Our autumn tour isn’t the only chance to see the Company perform this season. Some of our dancers will be hitting the international stage with appearances at the following prestigious Galas:
The Marlowe Theatre’s 5th Anniversary Gala, Canterbury
Sun 9 October
Hannah Bateman and Javier Torres will perform a pas de deux from Jane Eyre.
Northern Ballet is delighted to be collaborating with CBeebies to create a colourful new interactive ballet in celebration of Hull UK City of Culture 2017.
Based on the book The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel, the ballet will be choreographed by Northern Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Daniel de Andrade, with a commissioned score by Gary Yershon, and costumes and sets by Mark Bailey. The ballet will be created with children in mind to create a family friendly and accessible experience, supported by an extensive engagement programme.
The event, which will take place in August 2017, will culminate in a finale featuring local dancers and school children, with the City of Hull providing a backdrop as the story unfolds. The ballet will then subsequently be broadcast on CBeebies, with a host of supporting digital resources available online.
In addition, to further mark Hull 2017, Northern Ballet will perform a new adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas at Hull New Theatre in October 2017. Tickets will be on sale soon, see northernballet.com/pyjamas for updates.
In 2017 the eyes of the world will be on Hull as it becomes UK City of Culture. Hull 2017 will deliver 365-days of transformative arts and culture through an awe-inspiring programme of events across the city, working in collaboration with the most exciting and adventurous artists making work today. Discover more online at hull2017.co.uk or follow the story on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Flickr.
Northern Ballet is delighted to have won the Achievement in Marketing Award at this year’s UK Theatre Awards for its 2015/16 campaign for 1984. The Leeds based company were shortlisted alongside Birmingham Hippodrome and York Theatre Royal and were further recognised with nominations for Achievement in Dance and Best Presentation of Touring Theatre. Northern Ballet last won the Achievement in Marketing Award in 2013 for its campaign for The Great Gatsby.
The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in regional theatre throughout the UK. The awards also include categories which recognise musicals, plays, opera, touring productions, shows for children, design, diversity, and individual awards for performance, direction and management.
Northern Ballet’s Director of Communications, Emma Mooney, said: ‘It is a great achievement for our team to be recognised at the UK Theatre Awards for our 1984 campaign. Northern Ballet is renowned for making bold repertoire choices and 1984 was no exception. Such an exciting title allowed us to experiment further with new media and digital platforms. Our collaboration with The Space, resulting in the full ballet being broadcast on BBC Four, was a fantastic way for us to deliver on our mission to bring ballet to as many people as possible.’
At the UK Theatre Awards (L-R): Joseph Taylor, Abigail Prudames, Emma Mooney, Rachael Gillespie, Ashley Dixon, Daniel de Andrade, David Nixon OBE, Mark Skipper DL.
Northern Ballet is a powerhouse for inventive dance, creating and touring narrative dance at various scales nationally and internationally. Bold and confident in our approach, we engage, involve and move our audiences. We reach a diverse range of people through passionate storytelling, a mastery of classical dance technique and an absolute commitment to our leading role as an international ambassador for world-class dance.
Whether based on tour, or at Northern Ballet HQ in Leeds, a career with us allows you to become part of an ambitious world-class arts organisation.
Northern Ballet is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
Northern Ballet is looking for a motivated, organised and personable individual to join our highly successful Development Team. Managing our Friends and Patrons membership schemes, you will deliver and grow our portfolio of individual giving while developing and launching Northern Ballet’s first Legacy programme. You will play a central role in this ambitious, bold and creative team with huge plans for further growth in the coming years.
Closing date: 10am Friday 28 October
Interviews: Monday 7 November in Leeds
Salary: £22,000
Holidays: 5 weeks per year + Bank Holidays
Contract: Permanent
Northern Ballet is a powerhouse for inventive dance, creating and touring narrative dance at various scales nationally and internationally. Bold and confident in our approach, we engage, involve and move our audiences. We reach a diverse range of people through passionate storytelling, a mastery of classical dance technique and an absolute commitment to our leading role as an international ambassador for world-class dance.
Whether based on tour, or at Northern Ballet HQ in Leeds, a career with us allows you to become part of an ambitious world-class arts organisation.
Northern Ballet is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
Northern Ballet is looking for a highly professional, motivated and creative individual to join our highly successful Development Team. Managing our corporate partnerships, you will deliver and grow our portfolio of commercial sponsors and supporters, managing relationships with key stakeholders and continuing to develop a robust prospect pipeline. You will play a central role in this ambitious, bold and creative team with huge plans for further growth in the coming years.
Closing date: 10 am Friday 28 October
Interviews: Wednesday 2 November in Leeds
Salary: £22,000
Holidays: 5 weeks per year + Bank Holidays
Contract: Permanent
1. Beauty & the Beast has been a folk tale for centuries, with Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s 1756 version being the most familiar to modern audiences – and the one which our ballet is inspired by.
2. In an earlier version of the fairytale, written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, an evil fairy transforms the handsome Prince into a Beast not because of his bad attitude – but because he rejected her advances. Talk about sour grapes!
3. Some believe that the fairytale was influenced by the life of 16th century man Petrus Gonsalvus. Poor Petrus suffered from hypertrichosis, which causes excessive hair growth. He married a beautiful woman called Catherine, who learned to love him for his kind heart. (Sound familiar?) They were married for 40 years – a testament to true love.
4. Beauty & the Beast has been adapted for both the big and the small screen 17 times, including Disney’s upcoming live action film starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter).
5. The Beast has taken on many different forms from adaptation to adaptation – even a cat-like alien in Tanith Lee’s 1983 book ‘Beauty’. In our ballet, the Beast has scales, fur and feathers, and leading soloist Ashley Dixon studied nature documentaries with gorillas and big cats to make the Beast’s movements more naturally animalistic when he created the role in 2011.
You can transform yourself into the Beast (or Beauty) in our fun new game.
6. The theme of Meat Loaf’s 1993 music video for ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ is based on the story of Beauty & the Beast.
Transform yourself, a friend or family member using our Beauty & the Beast game and share the results on Twitter to be in with a chance of winning a Beauty & Beast poster signed by our dancers.
To enter simply share a Beauty or Beast picture on Twitter, before Saturday 12 November, use #NBBeauty and tag us @northernballet *.
Here are some photos to inspire you:
*Terms and Conditions apply:
In order to enter the competition, pictures must be shared on Twitter using #NBBeauty and tagging Northern Ballet @northernballet.
The closing date is Saturday 12 November 2016, the winner will be picked at random from the entries and notified on Monday 14 November 2016.
The prize is a Beauty & the Beast poster, signed by members of the Company.
No cash alternative available.
One entry per picture, posting the same image multiple times will be ignored.
I come from Melbourne, Australia, which is famous for it’s culture, coffee and unfortunately having four seasons in one day.
What keeps you motivated?
I want to be the best I can be, so that when my career is over I'll be able to contribute a lot back to the ballet world, as my teachers were able to do for me.
How do you like to relax?
I like to spend time with friends, doing something completely different from ballet so that I can come back to it with a fresh mind.
Can you cook? If so, what’s your signature dish?
Yes I can, however I wouldn’t say I have a signature dish. If I had to choose one it would probably be prawn and courgette pasta.
What story would you like to see created into a ballet?
Closing date for applications is 22 February 2017 except for the Easter and Summer schools. Closing date for vocational students applying for the Easter Course is 8 March 2017 / Summer School is 17 May 2017.
Please enclose the correct photographs with your application.
All photos in leotard and tights or vest and shorts
For all courses including Associates, CAT, Easter Course and Summer Schools
Facing to the back, feet together (parallel, bare feel)
Facing forwards – tendu in second (bare feet)
For Easter and Summer Schools senior level (vocational students)
Associate Division and CAT preliminaries – Sunday 12 March
CAT recalls – Saturday 25 March
Associate Division and CAT recalls – Sunday 26 March
Audition fees
There is a £25 fee to audition per person. You may select more than one programme for this fee. No talented child will be excluded because of financial contraints. Please contact the Academy is you have any questions.
The nominations for the 17th UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards have been released and we're delighted to announce that Northern Ballet have been nominated for several awards including the Stef Stafanou Award for Outstanding Company.
Our productions of both Jane Eyre, a ballet by Cathy Marston, and 1984, a ballet by Jonathan Watkins, have received nominations for their classical choreography.
Also nominated are Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley for their performanes as Julia and Winston in 1984. Tobias has also been nominated for Best Male Dancer.
The nominations are based on performances that took place between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 and from a long-list of over one hundred artists and companies.
A huge congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in February 2017.
Full Nominations
STEF STEFANOU AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPANY
BOLSHOI BALLET
ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET
LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO
NORTHERN BALLET
SCOTTISH BALLET
BEST CLASSICAL CHOREOGRAPHY
Sponsored by The Ballet Association
Anabelle LOPEZ OCHOA - ‘BROKEN WINGS’ (for ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
Jean-Christophe MAILLOT - ‘TAMING OF THE SHREW’ (for BOLSHOI BALLET)
Cathy MARSTON - ‘JANE EYRE’ (for NORTHERN BALLET)
Will TUCKETT - ‘ELIZABETH’ (for THE ROYAL BALLET)
Jonathan WATKINS - ‘1984’ (for NORTHERN BALLET)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Sponsored by Lee McLernon
Francesca HAYWARD (in ‘RHAPSODY’’ for THE ROYAL BALLET)
Ekaterina KRYSANOVA (as Katherina in ‘TAMING OF THE SHREW’ for BOLSHOI BALLET)
Martha LEEBOLT (as Julia in ‘1984’ for NORTHERN BALLET)
Tamara ROJO (as Frida Kahlo in ‘BROKEN WINGS’ for ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
Zenaida YANOWSKY (in the title role as ‘ELIZABETH’ for THE ROYAL BALLET)
OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Sponsored by The Office for Architectural Culture
Tobias BATLEY (as Winston Smith in ‘1984’ for NORTHERN BALLET)
Cesar CORRALES (as Ali in ‘LE CORSAIRE’ for ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
Chase JOHNSEY (in the title role as ‘PAQUITA’ for LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO)
Vladislav LANTRATOV (as Petruchio in ‘TAMING OF THE SHREW’ for BOLSHOI BALLET)
Irek MUKHAMEDOV (as Diego Rivera in ‘BROKEN WINGS’ for ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
DANCING TIMES AWARD FOR BEST MALE DANCER
Tobias BATLEY (NORTHERN BALLET)
Alexander CAMPBELL (THE ROYAL BALLET)
Chase JOHNSEY (LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO)
Vadim MUNTAGIROV (THE ROYAL BALLET)
Liam RIDDICK (RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY)
GRISHKO AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DANCER
Francesca HAYWARD (THE ROYAL BALLET)
Ekaterina KRYSANOVA (BOLSHOI BALLET)
Laura MORERA (THE ROYAL BALLET)
Tamara ROJO (ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
Zenaida YANOWSKY (THE ROYAL BALLET)
BEST INDEPENDENT COMPANY
BALLET CYMRU
DeNada DANCE THEATRE
GARY CLARKE COMPANY
PROTEIN DANCE
SWEETSHOP REVOLUTION
BEST MODERN CHOREOGRAPHY
Kim BRANDSTRUP - ‘TRANSFIGURED NIGHT’ (for RAMBERT)
Javier De FRUTOS - ‘ANATOMY OF A PASSING CLOUD’ (for ROYAL NEW ZEALAND BALLET)
AKRAM KHAN - ‘UNTIL THE LIONS’ (for AKRAM KHAN COMPANY)
RUSSELL MALIPHANT -‘SPIRAL PASS’ (for BAYERISCHES STAATSBALLETT MUNICH)
Crystal PITE - ‘BETROFFENHEIT’ (for KIDD PIVOT/ELECTRIC COMPANY THEATRE)
EMERGING ARTIST AWARD
Sponsored by The L&M Trust
Reece CLARKE (First Artist, THE ROYAL BALLET)
Julie CUNNINGHAM (Freelance Choreographer)
Tierney HEAP (Soloist, THE ROYAL BALLET)
Katja KHANIUKOVA (Junior Soloist, ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
Vidya PATEL (Guest artist, Richard Alston Dance Company)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Ching-Ying CHIEN (in ‘UNTIL THE LIONS’ for AKRAM KHAN COMPANY)
Marivi DA SILVA (in ‘YOUNG MAN’ for DeNada DANCE THEATRE)
Christine Joy RITTER (in ‘UNTIL THE LIONS’ for AKRAM KHAN COMPANY)
Hannah KIDD (as Penelope in ‘THE ODYSSEY’ for MARK BRUCE COMPANY)
Vidya PATEL (as Princess Maria Barbara in ‘AN ITALIAN IN MADRID’ for RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY)
OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Miguel ALTUNAGA (in ‘TRANSFIGURED NIGHT’ for RAMBERT)
Daniel COLLINS (as Jekyll in ‘JEKYLL & HYDE’ for THE McONIE COMPANY/THE OLD VIC)
Akram KHAN (in ‘UNTIL THE LIONS’ for AKRAM KHAN COMPANY)
Liam RIDDICK (as Prince Ferdinand in ‘AN ITALIAN IN MADRID’ for RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY)
Jonathon YOUNG (in ‘BETROFFENHEIT’ for KIDD PIVOT/ELECTRIC COMPANY THEATRE)
Northern Ballet's Casanova, a ballet by Kenneth Tindall, is touring throughout spring 2017 to Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Norwich, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Salford and London.
Northern Ballet is pleased to announce the return of our annual Christmas Appeal. In the lead up to the festive period in 2016, we will be raising funds for our START Schools project. START introduces young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who would otherwise be unable to access the arts, to live theatre and ballet.
Since 2008, Northern Ballet has been working in partnership with schools across the Yorkshire region, exciting and inspiring more than 5000 children through dance workshops and live performances, and connecting with this new audience to break down preconceptions about who can access high quality dance.
Following initial funding for the project from Children & the Arts and lately from the Audrey & Stanley Burton Trust, we now need to raise additional funds to secure the project for future generations.
With your help and support, Northern Ballet can offer a highly subsidised programme of activities and work with schools in areas of least engagement to inspire pupils who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a theatre. The project involves dance workshops in school, led by Northern Ballet’s Learning Department, and culminates in a visit to see Northern Ballet productions at the theatre.
Help us introduce a child to ballet this Christmas by making a donation below.
A donation of any size will help Northern Ballet to continue this project in 2017 and bring life-changing theatrical experiences to children across Yorkshire.
To thank you for your support, all online donations over £10 will receive access to an exclusive Advent Calendar featuring behind-the-scenes images, videos and interviews with Northern Ballet dancers from our autumn season and drawn from our extensive archive.
You may also donate by texting NBCA16 £x to 70070, replacing x with your desired amount between £1 and £10.
Please help us to introduce a child to the magic of ballet this Christmas. Thank you.
Text NBCA16 followed by your donation amount between £1 and £10 to 70070
Every penny of your donation (including Gift Aid) will come to us, you may be charged for your text message, please refer to your network operator's standard rates.
By post
You can donate by writing a cheque made payable to ‘Northern Ballet Ltd’ and sending it to: Christmas Appeal, Northern Ballet, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7PA.
If you are a UK taxpayer and would like to Gift Aid your donation to Northern Ballet, please download our Gift Aid declaration here. Just print the form, fill it in and return it with your cheque.
By phone
You can donate over the phone by calling 0113 220 8000 to make a payment by credit or debit card.
On Friday 21 October, Northern Ballet's Ability dancers performed along the golden carpet as part of the opening celebrations of the new Victoria Gate Shopping Centre in Leeds. They did brilliantly, especially as the performance was their first chance to run the piece in a long, narrow space.
The 4 weeks spent creating and rehearsing the piece had taken place in a small studio and we had to spill out into the corridor to get an idea of how far we would need to travel on the golden carpet.
The crowd that gathered were appreciative - and we even made one lady who was watching cry!
The Ability dance course is specifically designed for adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities and runs on a weekly basis during term time. find out more
You can watch our Victoria Gate performance in the video below:
Over the next few weeks, we will be revising the piece to work in the round for our next performance on Saturday 14 January at Diverse Fest, Bridlington Spa.
Northern Ballet is a powerhouse for inventive dance, creating and touring narrative dance at various scales nationally and internationally. Bold and confident in our approach, we engage, involve and move our audiences. We reach a diverse range of people through passionate storytelling, a mastery of classical dance technique and an absolute commitment to our leading role as an international ambassador for world-class dance.
Whether based on tour, or at Northern Ballet HQ in Leeds, a career with us allows you to become part of an ambitious world-class arts organisation.
Northern Ballet is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
We are looking for a confident and proactive Workshop Administrator to work in our busy learning department, to administrate education and engagement programmes. With excellent interpersonal skills and a keenness to learn, you will enjoy working in a busy office to book workshops in schools, coordinate staff and record data.
Part Time position 28 hrs a week
Ideally Tuesday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm to start January 2017
Fixed-term, January to July 2017.
Salary £15,000 P/A pro rata
Closing date for applications 9:00am Monday 5 December 2016
Interviews will take place in Leeds on Tuesday 13 December 2016
Northern Ballet is a powerhouse for inventive dance, creating and touring narrative dance at various scales nationally and internationally. Bold and confident in our approach, we engage, involve and move our audiences. We reach a diverse range of people through passionate storytelling, a mastery of classical dance technique and an absolute commitment to our leading role as an international ambassador for world-class dance.
Whether based on tour, or at Northern Ballet HQ in Leeds, a career with us allows you to become part of an ambitious world-class arts organisation.
Northern Ballet is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
We are looking for a Ballet Teacher with a substantial career in a world-class classical ballet company to join the teaching staff for our Professional Graduate Programme. You will:
Have a minimum of 6 years’ experience teaching ballet
Have a knowledge of anatomy and alignment
Have a healthy outlook and mental approach
Have the ability to mentor students and be quite fluent in administration work
Be open and willing to learn the method taught at Northern Ballet
Be happy to work together as a team
This is a part-time position, approximately 7 hours over 2 days.
Salary: Dependent on experience
To apply please send your CV and a cover letter explaining why you are suitable for the role and why you would like to work for Northern Ballet.
Application deadline: 7 December 2016
Interviews: week of 12 December 2016
Please send your cover letter and CV to:
Dawn Wilson, HR Manager
Northern Ballet
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7PA
This holistic training programme is designed to bridge the gap between full-time training and professional performance. With many opportunities to learn from, train with and perform alongside the Company, this unique programme provides a fully immersive experience within a professional company. Find out more
