Press Release: PRESS RELEASE Birmingham Royal Ballet's BRB2 company to recieve major funding award from Jerwood Foundation

[Jan McNulty]

PRESS RELEASE

15 October 2024

 

 

 Birmingham Royal Ballet announces major funding award from

Jerwood Foundation in support of BRB2

 

 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet today announces that Jerwood Foundation has generously awarded BRB a £100k grant split over 2 years (£50k per year). The multi-year grant will provide vital support for BRB2 for the 24/25 and 25/26 seasons. The Foundation will support a total of 15 dancers (BRB2 cohort 2, 3 & 4), and the delivery of 2 regional tours of a new ballet programme to 8-10 venues.

 

Carlos Acosta, CBE, Director, Birmingham Royal Ballet said: ‘We are so grateful to Jerwood Foundation for its declaration of confidence in Birmingham Royal Ballet through its transformative support for our junior company, BRB2.

 

BRB2 is at the heart of our mission to develop emerging talent and serves as a vital bridge enabling young dancers to make the important transition from training to commencing their careers as professional dancers.

 

The programme offers specialist mentoring and performance opportunities that are rare for young dancers starting out in their careers.

 

Since its launch in 2022, BRB2 has presented two extensive tours, enriching the experience of audiences with BRB2's ballet stars of tomorrow. Notably, these performances took place in towns and cities with limited access to world-class dance.

 

Thank you to the Foundation for helping us to realise our vision to create an environment where the next generation of ballet dancers can truly thrive.’

 

 

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee, Jerwood Foundation said: ‘This major grant of £100,000 reaffirms Jerwood Foundation’s long-standing relationship with Birmingham Royal Ballet and underlines Jerwood’s commitment to supporting excellence in the arts. I am therefore delighted that Jerwood will be supporting BRB2, a unique talent development programme for the very best ballet graduates from around the world, which enables the next generation of exceptional dancers to realise their creative potential and forge careers as professional dancers.’ 

 

 

BRB2’s third UK tour in May 2025 features an all new programme Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration. Described as 'pinsharp and personality laden', BRB2 brings together some of the world's very best young dancers, the international stars of the future, to share their incredible talent.

 

Carlos Acosta has created a brand-new gala production for this year, featuring highlights from the repertory of Serge Diaghilev's troupe of rebel dancers, musicians and designers who fled Russia to set a new standard in creativity that inspires and resonates across the world of dance to this day.

 

 

The repertoire of this next generation of ballet includes The Firebird, Spectre de la Rose, Les Sylphides and Scheherazade. 

 

 

The work will pay tribute to Mikhail Fokine and the seminal works he created at the beginning of the last century. The choreography, sets and costumes will remain faithful to Fokine’s original vision but will be adapted to fit smaller stages. As with last season’s ‘Classical Selection,’ the repertoire will showcase and develop emerging talent and present important repertoire in venues around the UK that don’t always have access to classical ballet. The music will be a recording made by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia exclusively for this tour, presented in theatre with live piano.

 

 

The company will make its Birmingham Hippodrome debut before travelling to Sadler’s Wells East where it will be the first ballet company to perform in its inaugural season.  The tour then moves on to Poole Lighthouse before culminating with a return to the Royal and Derngate in Northampton.

 

 

BRB2 puts the spotlight on some of the best ballet dancers from across the globe aged 18–22. The original cohort of BRB2 dancers Maïlène Katoch, Jack Easton Frieda Kaden, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg and Mason King all completed the two year programme in BRB’s junior company last season and have now joined the main company as Artists.

 

 

The new BRB2 cohort: Charlotte Cohen (Royal Ballet School), Andrea Riolo (Royal Ballet School),  Noah Cosgriff (Australian Academy of Classical Ballet), Ellyne Knol(Royal Conservatoire in The Hague) and Ixan Llorca Ferrer (Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso) have all joined BRB2 this season. Sophie Walters, who trained at Elmhurst Ballet School, completed her apprenticeship and will also join BRB2. They will join the second cohort of Ariana Allen (UK / Royal Ballet School), Alisa Garkavenko (Ukraine / Princess Grace Academy), Thomas Hazelby (UK / Royal Ballet School) and Alexandra Manuel (USA / Royal Ballet School).

 

 

Also dancing with BRB2 is Marlo Kempsey-Fagg (brother of BRB Artist Oscar) who joins the company as Apprentice Dancer from Elmhurst Ballet School. Marlo started dancing at the age of 6 when his talent was identified in a local Birmingham Primary School and he joined BRB’s Dance Track programme.

 

 

Listings Information

 

 

BRB2

Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration

Diaghilev and the birth of Modern Ballet 

Programme:

Les Sylphides - Fokine/Chopin

Scheherazade  (PDD) -  Fokine/Rimsky-Korsakov

Les Biches -  Nijinska/Poulenc

Spectre de La Rose - Fokine/Von Weber arr. Berlioz

Firebird  (solo, PDD, & finale) - Fokine/Stravinsky

 

Birmingham Hippodrome

 6 May, 7.30pm

 

Sadler's Wells East

9 & 10 May, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

 

Lighthouse Poole

13 May, 7.30pm

14 May 2.30pm and 7.30pm

 

Northampton

17 May 2.30pm and 7.30pm

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet

 

 

Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future.

 

The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta.

Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs over 100 shows a year nationally and internationally.

 

The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra, it is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and La Scala Ballet. www.brb.org.uk

 

About Jerwood Foundation

 

Jerwood Foundation was established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE. The Foundation supports excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK and has to date donated over £110 million. In 2023 the Foundation merged with Jerwood Charity (Jerwood Arts) to create a single UK charity, ensuring maximum impact for beneficiaries and a sustainable future. Alan Grieve, who was Chairman of Jerwood Foundation for 30 years, was appointed Chairman Emeritus and Rupert Tyler appointed Chairman. The organisation is led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee.

 

Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of Modern and Contemporary art, and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art.  Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when opened in 1998. Jerwood Space continues to be one of the best and most sought-after rehearsal spaces for theatre and dance in the country.

 

To find out more about Jerwood, visit jerwood.org

[Pas de Quatre]

Good news, and I am delighted that Poole is a venue on their tours!

[LinMM]

Very good news and linked to 8-10 venues over two years. 

[Peanut68]

This is all good big I still really struggle to understand why am grant of £50,000 a year is necessary…. If a company provides what audiences will pay for (& BRB2 are pricing that model works with selling out kits of mid range venues). Bit a tour needs to be multiple venues each month - even each week. That’s a  true rotting ballet company taking ballet to the provinces. Pavlova’s company & many others back in the day priced the commercial model. Why died ‘culture’s feel it must be ‘special case’ & basically be funded to not perform

muxh? These dancers are capable of performing several nights a week. Get your moneys worth from their sale rues by getting them to do what they are paid for (& what they want to do!) & get them on the road!! Regular tours are what builds a longterm repeat audience. This ‘occasional’ smattering of art is what prolongs the idea it’s elitist. 
Get out there & get working. 
Stop thinking the masses have to subsidise art for the few. No! Get dancing for the masses!! Give them what they want & promote or & work hard at selling it - like they had to do all those years before! 

[Jan McNulty]

We have been told over and over again by the touring British companies that touring costs companies money @Peanut68.  Unless ticket prices rise significantly the companies will still depend on public financing.  I'm not saying it's right but it's the way it is.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

That’s a  true rotting ballet company taking ballet to the provinces

“a rotting ballet company” 🙂 

That made me laugh. 

[FionaM]

£100,000 for BRB2 vs $60 million for San Francisco Ballet.  

 

Private sponsorship has a long way to go in UK.  

still … something is WAY better than nothing. 

 

Edited October 16, 2024 by FionaM

[Peanut68]

Oh no - I really shouldn’t compose messages late at night by light of phone alone & minus my specs!! So sorry for that terrible message!

I was of course referring to Touring Companies & also at how well BRB2 sold the venues it visited so surely extending the tour could see perhaps more initial costs recouped to even turn a profit? 

[Pas de Quatre]

I am afraid I still don't understand all the variables of financing. Companies may have an Arts Council grant (a few do not) together with varying amounts of Private sponsorship. The venues the companies appear at have their own funding from Arts Council, local government (unless they have gone bankrupt like Birmingham),  and private sponsors. The Arts Council dictates where the companies receiving grants can appear on tour. A total minefield!

[Jan McNulty]

21 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

We have been told over and over again by the touring British companies that touring costs companies money @Peanut68.  Unless ticket prices rise significantly the companies will still depend on public financing.  I'm not saying it's right but it's the way it is.

 

13 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

 

I was of course referring to Touring Companies & also at how well BRB2 sold the venues it visited so surely extending the tour could see perhaps more initial costs recouped to even turn a profit? 

 

 

If touring costs a company money (and we have been told it does by ENB (the reason Rojo gave for cancelling the spring tours), BRB and NB) then I don't see how more dates would recoup costs.

 

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

34 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

I am afraid I still don't understand all the variables of financing. Companies may have an Arts Council grant (a few do not) together with varying amounts of Private sponsorship. The venues the companies appear at have their own funding from Arts Council, local government (unless they have gone bankrupt like Birmingham),  and private sponsors. The Arts Council dictates where the companies receiving grants can appear on tour. A total minefield!

 

Not all theatres have Arts Council funding - eg ATG and I am sure there must be others.

[Pas de Quatre]

Sorry, brain dead at the moment, what is ATG?

[Peanut68]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

 

 

If touring costs a company money (and we have been told it does by ENB (the reason Rojo gave for cancelling the spring tours), BRB and NB) then I don't see how more dates would recoup costs.

 

 

 

I was referring to the initial set up costs - such as commissioning choreographers/fees to perform a choreographers works/set/costume etc. The more used the more the price per use reduces & the more dates sold assists in this. I understand fixed costs per date includes so many things too which can only have got more costly of late (travel/accommodation/staff wages/insurances etc) 

[Dawnstar]

4 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Sorry, brain dead at the moment, what is ATG?

 

The Ambassador Theatre Group. They own several West End theatres & lots of regional ones, so any company doing an extensive UK tour is quite likely to be visiting some ATG-owned venues.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

I was referring to the initial set up costs - such as commissioning choreographers/fees to perform a choreographers works/set/costume etc. The more used the more the price per use reduces & the more dates sold assists in this. I understand fixed costs per date includes so many things too which can only have got more costly of late (travel/accommodation/staff wages/insurances etc) 

 

I was referring to touring an existing production...