Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

Hi Capybara, Annabel and Silke, The relaunch of BALLET NIGHTS goes beyond any single show, and as a new startup we are in the process of introducing audiences to a brand new 'Ballet Universe,' designed to enhance audience experiences beyond the traditional platforms, and provide a complimentary outing to those opera house main stages. This is a lot to explain in any single post, and I highly recommend attending my webinar with The London Ballet Circle in August where I can address many of these questions directly. However to see these prices at face value is a bit misleading, and each of our seating positions - REGULAR, SILVER, GOLD, STAGESIDE - includes an array of experiences and extras - yet ALL include viewing dance up close and in the Lanterns Studio Theatre "Theatrical Widescreen" format. With our Stageside seating, you will not find an experience close short of dancing in the work itself. During the year that ENO and ENB were appearing in articles regarding why they aren't needed if we already have an RO or RB - My immediate thought out loud was .... "How many football stadiums are there in London? Are they short of audience/support/fans? What do they charge for their experience?" There are of course a wealth of topics in response, but the thing that strikes me most is the fact that we ALL know that if the ball goes in the net... its a GOAL! My mission is to now create that level of experience but in a different arena - for existing ballet fans and new dance audience alike to celebrate. This is a new pastime for those interested in Ballet, and Ballets biggest fans, and not something that can be made fair comparison with existing platforms and pricing - as many of our former audience members can attest to. As the 'Jazz Club' for dance, and beyond our uniquely compèred evenings of Classical Ballet, Neo-Classical Ballet and Contemporary dance - there are chances to see the performers live in rehearsal & tech (to be announced), on screen via our BTS features coming this July/August, to see and listen to via our podcast and read about in our "En Pointe" Blog. Then once in the Live Show experience of BALLET NIGHTS 00X you are led on a journey by the compère, hearing from the artists directly via their personal stories being shared, in new works in which they have not often been seen and in the fully immersive atmosphere of our other star on show each night - the venue. Backstage Pass offers you that chance to meet and mingle with the stars both established, emerging and newly discovered - hear from them directly and meet the wider network of record labels, designers, choreographers and directors who have contributed towards making this new dance pastime what it is. We are not however programming yearlong seasons of dance with a full dance company selling to 2000+ seater auditoriums. That is why our mission is to offer something different in our 300 seater intimate setting. My final thought on the matter would be to see past my own involvement, and look to the entire team of 25+ artists (and growing) who have all collaborated closely on what they want this experience to be for our audiences - with Steven McRae's blog on Tuesday explaining in his own words what he is drawn to the new platform. We are moving beyond costing a single experience, and towards placing a value on celebrating those dance artists all year long. Please do continue to share your thoughts on this, as YOU are the fans and thats who we want getting as much as possible out of the platform. Jamiel

Hi Silke H, I think there may be a confusion here between our 2021 concept launch poster and 2023 Autumn Season of Shows. Please DM me where you found the previous poster info, and I will have my team ensure its removed! Thank you for assisting us during our early setup/announcement phase!

Thank You to all those DMing regarding the release of the BALLET NIGHTS PODCAST, "En Pointe" Blog launching with Steven McRae on Tuesday and our upcoming Youtube Channel content. After months of work in planning, one thing I have realised is that this is alot of NEW at once! By signing up to Exclusive Access you will ensure you hear about what we are up to first, and before anyone outside of my team, so when there is something to 'Know' that is where it will be. At our launch we had dancers announce retirements, announce their choreographic careers and be seen in ever more nuances ways in the up close form factor, and Exclusive Access will be no different. Sign up form can be found at - www.BalletNights.com Jamiel

Hi Fiona, By now I do hope our early access email has reached you If you click each Programme - BALLET NIGHTS 001, BALLET NIGHTS 002 and BALLET NIGHTS 003, you will find we have 3 exciting jam packed programmes, featuring a few suprises. Please do DM if having any difficulty finding all 3? Jamiel

Hiya, Sorry if appearing mysterious! So we are opening the tickets almost 4 months in advance, which I hope will be notice enough, but this is fantastic feedback and I can bear that in mind for our Spring season of shows. These are less 'secrets' and more of a press embargo at the moment, as many of our acts require their scheduling and alignment to be in place for us to announce. I have been working with the artists and our team to ensure we can reveal 99% of the program at launch. HOWEVER one of our Royal Ballet principals has specifically requested to keep a surprise for the show itself. This is all about the artists telling their stories, their way. Our exclusive access sign ups will receive the news tomorrow at midday, and if you message me your email address I can have our marketing team add you to the mailing list if easier. So sorry the sign up is acting up for you. "Exclusive Access" is the title given to our mailing list followers where we release tickets ahead of the press release and public awareness going live. I hope that clears some of the mystery up, and please do let me know if you have any more questions. I want to give you and the ballet fans across the world the best experience possible! Jamiel

Indeed there will be some jazzy flair, classical music and our dancers performing their stories in ways that they have personally chosen to share in our intimate setting.

Never a problem!

Hi Peter, Jamiel Here! Thank you for replying and I agree we must be sure to programme around those supporting companies who are allowing their leading artists to take part in what I hope will become a complimentary platform to the main stage and designed to further enhance those experiecnes. Our season to be announced includes multiple performances (... all i can share until tomorrow ) and will feature the biggest stars of those companies mentioned that may also be performing on those dates. I am confident you will be able to make at least one of them, but lets wait and see (email me and my team anytime at jamiel@balletnights.com ) Think of us as the Jazz club for Ballet, an experience right up close to the stage (you couldn't get closer without a pair of tights!) and a place you can visit when the jam packed premiere season just isn't enough! ALL will be revealed tomorrow via Exclusive Access... Jamiel

Hello BalletCo Forum! BALLET NIGHTS will be releasing its Autumn 2023 season Exclusive Access Mailing List tomorrow at midday. With confirmed acts including current and former Principals and artists of the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet, Rambert, Studio Wayne Macgregor, Acosta Danza and more... sign up below for a chance to book our unrivalled Stageside Seating experience - including our Backstage Pass event where you can meet, mingle and get your photograph taken with then most exciting movers and shakers in Classical Ballet, Neo-Classical and Contemporary Dance. Mailing List Sign Up: https://www.balletnights.co.uk/exclusiveaccess I can't wait to welcome you all to the Lanterns Studio Theatre this Autumn... and neither can our artists! Jamiel Devernay-Laurence logo - rectangular dark black-compressed.pdflogo - rectangular dark black-compressed.pdflogo - rectangular dark black-compressed.pdf

Both my team and I at Jamiel Laurence Creation and my new team at BALLET NIGHTS are absolutely thrilled for all of those artists at ENB promoted, including those who have appeared in our various productions in the past (... and those imminently to be announced in the coming weeks for the future!) Aitor is one of the most calm and collected dancers under pressure I have ever come across - even when asked to run headfirst into the freezing Scottish Sea over in West Kilbride in 2020. His technique is flawless, and he has some even bigger performances ahead of him despite already achieving so much already. A real star! Henry appears with Aitor in 2 of my films, is the consummate professional at all times, and has big ambitions both on stage and beyond. He helped me produce my original BALLET NIGHTS concept show back in 2021, and has several other shows up his sleeve . I can wait to see what he will dance next! Ivana is just a picture perfect ballerina with electrifying charisma on stage, and her recent last minute fielding in the role of Cinderella has proven she has ability and experience enough to carry a main stage leading role when called upon, and when it counts most (Royal Albert Hall no less!!!). Such a reliable talent for the new ENB director to mould and develop into the principal we all know she can be. Congratulations all around!

Hi Everybody, I can't say how excited I am to soon finally be announcing the winter season of BALLET NIGHTS 2023 ! -- "BALLET NIGHTS presents compèred evenings of Classical Ballet, Neo-Classical & Contemporary Dance, Up Close and Without Compromise." Concept Launch October 2021 -- After all of the support from the forum members on here giving feedback, suggesting dates, requesting acts and letting me and my team know what they are looking for in our uniquely up-close Ballet experience with the stars, I am thrilled to exclusively release an early access mailing list sign up below, with an invite-only offer to follow shortly after. EXCLUSIVE ACCESS LINK I look forward to revealing our new website soon, our upcoming event schedule, our backstage access and our exciting run of never-before-seen content over the coming months, and thank you once again to all who have supported our journey. For now.... here is an exclusive sneak peek at our logo: Jamiel Devernay-Laurence Artistic Director

Hi All, One of the problems that dance on camera faces is a lack of awareness of the transformation qualities that the best-in-class can have on the viewer when screened at scale and in an exciting, atmospheric location. With that in mind, I wanted to draw your attention to the launch of the Messums Dance Film Festival 2023 - a new festival celebrating a still emerging genre of dance and the intersection of dance and film, bringing together exceptional talent and visionary artists from the dance and filmmaking worlds. I was appointed as producer of the new festival by dance visionary Johnny Messum, and his support to bring my own idea of how a film festival for dance should look and feel has been one of my creative reasons for getting up in the morning over the past year of challenges! I will also be hosting the event, for those that know what happens when someone accidentally offers me a mic... https://messumswiltshire.com/exhibitions/event-messums-dance-film-festival/ The festival highlights many known names to the Ballet Community, including performers such as Alessandra Ferri, Antonia Francesci, alongside this years National Critics Circle award winners Scottish Ballet and Jess & Morgs Films. After a stunning week of contemporary dance on that same week, I believe that forumites here will enjoy the incredible setting of the barn at Messums Wiltshire, the fantastic food on offer at the Messums Restaurant and the close connection to the best in modern art kept within their various exhibition spaces. Come and celebrate the launch of our international dance film festival with a strong classical ballet lineage, and make day of it this summer - set in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside venue. Jamiel TRAILER 2023 -

HOW IT STARTED vs. HOW ITS GOING.... So to provide an update for all interested in all things BALLET NIGHTS 2.... Let me take you on a bit of a detour! The progress with my production house JAMIEL LAURENCE CREATION is well underway, and with working examples of dance experiences for Stage, Screen, Events, in Education and now Dancer Professional Services, I am making a lot of headway since hitting the ground running in January 2023. I have attracted a young, part time fundraiser who is going to chase funds in various directions which will hopefully lead us to the £15K required to get BN2 underway. If anyone here has any suggestions for where to look in this area please do get in contact at Jamiel@jamiellaurence.com The new quarterly JLC Intensive series has had a marked impact on the contemporary dance community, both at home and abroad, and one of the special outcomes of this programme has been bringing back some of our initial BALLET NIGHTS performers to the space, including Kennedy Junior Muntanga and Luke Ahmet. Find out more about that and see videos of them in action here:- https://www.jamiellaurence.com/blank-1 Although I realise this is a Ballet specific forum, I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new IGNITION PLATFORM; an new progression based choreographic platform for emerging choreographers launching on 4th March 2023 at the Lanterns Studio Theatre. Times are tough, arts funding is scarce, and the UK is at risk of losing an entire generation of choreographic talent.JAMIEL LAURENCE CREATION sees how young artists must fight harder and harder for a chance to have their say in the UK arts scene, our response to this: THE IGNITION PLATFORM. A ground-breaking launchpad for new and emerging choreographers with the aim of staging exciting new voices, producing dance into revolutionary spaces, and paving the way for young choreographers to get their work seen by a live audience. To Book Your Tickets Visit: ticketsource.co.uk/jamiellaurence Thats all the updates for now, and although launching the return of BALLET NIGHTS is proving more challenging than I originally thought, the reward will be even sweeter when we can say we are back on the road, financially viable and once again doing something new, innovative and unique. Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

Dear BalletCo Forum members and supporters, I am excited to announce that I am now into pre-production on BALLET NIGHTS 2 , and once again keen to bring the passionate and devoted members of the BalletCo forum along for the ride! Since our launch, I myself have been on quite a journey as part of the cultural recovery post-pandemic, including founding a new dance company, creating my first full-length and also in now talks to adapt last years BALLET NIGHTS formula for TV. What we found at our prototype launch in October 2021 is that the fusion of classical ballet, neo-classical and contemporary dance with an MC'd Later with Jools Holland style approach to the event was the right choice indeed. Audiences loved hearing about who the acts were, what they are going to perform and where you can see then next. However what we also realised is that for this venture to become financially sustainable, we are going to have to do more to convince the local, first-time dance theatre goers by giving ourselves a much longer run up. That is why for BALLET NIGHTS 2 we are going to go for our announcement at least 4 months in advance of the event taking place, and this time backed by an effective marketing campaign. I will also be introducing audiences to the venue over the next few months by launching lunchtime concerts that recreate BALLET NIGHTS in miniature, featuring a concert pianist followed by one danced work. These concerts will be cheap to attend but rich with some of the most exciting dance content that can be found happening right now. It is also a great way to get those artists itching to perform a solo in front of a crowd on a platform on which they can thrive. (more on the first of these mini concerts soon) BALLET NIGHTS 2 is a show concept that offers something to both long term ballet fans and new audiences by fielding the best and brightest in UK dance happening right now in the form of carefully curated virtuosic solos, duets and headliners - such as our inaugural Don Quixote Pas featuring Gabriele Frola and Katja Kaniukova, and our kindly gifted/rarely seen Act 2 Swan Lake Pas choreographed by David Dawson. Share Your Thoughts? I am excited to have already begun work on our next programme, and now I would like to hear from anyone on this forum who might have something specific they would like to see, any artists they particularly follow or a choreographer they would like to see commissioned for our second incarnation. As will all arts endeavours during this challenging period, we are also looking for support in all areas including programming, commissioning and ways that help us introduce audiences to our new iteration of variety show - modernising the pastime of seeing dance. I look forward to updating you all soon on my progress, and if you would like to get in touch outside of the forum, you can email me at:- BalletNightsUK@gmail.com Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

Thank you Irmgard & Fiona fro your wonderfully detailed feedback! I cant emphasise enough how useful this is during our event breakdown and future planning. I want everyone to know that we keenly follow all of the feedback on our new live event concept - although we may be dropping the word 'concept' very soon with such a ferocious audience response! Our 165 sounded like 2000 up that close, and certainly made themselves known during the Don Q finale!! We are now into the planing stages of BALLET NIGHTS 2, aiming for an end of March 2022 show date (light pencil March 26th...) so please do let me know how you think that sits with the wider ballet community. Furthermore, if you have any further feedback on how we can make this event work even better on our second go round, have ideas for programming or would even like to get involved in actively commissioning a work, please do not hesitate to contact us via BalletNightUK@gmail.com Both Henry and I have yet to fully process all of the wonderful emotions that came up in seeing our many colleagues and friends back in action post pandemic, and seeing this idea come to life. We look forward to continuing this journey together with our audience in 2022 and beyond!! Jamiel Laurence www.BalletNights.com

Hi Mary, We are working on a mailing list via our website to be launched shortly - www.BalletNights.com - and I will be on here as soon as I have our poster and date to share. Jamiel

We look forward to seeing you in March/April!

Hi Alison, Indeed we are very close, and its quite the walk to experience as I detail above. The Lanterns Studio Theatre isn't the only thing trying to tempt more of the west end crowd across... Jamiel

Hi Capybara, It would be wonderful to welcome you to our future March/April event (TBC). On your point regarding the timing of this event, we are not seeking to compete for space with the main scale Classical Ballet/Contemporary dance schedule, but rather to both augment and extend it by doing something alternative. I believe that there is a gap here in which we could create an event that both welcomes new audiences who have yet to access this highly engaging and communicative art form, alongside giving Ballet enthusiasts like yourself something else to add to the calendar should there be a space for it. We are never going to be able to find a date that works for everyone, but it is our hope that moving forwards on a quarterly basis might create a new sense of regularity for this new community of co-investors in the future of live dance. With regards to the area safety factor, The Docklands is truly transformed from the deserted island I grew up in the 90's, under construction for my teenage years in during the 00's and now visit with absolute astonishment in 2021. The walk from Canary Wharf station is well lit, clear and monitored by several security companies operating the numerous residential towers in the area. I also highly recommend the West India Quay Crossrail restaurant plaza for a meal before or Hazev restaurant on the river if wanting something closer. South Quay DLR is a literal 3 minute riverside walk along the areas most coveted development area, surrounded by new and exciting architectural marvels (in my opinion ...!). With bankers and lawyers now working remotely and the Canary Wharf Central area transforming to become fully residential by the day, it is my hope that this venture will grow with the new trend and become a standalone Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance feature in its own right. As you can probably tell, after sitting in the Lanterns Studio Theatre today and watching our concert pianist rehearse live alongside Hannah Rudd working on her choreography, IM VERY EXCITED!! Please do continue to let me know how in future we could continue to build this into the experience you are looking for. Jamiel Laurence

Thank you Alison! in the space today and tomorrow getting us ship shape! new sound system is wonderful www.BalletNights.com for Tickets

Hi Janet, Thats quite the endorsement, and we would be sure to make it worth your while! I look forward to seeing you at a future show (for which acts are beginning to materialise already....!) Jamiel

Hi All, The team & I over at BALLET NIGHTS are pleased to share our confirmed programme for our 2021 Launch, which was submitted in its final from for press, media and programme printing etc. earlier today. We hope to become a taster platform for companies at all scales, and I would like to thank English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet & Rambert for releasing their dancers for this engagement. If anyone would like to any further information on the acts found on the tile below, please do not hesitate to contact me via BalletNightsUK@Gmail.com

PLEASE SEE UPDATED OFFER CODE: BALLETNIGHTSLAUNCH21 Thank you www.BalletNights.com

No Problem at all! We have several spaces available behind our gated area, and I would be happy to reserve you space. Let me know! J