Jan McNulty
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Posts posted by Jan McNulty
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Hello @Howard Bromley and welcome out of the lurking shadows!
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Hello @Twinkletoesmama and @DancemumK and welcome to the Forum!
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For immediate release
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 11/04/24
Benesh Movement Notation to train young dancers in Frederick Ashton’s repertoire
Image by Martin Bell.
The Royal Academy of Dance’s Benesh International has collaborated with The Frederick Ashton Foundation and Royal Ballet School on a new project where Ashton’s choreographies will be taught to young dancers through Benesh Movement Notation (BMN).
Students will learn variations from Ashton’s works including Les Rendezvous, The Dream and Les Patineurs.
Speaking of the news, Melanie Simpkin, Head of Benesh International says: “This project serves to highlight the use of Benesh Movement Notation in a new and holistic way of training young dancers and introduce them to repertoire at a young age.
Benesh Movement Notation is such a valuable tool, not only in the preservation of the repertoire but also as a teaching resource. This project will also serve to introduce notation both to young dancers early in their training, and also to teachers who will quickly learn to see the benefit of teaching from a score rather than from a historical text or video.”
Benesh International is the home of Benesh Movement Notation. Devised by Rudolf and Joan Benesh, and first published in 1956, Benesh Movement Notation is a written system for recording human movement. It is most widely used in the recording and restaging of dance works.
Benesh International supports the dance profession by preserving choreographic copyright, training the next generation of choreologists, and supporting the Benesh Movement Notation community.
Formerly the Benesh Institute, since 1997 Benesh International has been incorporated within Royal Academy of Dance.
The notation of each of these choreographies are part of a resource pack for teachers on the Royal Ballet School’s Affiliate Training Programme. Dance teachers will have access to written materials in accompanying resource packs including notated scores of each variation, recorded using Benesh Movement Notation, plus online footage of répétiteurs from The Ashton Foundation coaching students and using the BMN scores as a teaching tool.
For more information on Benesh International visit: https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/benesh-international-benesh-movement-notation/
Notes to Editors
About the Royal Academy of Dance
Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is one of the most influential dance education and training organisations in the world with a strong global membership in 85 countries. Established in 1920 to improve standards and re-invigorate dance training, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students. There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the Academy and each year the examination syllabus is taught to thousands of young people worldwide, with around a quarter of a million pupils per year going on to take RAD exams.
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Hello @Becca_19 and welcome to the Forum!
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48 minutes ago, LinMM said:
So you are not free to go out to work in Tescos or any other work not connected directly to education if you wanted to at 16 then? So that feels more like 18 to me!!
When I stayed on at school until 18 it wasn’t compulsory you could leave at 16 if you wanted to.
The rules in England changed quite some years ago. For other reasons I was googling the other day and it is allowed to do part time work from the age of 13 as long as it complies with fairly strict criteria and does not infringe on your education.
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Hello @davy jones and welcome to the Forum!
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1 hour ago, Emeralds said:
Interesting to see that Xander Parish is dancing in the Norwegian National Ballet's offering!
Why? He’s still a member of the company as far as I am aware.-
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36 minutes ago, LinMM said:
I am puzzled by the diet they have put you on Michelle as too much of those foods are more likely to make you constipated! It’s usually a high fibre diet recommended for that… but may be more that high fibre could cause more inflammation? I know a friend who had IBS had to avoid quite a lot of fruits etc. Really hope a solution for you is found soon. Don’t forget to let me know the date of any op. or major treatment etc.
It’s the diet I was put on Lin. Basically it’s beige with nothing with pips, skins or seeds.
A lady in the bed opposite me on my first stay in hospital last year had been on this diet for over 30 years due to a long term condition and she gave me helpful hints and tips.
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The National Ballet of Canada present Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada
Pite/ Kudelka/ Portner at Sadler’s Wells this Autumn
National Ballet of Canada - Angels Atlas by Crystal Pite © Karolina Kuras
The National Ballet of Canada presents the UK premiere of Frontiers: Choreographers of
Canada at Sadler’s Wells on Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 October 2024. This triple bill
includes works by three leading choreographers hailing from Canada: Crystal Pite, Emma
Portner and James Kudelka.
Acclaimed choreographer Crystal Pite presents her much anticipated work Angels’ Atlas, created especially for the company, which originally premiered in Toronto in 2020. The Dora Award-winning ballet unfolds against a morphing wall of light that carries the illusion of depth and a sense of the natural world. The dancing body becomes a sign of humanity’s limitations within a vast, unknowable world. The ballet is set to original music by Owen Belton and choral pieces by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Morten Lauridsen.
Emma Portner’s islands is a sculptural duet for two women in which the dancers are joined, fusing their bodies together as one. The work is set to an eclectic compilation of music by contemporary artists as well as original music by Forest Swords, bringing together hip hop, dub, guitar loops and electronic sampling for a rhythmic, avant-garde sound.
James Kudelka’s Passion is a love story set to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano in D, Op. 61a. Two couples each stylistically unique – one classical, the other contemporary – weave within the corps-de-ballet, evoking complex relationships of passion.
Crystal Pite is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
The National Ballet of Canada Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada Pite/ Kudelka/ Portner is part of Sadler's Wells year-round Ballet with attitude programme
NOTES TO EDITORS
Listings InformationThe National Ballet of Canada
Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada
Pite/ Kudelka/ PortnerSadler’s Wells Theatre, EC1R 4TN
Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 October 2024Tickets: £15 - £85
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com
About Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.
Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.
Sadler’s Wells East
In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin’ Convention.
Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler’s Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.Supporting artists
Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.Learning and community links
Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media
Facebook: @SadlersWells
Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells
Instagram: @sadlers_wells
YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre
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8 hours ago, Pointeshoesarethedream said:
Ah sorry @Jan McNulty I should have looked. Please feel free to delete this post and I’ll have a look through.
It is an old thread! Newer members may well have more to say. -
So sorry to hear this Michelle.
I was on the low residue diet for months last year and for someone who lives on tomatoes it was hell. I made up for it by eating chocolate instead!
When I was told I could start reintroducing items back into my diet the first thing I did was go to Tescos on my way back from the appointment and buy a punnet of tomatoes!!
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2 hours ago, alison said:
Which version of Acosta's Don Q? I think BRB's is generally better. Haven't seen the Nureyev since the RB did it in 2001, so it's difficult to comment.
BRB's version is splendid and IMHO a great improvement on RB version.
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5 hours ago, capybara said:
Added to which we now have the initials MB on posts which can translate to both Matthew Ball and Matthew Bourne 🤯🤔Matthew Bourne could be initialled SMB to differentiate!
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Hello @Phillips13 and welcome to the Forum!
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Here's an older thread that may still be relevant:
If you type "how much pointe work" into the search box there are also lots of other threads that may have more general but still useful information.
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Hello @Kitten and welcome to the Forum!
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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
K2CO ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF
LADY MACMILLAN AS ITS FIRST PATRON
K2CO dance company, led by award-winning choreographer and dance artist Rosie Kay, is delighted to announce that Lady MacMillan is joining the company as its very first Patron.
Deborah MacMillan, a huge supporter of Rosie Kay’s work, is the wife of the late Sir Kenneth MacMillan who is regarded as one of the UK’s finest choreographers.
Commenting on her appointment Deborah said “The Arts are peopled by those rare and brave individuals who cherish and protect their creative flame and I am delighted and honoured to be the first patron of K2CO.”
Rosie Kay added: “I am delighted to have the patronage of Deborah MacMillan. She has been an incredible source of support and inspiration through the setting up of K2CO and I, with her vision, very much look forward to the future of my company and my choreography.
“Sir Kenneth MacMillan is the greatest choreographer of the 20th century, and I have long studied his works. The combination of real emotional storytelling, exquisite and technically challenging dance, and the exploration of the biggest themes on life and death have been an inspiration to me. To be able to work with Deborah MacMillan now is a dream come true.”
K2CO also announces new board members joining the Oversight Board: Jo Quillan, COO at The Really Useful Group; digital arts curator Tony Guillan; writer, speaker and University of Edinburgh Rector Simon Fanshawe and director and photographer Robert Knights.
K2CO was launched in 2022 and in 2023 toured to Norwich Theatre Playhouse, Blackpool Grand Theatre and Theatre Royal, Bath with an updated version of Kay’s acclaimed 5-star award winning production 5 Soldiers. Funded by Arts Council England it used dance to explore the emotional stories of a group of combatants who become fractured by war.
Running alongside the main stage performance of 5 Soldiers at Norwich Theatre Playhouse was Rosie Kay’s award-winning engagement programme, INCUBATE which saw the company work with young students from Norfolk Institute of Performing Arts.
Kay looks forward to shaping the vision of K2CO with Deborah MacMillan, and the Oversight Board will help with Kay’s plans to tour her work, fundraising and developing a new work for large scale theatres.
K2CO programming details will be announced later this year.
Notes to Editors
K2CO is a dance company that makes totally unique, political, and timely work on controversial subjects. We exist to support the choreographic vision of artist Rosie Kay. We aim to highlight the power of dance as an art form and as a means of human communication. Dance can convey joy, love, passion, fear, sex, sexuality as well as complex socio-political situations from a human perspective. The company aims to create the best quality dance which is at the forefront of world contemporary dance theatre. The company uses ways to help audiences engage through targeted engagement work related to the themes of each show, through digital capture and distribution and through professional training programmes to increase education, technical and thinking skills in the dance sector.
MISSION: We work with academics, universities, artists, and communities to research works. These include participants recruited through charities on issue-based themes. We train and nurture professionals, preparing them for the world of work and exploring themes of Rosie Kay’s work and principles. We do this through a robust training programme that supports participants from less privileged and diverse backgrounds. We create and produce world class dance and bring it to audiences in the UK, working with the top large-scale theatres. inspiring and making work that becomes a talking point before, during and afterwards.
VISION: Our vision is to be the foremost female-led dance company in the UK, making work that is important, meaningful and highly engaging. We will tour to theatres that want dance to make an impact and grow audiences. We want to make work that leaves audiences exhilarated, thinking and motivated. K2CO will show that dance has the power to inspire, investigate and challenge ideas of today’s society.
Biographies
Lady MacMillan - Patron
Born in Queensland, Australia, she was educated in Sydney and won a scholarship to the National Art School where she studied painting and sculpture. Since 1970 she has lived in London, where she met and married Kenneth MacMillan. She has designed ballets for the stage, ‘Quartet’, ‘Sea of Troubles’ and ‘Concerto’. For television, ‘A Lot of Happiness’. She returned to painting full-time in 1984. She exhibits in London and for 10 years also at Glyndebourne. At Expo 17 in Astana Kazakhstan 20 of her paintings were shown in the Opera House depicting backstage life to co-inside with performances of Manon by her late husband. Her work is in private collections in the USA and the UK. She was a member of the Royal Opera House Board (1993–6) and was Chairman of The Friends of Covent Garden (1996). Between 1996 and 1998 she was a member of the Arts Council of England and chaired the Dance Panel. She is custodian of her late husband’s Choreography and Theatre work.
New Board Members
Jo Quillan
A proud Scot from Glasgow, Jo has lived and worked in London for over 30 years. A qualified accountant, she has held senior UK and International finance positions in the recorded music and music publishing industries, having worked for both Sony Music International and EMI, and headed up Finance & Operations outside North America at sports talent and marketing agency Wasserman and at UK out-of-home media specialist Posterscope. Jo joined Andrew Lloyd Webber’s global theatrical licensing and production company The Really Useful Group as COO in 2019, fulfilling a long-held career ambition and personal dream to work in theatre.
Tony Guillan
Tony Guillan is a producer, curator and creative consultant who works with artists and cultural organisations across the visual and performing arts, film and new media, specialising in the integration of digital and broadcast techniques, and the application of new technologies (XR, AI, Web3), to create work and engage audiences on and off-line. He has produced film and new media work, led public art commissioning, artist development, digital innovation and strategy consultancy for organisations including Tate, Artangel, UK City of Culture, The Space, IWM and The University of Oxford.
Simon Fanshawe OBE
Simon Fanshawe OBE is the co-founder of Diversity by Design, a broadcaster and author. His latest book is “The Power of Difference” - the Chartered Institute Management’s Book of 2023 when he was also voted into HR Magazine’s Hall of Fame. He is currently on the Board of Powerful Women and is Chairman of Hexagon Housing Association. He was previously Chairman of Sussex University, and on the Boards of Housing & Care 21, the Museum of London and Brighton Dome & Festival.
He has long been involved in campaigns for equality and positive social change. He was a co-founder of Stonewall and of the Kaleidoscope Trust. In 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to Higher Education and an Honorary Doctorate by Sussex for services to diversity and human rights.
Robert Knight
Robert Knights has worked as a freelance director, mainly in television and film all his life. His plays and series include, The Glittering Prizes, The History Man, Tender is the Night, Mosley, The Ebony Tower, Morse, Porterhouse Blue, and The Dawning. Actors he has directed include Anthony Hopkins, Tom Conti, Tony Sher, Geraldine James, Helen Mirren, Sir Laurence Olivier, Ian Richardson, Les Dawson, David Jason, John Cleese, Dawn French, Mary Steenburgen, Jean Simmons, and Jonathan Cake. Nominated three times for BAFTAS: David Jason winning one as Best Actor, and Christopher Gunning for Best Music. Won an Emmy in New York for Porterhouse Blue. Writers whose screenplays he has directed include Frederic Raphael, John Mortimer, Malcolm Bradbury, Dennis Potter, Christopher Hampton, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.
Rosie Kay
Rosie was born in Scotland, danced from a very early age, then trained at London Contemporary Dance School, graduating in 1998, before a career as a dancer in Poland, France, Germany and the USA. Kay returned to the UK in 2003, founded Rosie Kay Dance Company 2004-21 and has now set up K2CO a new venture for her past and future works.
Rosie Kay is a Director and Trustee of Dance Consortium which exists to tour the best contemporary dance from across the world to local audiences across the UK.
Kay’s works up to date include a contemporary set adaptation of Romeo + Juliet (2021) and returned to performing on stage with the Absolute Solo II tour in 2021 with three personal solos danced by Kay, with Adult Female Dancercelebrated as the ‘Top 5 Dance Works of 2021’ by The Observer and Kay was nominated for a National Dance Award 2022 for Outstanding Female Performance (Modern) for Absolute Solo II. Kay is well known for the multi award-winning work 5 SOLDIERS (2010- present) based on intense research with the British Army and large-scale development of this work, 10 SOLDIERS (2019). Kay’s works tour to Sadlers Wells, Birmingham REP, Norwich Theatre Royal, Salisbury Playhouse and regularly tour Europe and the USA.
Rosie Kay’s Fantasia, a pure-dance work about beauty was included in The Guardian’s ‘Top 10 Dance of 2019’. MK ULTRA was created in 2017 a work about conspiracy theory and pop made with BBC film-maker Adam Curtis. Other works include Motel (2016), a collaboration with visual artists Huntley Muir, Sluts of Possession (2013) created with rare archive material from the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, There is Hope (2012) exploring religion, Double Points: K (2008) a collaboration with Emio Greco| PC and Asylum (2005) based on research with asylum seekers. Kay choreographed the live Commonwealth Games Handover Ceremony (2018), watched by over 1 billion people worldwide and has worked in film as the choreographer to Sunshine on Leith (2013).
Kay was the first choreographer appointed Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the School of Anthropology, University of Oxford (2013). Awards for her work include Best Independent Company (2015) and nominated for Best Choreography for 5 SOLDIERS (2015), National Dance Awards and nominated for Best Independent Company 2012 and 2017, a Royal Society for Public Health Award for support to military communities, and the Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award. Kay was awarded by the Queen as a ‘Young Achiever of Scotland’ and won the Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award from Laban. 5 SOLDIERS Community Engagement work INCUBATE was Highly Commended by the Royal Society of Public Health. Kay has published several academic works and themes include conflict and choreography, kinaesthetic empathy, neuroscience, and disordered eating.
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9 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:
Sorry if this has been asked before - does anyone know which dancers will be dancing on which nights?
Given there are so few dancers I would guess that most dancers will be dancing most nights...
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I was in Sheffield for the weekend and what a weekend it was!
On Friday evening I got to see one of the other casts - Harris Beattie and Saeka Shirai - and they were glorious and oh so very young. They gave such beautifully nuanced performances and they were utterly believable and utterly heartbreaking. Dominique Larose was just glorious as the nurse. She must be one of the best dance-actresses in the country. Kevin Poeung was fantastic as Mercutio and Filippo di Vilio was a fun loving Benvolio till tragedy struck. George Liang was superbly angry as Tybalt. The whole cast was invested in this tremendous performance.
Saturday evening's treat was Kevin Poeung and Sarah Chun - even better than they had been in Leeds. The cast was basically the same as I had seen in Leeds and they were all wonderful. The trouble is that I am now running out of superlatives but suffice to say that the evening (and weekend) ended on a high!
Saturday afternoon's cast was led by Joseph Taylor and Dominique Larose (yes - after she played the nurse on Friday evening! Joe and many of the other dancers are also playing multiple roles in different performances. I was talking to Helen Bogatch in Leeds and she said she was dancing every female role except Juliet!). Harris Beattie was a wonderful, fun loving Mercutio. His joyfulness made his death even harder to watch. Filippo again excelled as Benvolio.
What can I say about this performance - well I think it is the BEST performance of this production I have ever seen. I was totally overwhelmed. Dominique and Joe WERE Juliet and Romeo. The whole cast rose to the occasion and this is one of those performances where there is magic dust in the air. I was totally overwhelmed by the end and trying very hard not to sob out loud. Thank you to the whole cast for this special performance. We were truly privileged to be in the audience on Saturday afternoon.
You can now only get cast sheets on line by looking at the website or using the QR code in the theatre that takes you to the website. I don't think the company has got it quite right yet...
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This is a hard one. I am not speaking from any knowledge of the training system in the UK or anywhere else.
LCB will presumably have had a specific type of dancer the company wanted. Would it be reasonable to expect them to populate the company with graduates? As the company is privately funded would the funders have had an expectation that may not have been for graduates?
I have heard that graduates sometimes experience integration difficulties into companies because they are not used to performing in a company as compared to school. A newly started company could not afford (in my opinion) the time for them to settle in. Many years ago a company I follow was increasing in size and took in about 12 graduates. From an audience point of view it just did not work and at the end of the year all but 2 or 3 of those graduates left the company. LCB could not afford to find itself in that position being a company of 14 dancers.
Who knows what may happen over the next couple of years when the company is established.
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7 minutes ago, JNC said:
I love the Red Shoes film but I found Bourne’s production a bit disappointing - it’s not classical ballet (to be fair it’s not trying to be..?) and so I didn’t dislike it but it wasn’t what I had envisioned at all.
It's interesting how we all differ isn't it.
I don't like the film of The Red Shoes. I've tried to like it but I just don't. I had to be "persuaded" to go and see Matthew Bourne's production and much to my total surprise I absolutely loved it! I've seen it several times and loved it each time.
I don't believe Matthew Bourne has ever marketed his productions as ballet but he seems to have a huge love of and respect for ballet. I remember when I first saw Sleeping Beauty and some of the fairy variations had nods to the ballet variations and he said he had tried to bring a flavour of them to his work.
I know people who think MB walks on water and others in front of whom you are not allowed to mention his name. I like, even love, most of his works but there are a couple I really do not want to see again.
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34 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:
I loved the Red Shoes with Moira Shearer, especially that amazing dance sequence and the music. I don’t suppose there was ever a Red Shoes ballet?
Kind of wish the one in the film was real and still being performed.Matthew Bourne has done a terrific production of The Red Shoes...
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View in Browser For immediate release
9 April 2024
Northern Ballet announces triple-bill of short works
Pictured: Sarah Chung, photo Guy Farrow.
- Northern Ballet announces a new programme of works Three Short Ballets, to be performed in Leeds and London
- Line-up includes two world premières by Mthuthuzeli November and Kristen McNally and a Northern première of Rudi van Dantzig’s Four Last Songs
Northern Ballet will open its autumn 2024 season with Three Short Ballets a triple-bill featuring two world premières and a Northern première. The trio of works will be performed in Leeds at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre from the 6-14 September and in London in early 2025.
The mixed programme has become a staple of the Company’s repertoire since 2018, designed to challenge the boundaries of classical ballet and invite new choreographic voices to the fore.
Opening the programme will be a previously announced original work from Olivier-award winning Mthuthuzeli November. Inspired by R.L. Peteni's South African novel Hill of Fools, and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Fools will tell a tale of bitter rivalry between two villages. Known for his unique fusion of dance styles, November's third collaboration with Northern Ballet promises an emotionally stirring performance, complementing the talents of the Company's dancers.
The second world première will be an as yet untitled piece from Kristen McNally, Choreographer and Principal Character Artist at The Royal Ballet. This new ballet will see McNally work with two Northern Ballet dancers and Joe Powell-Main, an exceptional disabled dancer who uses wheels and crutches. McNally and Powell-Main previously worked together on Sleepwalker for The Royal Ballet and will be expanding their exploration of fusing ballet and inclusive dance.
“I am excited to be part of Three Short Ballets with Northern Ballet later on this year. I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to beginning the creation process in the summer. Having worked with Kristen previously it is wonderful to have the chance to work with her again. I am looking forward to sharing this new work with audiences, both in Leeds and in London.” - Joe Powell-Main
In the last year, Northern Ballet has championed inclusive dance through projects like Every Little is a Change, a ground-breaking dance film featuring Company dancers and participants from Ability, their program for adults with additional learning support needs. This commitment extends to the stage, when two dancers from Ability joined the cast of Romeo & Juliet at Leeds Grand Theatre this March. McNally's new commission promises to continue placing inclusive dance at the forefront, celebrating diversity and accessibility in the world of ballet.
The final piece in the lineup is Dutch classic Four Last Songs, choreographed by Rudi van Dantzig. Created in 1977 by the then Artistic Director of Dutch National Ballet. Four Last Songs is a breath-taking expression of love, loss, and the beauty of the human experience. Performed to Richard Strauss’ composition by the same name, the ballet is danced by four couples with four segments beautifully mirroring the music.
Three Short Ballets will première at Leeds Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre on the 6 September. Tickets go on sale today and are available to book at northernballet.com/three-short-ballets. London dates will be announced later in the year.
Notes to Editors
Three Short Ballets
Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds
6-14 September 2024
northernballet.com/three-short-ballets
Northern Ballet
Bold and innovative in its approach, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s leading and widest touring ballet companies, dedicated to creating stories that connect.
A champion for the cultural exports of the North, the Leeds-based Company is committed to bringing ballet to as many people and places as possible, under the leadership of Artistic Director Federico Bonelli. Northern Ballet’s Company of dancers performs a combination of its full-length ballets and specially created ballets for children at more than thirty venues annually.
Audiences can also enjoy Northern Ballet’s work on screen through their digital dance platform. Visit northernballet.com/digital-dance to discover more.
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And the full press release:
PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday 9 April 2024
Youtube: londoncityballet / Instagram: thelondoncityballet / www.londoncityballet.com
LONDON CITY BALLET ANNOUNCES FULL TOUR AND COMPANY
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LONDON CITY BALLET ANNOUNCES ITS INAUGURAL SEASON WILL COMPRISE A NEW COMPANY OF 14 INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED DANCERS, REPRESENTING 9 NATIONALITIES AND BRINGING EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE FROM PRINCIPAL ARTISTS AS WELL AS RISING STARS FROM THE UK DANCE SCENE
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THE 18-VENUE INTERNATIONAL TOUR WILL BEGIN IN BATH THIS JULY AND INCLUDE CAMBRIDGE, CHELTENHAM, WINDSOR, YORK AND SADLERS WELLS LONDON, AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL DATES IN THE USA, DOHA QATAR, AND PORTUGAL, PLUS SHANGHAI, GUANGZHOU AND 5 FURTHER CITIES IN CHINA
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IN MAY, LONDON CITY BALLET WILL MOVE INTO A NEW STATE OF THE ART STUDIO AND OFFICE BASE IN ISLINGTON
London City Ballet has today announced its new company and details of its first season after a hiatus of almost 30 years.
The dancers in the new company are: Alejandro Virelles (Freelance, formerly Staatsballet Berlin, ENB), Álvaro Madrigal Arenilla (Compañía Nacional de Danza), Isadora Bless (Orlando Ballet), Joseph Taylor (Northern Ballet), Miranda Silveira(Freelance, formerly San Francisco Ballet), Ayça Anıl (Istanbul State Opera and Ballet), Cira Robinson (Freelance, formerly Ballet Black), Nicholas Vavrečka (Freelance, formerly Scottish Ballet), Ellie Young (Freelance, Royal Ballet School), Arthur Wille (formerly Ballet Dortmund Junior Company), Bárbara Verdasco (Compañía Nacional de Danza), Jimin Kim (Korea National University of Arts), and Nicholas Mihlar (Zurich Tanz Academy). In London at Sadler’s Wells, internationally celebrated ballerina Alina Cojocaru will join the company as a Guest Artist. Headshots and biographies of all the dancers are available here.
New appointments to the creative and wellbeing team include Iain Mackay as a Rehearsal Director, Luke Abnett as Physiotherapist, Matthew Gregory as Company Pianist, and Andy Murrell as Lighting Designer. They will join Christopher Marney as Artistic Director, Sean Flanagan as General Manager, and Kate Lyons as Rehearsal Director.
Christopher Marney said: “After an extensive search I am honoured to welcome the 14 uniquely talented artists joining London City Ballet, for its inaugural season. It felt essential to involve dancers at varying stages of career and experience, due to the narrative demands of the work we will present. My hope is their valued input will influence the ballets we are able to uncover.
“The tour comprises familiar, much loved venues in the UK that played an important role in the former company's history, but also encompasses new and extensive touring in America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
“It is a privilege to begin collaborating with these artists and starting a new chapter in the company's history.”
The 18-venue international tour will begin at Bath Theatre Royal (July 17-20), followed by Cambridge Arts Theatre (July 23-25), Latitude Festival (July 27), Cheltenham Everyman (August 2-3), Windsor Theatre Royal (August 9-10), Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and five further cities in China to be announced, York Theatre Royal (Sept 6-7), Sadlers Wells London (Sept 11-14) with USA dates in late September and Doha, Qatar. On July 6-7 dancers from London City Ballet will feature at the International Ballet Gala at the Palácio de Seteais, Portugal.
London City Ballet will present Resurgence, a programme of acclaimed works including the revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972 one-act ballet Ballade, unseen in Europe for over 50 years.
Ashley Page’s Larina Waltz marks the ballet’s 30th anniversary, and Olivier award-winner Arielle Smith premieres a new work. Eve, a full company work by Christopher Marney, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2022, will close the evening. At tour venues in Portugal and China the pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan's Concerto will also be performed.
Tickets for the tour are available here.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Trailer here
Dates:
PALÁCIO DE SETEAIS, PORTUGAL
6-7 July
BATH THEATRE ROYAL
17-20 July
CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE
23-25 July
LATITUDE FESTIVAL, SUFFOLK
27 July
CHELTENHAM EVERYMAN
2-3 August
WINDSOR THEATRE ROYAL
9-10 August (Onsale date Friday 12 April)
CHINA
16 August-1 September
YORK THEATRE ROYAL
6-7 September
SADLERS WELLS 2024 PERFORMANCES:
11-14 September
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes (including one 20 minute interval).
For more visit www.londoncityballet.com
For queries contact info@londoncityballet.com
London City Ballet
London City Ballet is a touring company of international dancers presenting engaging stories through dance to audiences across the world. Alongside creating newly commissioned work by upcoming, plus established, Choreographers and emphasis will also be on resurrecting older works that may no longer be in the mainstream repertoire. London City Ballet strives to present engaging and entertaining works whilst ensuring the history which came before them is not forgotten.The original iteration of the company closed in 1996 having formerly been the resident company of Sadler’s Wells, and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives, patronised by Diana, Princess of Wales. It was sensitively reformed in 2023 after a 30-year hiatus, under the Artistic Direction of Christopher Marney.
The inaugural 2024 tour will pay homage to the company’s early beginnings, shining a bright light on a new chapter.
Christopher Marney
Chris is a Choreographer, Teacher and former Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company Chicago and Central School of Ballet in LondonAs a dancer Chris worked internationally for Balletboyz, Gothenburg Ballet Sweden, Ballet Biarritz France, Bern Ballet Switzerland and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures where he has danced many principal roles around the world.
During his time in these companies he performed in works by choreographers William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Nacho Duato and John Cranko to name a few. He danced with the Michael Clark Company in The Rite of Spring and Les Noces and his final performance in 2017 was with Ivan Putrov’s Men in Motion where he danced the Faun in Nijinsky’s L’Apres Midi d’un Faun.
The Critics Circle National Dance Awards nominated him for Outstanding Performance in Modern Dance two years running as well as being included in Dance Europe’s Outstanding Male Dancer 2013 list.
As a choreographer he has created works for Ballet Black, English National Ballet’s Emerging dancer, ‘The Four Seasons’ for the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company, Nutcracker at the British Museum, ‘Eve’ at Sadler’s Wells and ‘Lady Macbeth’ at the New National Theatre in Tokyo.
His London West-End credits include choreography for McQueen The Play at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Tell Me on a Sunday at the St. James.
As a Director Chris has had the pleasure of programming diverse tours across the UK & US commissioning new work as wells as presenting repertoire by choreographers George Balanchine, Jasmin Vardimon, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Kenneth MacMillan, Liam Scarlett, Frederick Ashton and Matthew Bourne, amongst others.
He was named associate artist of the UK Foundation for Dance, holds a Masters degree in Choreography and was associate Choreographer for Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. Chris is patron of the Chelmsford Ballet Company and a guest teacher for ballet companies worldwide.
Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.
Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.
Sadler’s Wells East
In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin’ Convention.
Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler’s Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances.
Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.
Supporting artists
Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today.
We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.
Learning and community links
Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.
Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media
Facebook: @SadlersWells
Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells
Instagram: @sadlers_wells
YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre-
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Press Release: LADY MACMILLAN ANNOUNCED AS FIRST PATRON OF K2CO
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That's the one Jane! Thanks