspiring company. The choreography is spellbinding and captivating. I absolutely adored everything that you did with this piece. I was drawn into the story from start to finish. When it was over, I could have watched it all again straightaway.” Audience member, Aberdeen
“The dancers were so polished and expressive. And I appreciated having a melodic and powerful musical score (beautifully played) complementing the choreography rather than being distracted by something newly composed but discordant. I do hope you repeat this very successful ballet — I should love to see it again.” Audience member, Edinburgh
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11 Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Remi Andreoni for Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Photo by Nisbet Wylie.
Dance Odysseys
In August 2013, we presented Dance Odysseys at the Edinburgh International Festival, a pioneering programme of new commissions, acquisitions, film and new media presented in a dynamic environment over a four-day period. We used Edinburgh Festival Theatre in an unconventional way, presenting work backstage and in public spaces, as well as on stage, throughout each day, taking the audience into areas that are normally the preserve of the performers, and taking performance front-of-house. Some of the work involved community dancers, and we also presented the work of other companies and artists under our umbrella, enabling them to reach wider audiences. It was a bold move for a company of our size, and it attracted considerable interest from industry peers. The programme proved very popular with audiences — with nearly all performances sold out — and was widely critically acclaimed. In total, the company performed 17 pieces (including six world premieres, three UK premieres and seven Scottish premieres) presented in 14 performances, alongside four screenings, eight talks and a film installation. “Seriously sharp in every slick detail.” The Herald
“[Dance Odysseys] ticked the boxes marked engaging, entertaining and accessible. The Scotsman
“The Edinburgh International Festival may have never had a dance programme as concentrated and ambitious as Dance Odysseys. The Times
“Scottish Ballet’s Dance Odysseys felt like the way forward, dissolving boundaries between the Fringe and EIF… It felt like a celebration — and that’s what a festival should be.” Dance Europe
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13 Sophie Martin and Christopher Harrison for Dance Odysseys, part of Edinburgh International Festival 2013. Photo by Nisbet Wylie.
17
pieces
14
performances
6
world premieres
3
UK premieres
7
Scottish premieres
4
screenings
8
talks
1
film installation
Autumn 2013
14 Christopher Harrison and Constant Vigier in Christopher Hampson’s The Rite of Spring. Photo by Andrew Ross.
One of the showcase pieces from Dance Odysseys — The Rite of Spring, choreographed by Artistic Director Christopher Hampson — featured in the Autumn 2013 double bill alongside Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations. This was presented at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal over three nights. “Elite Syncopations was a feast for the eyes — excellent choreography and all round fun, thank you.” Audience member
15 Constance Devernay and Victor Zarallo in Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations. Photo by Andrew Ross.
A Streetcar Named Desire (USA Tour)
In autumn 2013 Scottish Ballet travelled to the USA with its award-winning production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Opening in New Orleans, where the piece is set, and travelling on to Florida over a period of two weeks, the production was rapturously received. The response from audiences and promoters alike was such that a further US tour has been secured for Spring 2015.
16 Eve Mutso and Adam Blyde in A Streetcar Named Desire. Photo by Andrew Ross.
17 Tama Barry and Eve Mutso in A Streetcar Named Desire. Photo by Nisbet Wylie.
Hansel & Gretel
18 Eve Mutso, Sophie Martin and Constant Vigier in Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel. Photo by Andrew Ross.
In his first work especially for Scottish Ballet, Christopher Hampson created a wonderful new family ballet in Hansel & Gretel, which received its world premiere in December 2013 followed by an eight-week UK tour. Using music from Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, the production proved to be extremely popular and will certainly join our rotation of winter season classics. Alongside this full-length production, we also produced a shorter version — Wee Hansel & Gretel — aimed at very young children. We presented four of these special matinees over the tour, all of which sold out. “Colourful, clever and captivating.” The Sunday Times
“A flawless and spellbinding production.” Daily Record
“A smashing success… a gift-wrapped spectacle that will give huge pleasure to family audiences.” The Mail on Sunday
19 Eve Mutso in Christopher Hampson’s Hansel & Gretel. Photo by Nisbet Wylie.
Highland Fling
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(Hong Kong Tour)
Christopher Harrison with the Company in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Photo by Andrew Ross.
In February 2014, Scottish Ballet presented five sell-out performances of Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Scottish Ballet had last appeared at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in 1986 with a production of La Sylphide, the classic ballet on which Highland Fling is based, so there was certainly a sense of connection nearly 30 years on.
Achievements and Awards
During the course of the year, Scottish Ballet was nominated for a number of major industry awards, and we were delighted to receive the Herald Archangel Award for Sustained Brilliance for Dance Odysseys at the Edinburgh International Festival 2013.
21 Christopher Harrison and Sophie Martin for Dance Odysseys. Photo by Nisbet Wylie.
Join In
At Scottish Ballet, education is everywhere. Our Education team works with a wide range of participants aged from just 18 months to 80 plus and presents a wide variety of opportunities to access the Company and its work, ranging from special projects designed to engage with new audiences, groups and art forms to classes, workshops and illustrated talks. Scottish Ballet strives to offer something for everyone whether someone wants to dance, see costumes up close, meet new friends or just hear about what happens behind-the-scenes. Our vision for Education is to provide life-enriching experiences that unlock the repertoire of Scottish Ballet through high-level partnerships and groundbreaking projects that challenge and excite our participants.
22 Participants enjoy woodlands workshops as part of Hansel & Gretel, and Me. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Education
23 One of Scottish Ballet’s Regenerate groups enjoys a class in the Tramway studios. Photo by Andrew Ross.
During 2013/14, we continued to present our community class and practical workshop programmes, alongside a range of access and interpretation activities, including Touch Tours and Audio Described performances for people with visual impairments, as well as pre-show talks and insight events for the general public across our touring network. Due to an increase in demand, we established three youth dance groups in Glasgow and two groups in Edinburgh. Demand for ballet classes for older people also increased; we have doubled our weekly class provision for people aged 50+ and also offer workshops on tour.
33,724 participants
The Close
24 An education project participant. Photo by Alicjia Jaskiewicz.
We regularly work with hard-to-reach people and in spring 2013 introduced a new national initiative, The Close, through which we connected with 145 young people who had been excluded from school because of behavioural issues. Working in partnership with a range of agencies, schools and special units, we provided the opportunity for participants to explore dance, music and other creative arts. Improvements in motivation, focus, and social engagement were reported, and we will build on this work in 2014/15.
Hansel & Gretel, and Me
25 An enchanted evening woodlands performance as part of Hansel & Gretel, and Me. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Hansel & Gretel, and Me, which launched in autumn 2012, continued throughout 2013/14, reaching its climax with the world premiere tour of Hansel & Gretel. This revolutionary project invited people of all ages from across Scotland to participate in a range of creative initiatives that served to shape Scottish Ballet’s new production of Hansel & Gretel. Supported by a major gift from The Monument Trust, the project provided the opportunity for people to genuinely engage in the process of making a new ballet through creative writing programmes, a series of cross-generational dance projects, a visual art competition, and performance opportunities.
599
participants
The Big Dance Pledge
In partnership with the Big Dance and the Foundation for Community Dance, Scottish Ballet created the choreography for the annual Big Dance Pledge. The Pledge is a chance to learn, make and perform dance with the rest of the world. Scottish Ballet revolutionised the format by creating a showcase dance video, with an accompanying online tutorial involving people of different ages and abilities, together with an invitation for groups to create their own versions and share these online. We rolled out a national programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and community dance artists in partnership with YDance and the Get Scotland Dancing initiative, and in partnership with the British Council, we extended this work to India as part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme.
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27 Participants in Edinburgh on the day of the global Big Dance Pledge event.
68,000 participants
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nations
Join In Online
Scottish Ballet continues to provide backstage access to a global audience via live webcasts, from the studios to the theatre. In 2013/14 we broadcast: Highland Fling Webcast 4,413 Autumn 2013 Webcast 2,088 Hansel & Gretel Webcast 524 (Views taken from Apr 1 2013 — Mar 31 2014)
29 The Company rehearse in the Peter Darrell studio. Photo by Andrew Ross.
200,000
total webcast views
Ballet Stars of the Future Associate Programme
The Associate Programme aims to nurture young, talented dancers and enable them to prepare for vocational training to develop a professional career in dance. There are three levels of the Programme, comprising Junior Associates (Primary 6 and 7), Mid Associates (Secondary 1 and 2) and Senior Associates (Secondary 3-5). The programme benefited 127 young people from across the whole of Scotland, with financial support available to those with limited means. Students graduating from the programme have secured places at a number of leading institutions, including: the Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst School of Dance, Northern Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, amongst others. “I love going to Mids. I always learn new things every time I go and I can’t wait for each week to come.” Mid Associate Participant
30 Students of the Associates Programme in class. Photo by Andrew Ross.
BA Modern Ballet
31 BA Modern Ballet students are given the chance to perform throughout their studies. Photo by Andrew Ross.
The BA Modern Ballet, which Scottish Ballet delivers in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, concluded its fifth year and the Masters in Dance Accompaniment course continues to attract high calibre candidates who go on to secure jobs in the sector. Throughout the year Scottish Ballet continued to provide short-term work placement opportunities for students and young graduates.
Looking Ahead to Next Year
2014/15 is likely to be the busiest year in Scottish Ballet’s 45-year history, with eight different productions on the road, including a revival of Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet for UK and international touring, and a brand new production of The Nutcracker by our founding director, Peter Darrell, for the winter season. Scottish Ballet will also have a major presence on the international stage, featuring an ambitious programme of work for the UK-Russia Year of Culture. We will engage with the XX Commonwealth Games through youth dance development and performance events, as well as a segment in the Opening Ceremony. As we head into future years, we will continue to secure and enhance our unique repertoire through world firsts of new full-length works, through new commissions and exclusive licenses, and through developing national and international partnerships. We will continue to seek and develop new choreographic talent and to introduce this to our audiences.
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33 Sophie Laplane and Daniel Davidson in Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet. Photo by Andrew Ross.
Supporting Scottish Ballet
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Scottish Ballet is extremely grateful to the Scottish Government for significant ongoing core funding, which provides us with a solid foundation from which to develop. However, we must raise more than £2 million each year from other sources — including box office income and donations from individuals, trusts and business sponsors — to fully realise and deliver the quality and depth of activity that we present across Scotland and beyond. Scottish Ballet’s work is made possible by many people and organisations. Importantly, the gifts that Friends and donors make alongside the strategic investments of key partners mean that the Company can innovate, make new work and offer opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to learn new skills and enjoy dance. We are particularly delighted to have seen a 37% increase of in the number of Friends of Scottish Ballet. Along with members of our Director’s Circle, many have supported the Company for several decades and show their interest both by volunteering and by financial contributions. We offer a warm thank you to them for their ongoing commitment. We also wish to recognise the generosity of the many donors who supported our annual Shoe Appeal, which this year increased by 23% on the previous year. We strengthened relationships with our Corporate sponsors and in particular with Adam & Company, a partnership now in its sixth year, for continuing sponsorship of the spring season Trust and Foundation support is also critical in funding all aspects of our work. This year, 27 Scottish and UK-based trusts donated a total of £243,000 and we offer our sincere thanks for their contributions, which have made a significant difference, particularly to our innovative education programmes. We would like to thank all of Scottish Ballet’s supporters for helping us deliver the wonderful projects you see outlined in this report.
+37%
Friends of Scottish Ballet
+23%
Shoe Appeal donors
Supporters and Funders
Activity during 2013/14 was made possible through substantial public and private support from the following organisations: Aberdeen Global Asset Management Adam & Company Artemis Investment Management Baillie Gifford BP Contini’s Ristorante Glasgow City Council Inverarity Morton Lochcarron of Scotland MAC RBS SCDI (Scottish Council for Development & Industry) STV The Scottish Government The Telegraph Media Group Trusts and Foundations The Aberdeen Endowments Trust The Alma and Leslie Wolfson Charitable Trust The Astor of Hever Trust The Binks Trust The Castansa Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The David and June Gordon Memorial Trust The Educational Institute of Scotland The Esterson Trust The Garfield Weston Foundation The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust The Hugh Fraser Foundation The John Mather Charitable Trust The JTH Charitable Trust The Maidenwell Charitable Trust The Martin Connell Charitable Trust The McGlashan Charitable Trust The MEB Charitable Trust The Miss Jean R Stirrat’s Charitable Trust The Monument Trust The Mrs M A Lascelles Charitable Trust The PF Charitable Trust The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust The Robertson Trust The Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust The W A Cargill Fund The W M Mann Foundation Youthlink Scotland
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Director’s Circle
A very warm thank you to the 2013/14 members of our Director’s Circle: John and Hilary Austin Iain Barclay Michael Berry John Bogle Laura Buist Fiona Cairns Margaret Carlaw Dennis Carmichael Nye Cooper Jacquelynn Craw Sir Sandy and Lady Crombie Kate and Gavin Gemmell, CBE Heather Gordon, MBE Frederick Hay and Annabeth McLean Julian and Julie Keanie John Lloyd Andrew Low Ken Marchant Douglas and Judith McColl John Newton David and Juliette Paton Lord George and Lady Penrose Anne Reece Annabeth Robb Caroline Roxburgh Bill Scott Alastair and Sheila Stewart Graeme Taylor Dr Jim Williamson
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37 Daniela Oddi and Remi Andreoni in rehearsals. Photo by Andrew Ross.
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Registered in Scotland No. SC065497, Scottish Charity No. SC008037