Star dancers take masterclasses near York in July

[SheilaC]

Six masterclasses by major dancers, past and present, will be open to the public to view for only £5, at the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School in July.

Iain Mackay, the new director, has invited former colleagues to contribute to his programme.

The series is: Iain Mackay (Tuesday 17 July); Zenaida Yanowsky (Wednesday 18); Irek Mukhamedov (Thursday 19); Joseph Caley (Monday 23); Leanne Cope (Tuesday 24); Kristen McNally (Wednesday 25); Leanne Benjamin (Thursday 25)

No need to pre-book, the £5 contribution will be taken at the door. The masterclasses start at 6.30 and are likely to last until about 8pm.

The venue is Askham Bryan College (YO23 3FR), a few miles from York. There are 3 buses plus a Park and Ride bus from York. The college is very accessible by road, not far from the A1, and has good parking space. Taxis from York are £15 each way. There are frequent trains to York station from all parts of England and Scotland.

 

Visitors may also watch the summer school classes (£12 per full day; £9 per half day).

Teachers are; first week: Cira Robinson (Ballet Black); David Peden; Neil Westmoreland (Matthew Bourne); Zenaida Yanowsky   

Second week: Samantha Raine; Ricardo Cervera; Laura Morera.

Additional teachers are: Jenna Roberts; Callie Roberts; Joseph Caley

 

Further information can be found on the YBSS and Askham Bryan websites  

Edited July 4, 2018 by SheilaC

[Odyssey]

What a brilliant idea. Hope it spreads to other cities in the UK in future years.

Has Elmhurst previously done something similar ?

Edited July 4, 2018 by Odyssey

[Two Pigeons]

Well done Iain!  A stellar line up indeed.

[ninamargaret]

what a terrific idea, and what a stellar line up!

[SheilaC]

Odyssey, it's not Elmhurst. Yorkshire Ballet Summer School was set up by David Gayle (as Yorkshire Ballet Seminars), who came from Ilkley in Yorkshire, to help other boys from the region to improve their ballet technique and performance skills so that they could enter the profession, as he had (he became a dancer at the Royal Ballet). Eventually the former Royal Ballet dancer, Margeurite Porter, also from Yorkshire, took over running the Seminars, which she renamed Yorkshire Ballet Summer School. Many eminent dancers have gained early additional training through the scheme; Kevin and Michael O' Hare, Samara  Downs, Elizabeth Harrod, James Barton, Brandon Lawrence, Reece Clark, I believe, amongst many others.

But you are right that there is a Birmingham connection, since Iain Mackay was such an eminent dancer at Birmingham Royal Ballet.

[Odyssey]

Thanks for this.background but I was just asking if Elmhurst ihad done something similar in the past.