Jan McNulty Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I've just found this on Northern Ballet's website: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=ugly-duckling Ugly Duckling - A Ballet for Children We are delighted to announce Ugly Ducking, our first ballet especially for children. A poor duckling is lonely and fed-up, shunned by those around him who see him as too ugly to fit in. Follow the duckling on his journey as he overcomes his troubles and turns into a beautiful swan, beginning a happy new life. Retelling the famous Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, Northern Ballet's Ugly Duckling is the perfect opportunity to introduce your little ones to the magic of live ballet, music and theatre. Performed within the relaxed environment of the 230 seat Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Ugly Duckling will last approximately 45 minutes. Dates & times Monday 29 October to Friday 2 November. Performances daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm (except Thursday 1 November when there is no 3pm performance.) Prices are £5 per ticket, £4 for children. There are no other discounts or concessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Northern Ballet have released more detail of their new ballet for children: Northern Ballet announce first short ballet for small people Ugly Duckling, Northern Ballet’s first short ballet for small people, will be performed in Leeds this autumn. Supported by Leeds Inspired the project is designed to encourage children to see their first ballet and introduce young families across Leeds to Northern Ballet. Ugly Duckling will be choreographed by Northern Ballet dancers Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe. Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, Ugly Duckling is the story of a lonely duckling who doesn’t fit in with her friends. Throughout the ballet, the duckling learns about herself and those around her and when she learns to love who she is she turns into a beautiful swan and begins a happy new life. The colourful production for children aged four and up will feature a host of animal characters including cats, frogs and a fox. The performance time will be 40 minutes in length and the music performed will range from classical compositions to the theme tunes of popular children’s cartoons. Sebastian Loe said, ‘The great thing about Ugly Duckling and other children's stories is that they teach important and timeless values from a young age. The message we want to put across in Ugly Duckling is that we should be confident in embracing who we are and ultimately we should not be afraid of being ourselves.’ To develop the production, Northern Ballet has employed the expertise of families across Harehills and Chapeltown. Selina McGonagle Director of Learning at Northern Ballet said, “Children will assist in the creation of the work to ensure the production is lively and engaging. Ugly Duckling will be made with children for children. The production will be performed with Northern Ballet dancers in communities outside the city centre to give more people access to live theatre.” Ugly Duckling will be performed in Leeds communities over the summer and will be accompanied by education activities at duck ponds across Leeds. The performance will tour around the region before coming to the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre on 29 October for 14 performances. Dreda Blow who co-choreographed the production said, ‘According to my parents, I saw my first ballet when I was only two years old and was absolutely riveted! I sat perfectly still, my eyes glued to the stage the entire time. If our production of Ugly Duckling inspires children to start ballet lessons then that's great, but most importantly I hope it awakens in them a love and appreciation for the magic of dance and theatre in general. Sebastian and I want to create a performance rich in personality and humour with lots of impressive, beautiful dancing as well. I can't wait to see the children's reactions on première night!’ http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=press-release/12-06-11/northern-ballet-announce-first-short-ballet-small-people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 Northern Ballet have put some production photographs on their website for Ugly Duckling: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=ugly-duckling/photos It looks an absolute delight! I've booked to go and see it (even though I haven't got any little ones to take with me). The photographs were taken by ex-Northern Ballet favourite Martin Bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 If only it were closer, I'd go too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 I believe it's due to tour more widely next year. Hopefully to a theatre near you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Northern Ballet have published an online programme for The Ugly Duckling. The back page shows the tour dates for Spring 2013: http://issuu.com/northernballet/docs/northern-ballet-ugly-duckling-programme?mode=window&pageNumber=6 March: 12 - Middlesborough 13 - Hexham 15 - Liverpool 16 - Huddersfield 19 - Newcastle 20 - Bradford 22 - Whitby 23 - Berwick 26 - Blackpool 28 - Leicester April: 04 - Barrow in Furness 05 - Lancaster 06 - Harrogate 09 - Barnsley 10 - Hull 13 - Goole 19 - Milton Keynes May: 03 - Norwich 17 - Sadler's Wells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yippee! Thanks Janet, there are a couple of venues there that are possibilities! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now