Press Release: Kenneth Tindall bows out after 14 years with Northern Ballet

[Jan McNulty]

Kenneth Tindall bows out after 14 years with Northern Ballet
 
Northern Ballet’s Premier Dancer, Kenneth Tindall, is to retire from Northern Ballet after 14 years with the Company. One of Britain’s emerging choreographic talents, award-winning Kenneth is moving on to a career as a Freelance Choreographer after gaining recognition for his work with Northern Ballet and other artists.  His farewell performance will be as Heathcliff in Claude-Michel Schönberg and David Nixon OBE’s Wuthering Heights at Milton Keynes Theatre at 7.30pm on Saturday 2 May 2015. Performing opposite Kenneth as Heathcliff’s love interest, Cathy, will be Julie Charlet, formerly a First Soloist with Northern Ballet who left in 2013 to join Ballet du Capitole in Toulouse. Julie will return as a Guest Artist especially for Kenneth’s farewell performance.
 
Kenneth originally joined Northern Ballet in 2000 after training at the Central School of Ballet. After a year each with The Israel Ballet and K Ballet, he re-joined Northern Ballet in 2003 working his way up to the rank of Premier Dancer under the directorship of David Nixon OBE.  He has performed many leading roles during his career, often dancing alongside his wife, Northern Ballet’s Leading Soloist Hannah Bateman. Some of his most recognisable roles have included Wadjet, a role created on him, in Cleopatra, Dracula in Dracula, Claudius in Hamlet and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights along with many others.
 
In addition to performing with the Company, Kenneth has also been working as a choreographer since taking part in Northern Ballet’s choreographic workshop in 2011 which resulted in his first piece for the Company, Project #1. Kenneth has since created two further works for Northern Ballet, including Luminous Junc·ture, which was recently performed to sell-out audiences at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre, and The Architect which premièred in Leeds in June 2014 and will see its London première in May 2015. Kenneth is currently creating a new piece for Northern Ballet which will be premièred at the Company’s 45^th anniversary Sapphire Gala at Leeds Grand Theatre on 14 March 2015.
 
Winner of the Bundesjugendballett Production Prize at the 26^th Choreography Competition in Hannover and nominated for Best Young Choreographer at the 2014 Taglioni European Ballet Awards, Kenneth’s choreographic work has also seem him collaborate with a variety of people from composers to fashion designers and visual artists, including Linder Sterling. His work has been performed at art fairs and galleries, including the 2014 Frieze Art Fair and Tate St Ives, as well as at Sadler’s Wells and David Lynch’s private club.
 
Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Nixon OBE said: ‘Kenneth has been able to fulfil his potential as a dancer at Northern Ballet performing in a variety of roles. I am very pleased that the creative environment at Northern Ballet has been the catalyst for his promising career as a choreographer. We thank Kenneth for his many contributions to the Company and wish him well with his future journey.’
 
Kenneth Tindall said: ‘This decision has been a really difficult one to make but I’ve been blessed to have achieved everything that I wanted to as a dancer and now I am excited to move on to the next phase of my career.
 
A dancer’s journey is a hard one and you don’t get there by yourself so I want to say a massive thank you to everyone I’ve ever worked with. Northern Ballet is a special company with incredible people and the bonds we have forged will last forever. It’s been a pleasure and an honour and, though I look forward to moving on to a new challenge, Northern Ballet will always have a special place in my heart.’
 
Northern Ballet will perform Wuthering Heights at Milton Keynes Theatre from 28 Apr – 2 May 2015, tickets for all performances, including Kenneth’s farewell performance, can be booked at atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes or by calling 0844 871 7652.
 
Tickets for the Sapphire Gala are on sale at leedsgrandtheatre.com or by calling 0844 848 2700. Audiences can see Kenneth Tindall’s The Architect as part of Northern Ballet’s Mixed Programme which will be performed in Leeds and London in May 2015. For more information, visit northernballet.com/mp2015.
 
-ENDS-
 

Notes to Editors
For more details of Northern Ballet's tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson.
 
Voted Best Company at the 2014 Taglioni European Ballet Awards, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets.
 
Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 32 weeks of the year. The Company of 46 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK and is the only large scale ballet company to do so. Northern Ballet will introduce a new strand of touring in 2015, widening the Company’s already extensive reach. The new mid-scale tour will see the Company perform in nine additional venues.
 
Northern Ballet tours widely with its ballets for children, the first three of which were adapted for TV by CBeebies, and also performs a mixed programme showcasing the versatility of its dancers.
 
Visit northernballet.com for more information on the Company and tour. Production images and information are available via the online media centre.
 
For more information on Kenneth Tindall visit kennethtindall.co.uk. 
 
Listings
 
Sapphire Gala
Leeds Grand Theatre
14 Mar 2015
leedsgrandtheatre.com
Box Office 0844 848 2700
On sale now
 
Mixed Programme (incl. The Architect)
Leeds, Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre
6 – 9 May 2015
theatreleeds.com
Box Office 0113 220 8008
On sale now
 
London, Linbury Studio Theatre
12 – 14 May 2015
roh.org.uk
Box Office 0207 304 4000
On sale now
 
Wuthering Heights at Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Theatre
28 Apr – 2 May 2015
atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes
Box Office 0844 871 7652
On sale now
 

[Jan McNulty]

Kenny has been a wonderful ambassador for Northern Ballet and has always been a great support for the Friends.

 

I have enjoyed his performances in too many roles to mention them all but in recent years Wadjet (in Cleopatra) and Tom (in Gatsby) spring to mind.  For me, I finally realised what a consumate artiste he had become with his creation of Sydney Carton in Cathy Marston's Tale of Two Cities - he was utterly breath-taking and heart-breaking.  His Heathcliff in the last revival of Wuthering Heights was quite simply outstanding.  He brought something really special to the role and I wept for him.  As I hated every last word of the book, which I did for O level and never felt any empathy with any of the characters this was no mean feat!

 

Kenny will be missed by all his fans but I am sure he will have a very successful future as a choreographer and anything else he turns his hand too.

 

Good luck Kenny!