insidethe magazine from northern ballet issue 8 winter 2010

Our New HomeNorthern Ballet’spowerhouse fordance

Bernard AthaChampion for theArts in Yorkshire

She’s Coming… Our must-see balletfor 2011

welcome

Contents

02 Welcome

04 News in brief

05 Northern Ballet – a powerhouse forinventive dance

08 Bernard Atha – a champion of the Arts

10 Cleopatra – pull-outposter and perform-ance diary

12 Creating Cleopatra

15 Join in – getting closerto Northern Ballet

16 Northern Ballet across the World

17 Full circle – more waysto join in with NorthernBallet

18 Look out for...

Dear Friends

Welcome to your new look inside magazine, the first issuefrom our fantastic new home in the centre of Leeds.

It has been a very eventful few months since we last spokeand we have definitely entered an exciting new era. As you’llsee we have had a subtle change of name, dropping ‘theatre’from our title. This is part of a complete rebrand which alsoincorporates a new logo (at a jaunty angle), a series ofdramatic new production images, a palette of colours and anew website to help make us immediately recognisable toour audiences across the UK and overseas.

The launch of the rebrand coincided with the move to ouramazing new home on Quarry Hill, Leeds, which really is asight to behold. It truly is the powerhouse of dance wedreamed it would be. Situated in Leeds’ cultural quarter, nextto the BBC, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds College ofMusic and Yorkshire Dance, our glass-fronted building has 7studios over 6 floors, a Studio Theatre, and a bright, openatrium complete with cafe. We are sharing the building withPhoenix Dance Theatre. I can’t tell you how good it is to finallyhave an appropriate, purpose-built space we can call ourown, a space that will facilitate our world-class dancers andour growing Academy – the dancers of the future. This is abright and friendly new building which will encourage inven-tion and creativity, where we can showcase our work andinvite others to join and become involved. We officiallylaunch the building in January 2011.

We are already in the process of creating a new production,the first to be developed here in the new Northern Ballet HQ,and my first new full-length ballet in over two years. I amcreating Cleopatra with the endlessly-talented Claude-MichelSchönberg. Claude-Michel is best know for his musicals LesMisérables, Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre and by NorthernBallet aficionados for his score for Wuthering Heights whichwe revived last year to great acclaim. Cleopatra’s story hasinterested both Claude-Michel and me for some time and Iam thrilled we are finally getting to create it as a ballettogether. Cleopatra is an iconic woman – a mother, a lover, aqueen – whose popularity seems to continue to grow. Theproduction will open in Leeds on 26 February 2011.

Before we take to Egypt however, we’ve been back to the landof the Snowflakes with The Nutcracker which we’veperformed around the country and we’re also off to Beijingwhere will perform Romeo & Juliet and Madame Butterfly overthe New Year period. Busy times ahead!

So, we may look a bit different and we are in a new home, butall these changes just enhance the fact that we’re still thesame great Company. As ever we’re grateful for your loyaltyand support. I look forward to seeing you at the theatre soon,and welcoming you to our new home.

Best wishes

David Nixon, OBE Artistic Director

inside

Issue 8 Winter 2010

Cover image: Yi Song in Swan Lake. Photo: Jason Tozer.

3

Don’t just sit there Northern Ballet’s Dance EducationOfficers Sophie Alder and Caroline Burnare getting the people of Yorkshiremoving! They are leading two danceprojects focusing on creating crosscultural activities that combine the artsand sport to encourage people to beactive. Sophie is working on a projectthat brings together dance and divingto be performed at the Leeds DivingCentre and at the John Charles SportsCentre, while Caroline is combiningdance and rugby in Hull as she teamsup with the Rugby Football Leaguedancers to create an audience partici-pation piece to be performed on thepitch at the Hull rugby derby on GoodFriday, 2011.

inside news in brief

Hellos

Northern Ballet welcomes Javier Torres (pictured) as a PremierDancer. Javier joins us from Ballet Nacional de Cuba. NicolaGervasi has also joined the Company as 1st Year Corps andMichaela Griffin, Josh Barwick and Matthew Broadbent join asApprentices.

Welcome to Viki Westall, Academy Deputy Associate Director;Faye Cardwell, Academy Assistant; Heidi Thornton, AssistantStage Manager; Thomas Orchard-Webb, CommunicationsAssistant; Mischa Summerill, Learning Assistant; HeatherHarkness, Academy Student Support Assistant; Claire O’Neill,Wardrobe Assistant and Helen Russell, Wigs Manager.

Of course with our new home come new people. Our recep-tion team includes Aled Roberts, Karen Dixon and CarolMcCarthy with Rosita deSouza on Saturday’s, all ablysupported by Fiona Heseltine on occasions. Our Caretakersare Shaun Daniels and Robert Cordingley.

Official Building Launch We will officially open our new buildingwith a special open day on 22 January.This is an opportunity to come alongand see the new facilities in use andsee behind the scenes of both NorthernBallet and Phoenix Dance Theatre.Watch classes and rehearsals in thestudios, take a tour of the building,take part in a range of free activitiesfrom both companies and our partners.You'll find more information on ourwebsite over the coming weekswww.northernballet.com Read all aboutour wonderful new home on pages 6and 7.

Goodbyes

So long, farewell to: Georgina Gabbie, Head of Wigs; MeganMcLoughlin, Trusts and Foundations Manager; PippaPlumtree-Varley, Learning Co-ordinator and Carly Harris,Communications Assistant.

We have also bid farewell to Christopher Hinton-Lewis(pictured) who has moved on to the Royal New ZealandBallet; David Ward, who has left to work with BalletMet inOhio and Nathalie Léger who retired from dancing but is nowa teacher in our Academy.

We’ve also said a short-term goodbye and congratulations toSelina McGonagle who has gone on maternity leave with hersecond child, William Patrick Clossick.

Photo: Christopher Hinton-Lewis as Hamlet. Photo: Dee Conway

4 inside news

Keep dancing

Dance classes are now underway and available for people ofall ages and abilities at our new home. From tiny tots toclasses for the over 50s, beginners classes to advanced train-ing, there is something for everyone. For further details visitour website www.northernballet.com/joinin

Waitrose donationNorthern Ballet’s Academy students were spotted dancing inthe aisles at the new Waitrose Meanwood store in celebrationof the supermarket’s support of training for budding balletdancers in Leeds and Yorkshire. The donation came just asNorthern Ballet and its Academy took up residence in our newhome and will be used to help establish a dance library ofbooks and DVDs, as well as to fund bursaries and uniformsfor students aged 8-16.

Northern Ballet overseas

Northern Ballet continued its international touring pro-gramme this summer with performances of Peter Pan (pic-tured) in Hong Kong and Macau and A Christmas Carol inBangkok. The dancers head to Beijing in January to performMadame Butterfly and Romeo & Juliet. Marketing Leeds andWelcome to Yorkshire are supporting Northern Ballet's tour toBeijing. The Bangkok tour was supported by Marketing Leedsand OOCL Freight Company which provided invaluable sup-port by shipping sets and costumes from Leeds to Bangkokand back. Visit the Northern Ballet website to see dancers’pictures and blogs from their trips abroad.

Quarry Hill CreatesA partnership of cultural businesseslocated on the Quarry Hill area ofcentral Leeds have come together toreclaim it as one of the most excitingand creative areas of the city. QuarryHill Creates is a partnership of morethan 14 creative organisations sited onor around Quarry Hill who are comingtogether to raise the profile of thisintriguing area of the city, to shareresources and expertise and to workcollaboratively on new projects. Watchthis space for news on upcomingcollaborations and performances.

Some of the articles in this issue have been edited for spacereasons. You can read them in full on our website atwww.northernballet.com/inside

Photo: Ashley Dixon as Peter Pan. Photo: Merlin Hendy

Photo: Hannah Kirkpatrick

Photo: Academy students Jenny Layton and Paul Smith. Photo: Brian Slater

welcome to our new home 5

welcometoourpowerhouse forinventivedance

6 inside our new home

You enter the building through our spaciousatrium in which you will find the café/bar, ourreception team, meeting rooms and the twoground floors studios which make up the large230-seat Studio Theatre.

The café is open from 8am-8pm serving a rangeof delicious food and drink. It’s the perfect placeto rub shoulders with professional dancers andAcademy students from both Northern Balletand Phoenix Dance Theatre, catch glimpses ofrehearsals in the Studio Theatre and even listento the Northern Ballet Sinfonia in rehearsal – all for the price of a cup of coffee!

The Studio Theatre is Europe’s largest dance

studio. As our stage is the same size as theLeeds Grand Theatre stage, we will be able torehearse new productions with set and lightingbefore we move into the theatre. This wonderfulspace is also available for hire for performances,conferences, dinners and other functions.

Over a further four floors you’ll find more studiospace (we have 7 studios in total), the adminis-trative centres for both Northern Ballet andPhoenix Dance and a health suite.

There are meeting rooms throughout the build-ing that are available for hire and the BernardAtha Board Suite, located on floor five, has anadjoining terrace area which inside can testify

northernballet – new home,new era

It’s finally happened, we’ve moved to our new purpose-built home onQuarry Hill and it’s better than any of us could ever have imagined.Located in central Leeds it is a landmark building which gives us theprofile and visibility we lacked in our old headquarters.

Previous page photo: Thefront entrance from inside.Photos page 6 from top:South elevation; Studio 7: The Bramall Studio; Thesouthwest corner; The StudioTheatre auditorium

Photos: Jonathan Taylor

northern ballet’s new home 7

gives magnificent views of the city at all times ofthe day and is particularly spectacular at sunset.The Board Suite and terrace make the perfectspace for entertaining as well as an ideal andinspiring meeting space.

On the top of the building is a green roof.Offering wonderful views of the city it’s notaccessible to anyone other than the NorthernBallet sheep who keep the grass short andprovide wool for our costumes (only joking).

We will be organising opportunities for Friends toget involved in the new building. As so many ofyou contributed towards our capital fundraisingcampaign we hope you are proud of our newhome and will use it as much as possible. Wecan’t thank you enough for your continuedsupport of the Company.

The new building offers us so many opportuni-ties for creativity, collaboration and partnerships.It coincides with the creation of our new ballet,Cleopatra and the launch of our new brand, sowe are facing the future positively. The support ofour Friends and Patrons will, however, be instru-mental to our continued success.

The move to our new building has coincidedwith a cut in our funding from Arts CouncilEngland of £195,000 for 2011/12. With possi-ble cuts planned from the local authority andwith our audiences making careful decisionsabout how to spend their money it is going to bea very challenging time for the Company.However, we feel we are in a great position toface the challenges that lay before us. We needto use our building to help generate muchneeded revenue for the Company so you couldhelp us by hiring it for your own meetings andevents and recommending it to others. If this issomething you’d be interested in contact JudithBaker, our Friends & Events Manager on 0113220 8000 or email Judith.baker@northernbal-let.com

Update your address book - our new address is Northern Ballet, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7PA, Tel: 0113 220 8000 Email info@northernballet.comwww.northernballet.com

For a full version of this article including aguided tour of each floor visit www.northernballet.com/inside

Photos page 7 from left:The view from our café/baracross the atrium. The buildingat night. Bottom: Seating in the atrium.

Photos: Jonathan Taylor

8 inside a profile of Bernard Atha

Born and bred in Yorkshire, Bernard Atha is aman who defines the meaning of Yorkshire gritin the way he has shown steely determination insteering Northern Ballet through many chal-lenges over many years. Bernard, as he is fondlyknown by the dancers and staff at NorthernBallet, was until recently Chair of our Board ofDirectors. He has now passed the mantle ontoDavid Forbes but to honour his hard work and inthe true hope that Bernard remains involvedwith the Company, he has been given a newtitle, Honorary Life President.

A true champion of the arts in Leeds, Bernardwas instrumental in the success of many of themajor arts developments in the city includingWest Yorkshire Playhouse and Yorkshire Dance.He brought Northern Ballet to Leeds in 1996 andworked tirelessly to ensure our dreams of a newheadquarters became a reality.

We believe Bernard is unique and the wholeCompany would like to thank him for the workhe has done for us. inside had the pleasure oftalking to Bernard just before a dinner was heldin his honour at Northern Ballet.

Bernard, you’ve been Chair of Northern Balletfor many years, campaigning for our new building. How does it feel to be sittinghere now?It’s a dream come true. It’s better than I couldhave hoped for. The original concept was tobring a school, the Central School of Ballet, uphere to premises we would have found. Itwouldn’t have been as good as this. This istruly majestic.

You’ve been instrumental to many of thecultural developments in Leeds. Do you lookaround you and get a certain sense of satisfac-tion at your life’s work?There is a certain amount of satisfaction but Idon’t want to be pompous about it. I ampleased particularly with this area, Quarry Hill.About 12 years ago I made a proposal for thisto be a cultural quarter for Leeds and amaz-ingly most of what I proposed has happened.Yorkshire Dance gave a home to PhoenixDance Theatre for many years, the College ofMusic came here and Northern Ballet was thefinal piece of the jigsaw. We had this site allo-cated 10 years ago for Northern Ballet and it’s

Bernard Atha – a champion of theArts and a trueYorkshire icon

been a real fight to make sure other peoplehaven’t come in and taken it. You have to givecredit to the Council for not handing this siteover to anyone else as it is very valuable. But it’sbeen a fight that has been very worthwhile. Thepossibilities for all the organisations based hereto collaborate is very exciting.

The burden of making this building happen hasfallen pretty much on one person, Mark Skipper(Northern Ballet’s Chief Executive) and it is atribute to him that we are sat here now. I’m veryproud of the whole Company and I’m very proudof him.

We are here today to celebrate your achieve-ments and your new role as Honorary LifePresident of Northern Ballet. What do you thinkabout that new title?To be a life president of Northern Ballet is some-thing I never dreamt of. It’s a great honour and I’m touched by the kindness of the people whosuggested it. They’ve even named a room afterme – which I’m pleased is not a lavatory! It’s the Bernard Atha Board Suite which is a nice gesture.

As a proud parent who has watched NorthernBallet come of age, what are your hopes now forthe future of Northern Ballet?The Arts Council recognising Northern Ballet’simportance and funding it at an appropriatelevel. It is a company that takes ballet to morepeople all over the country than any of the othercompanies do. Northern Ballet now has a stan-dard of dance that matches some of the best inthe world and I think that’s a tribute to YokoIchino and David Nixon who brought it to thatlevel. To gain an appreciation of the arts youhave to be exposed to it. Northern Ballet bringsballet into many peoples’ lives and I believe ourlives are richer because of the Company.

For a longer version of this interview visitwww.northernballet.com/inside

a champion of the arts 9

Photos: Opposite Page:Councillor Bernard Atha.Photo: Brian Slater.

Above from left: NorthernBallet Chair David Forbes,Premiere Dancer PippaMoore, ex-Northern Balletdancer David Ward andHonorary Life PresidentBernard Atha on the site ofthe Company’s new homebefore its completion.

10 inside northern ballet’s cleopatra

Performance dates:World PremièreSaturday 26 February – Saturday 5 MarchLeeds, Grand TheatreBox Office 0844 844 2701

Thursday 10 – Saturday 12 MarchEdinburgh, Festival TheatreBox Office 0131 259 6000

Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 MarchHull, New TheatreBox Office 01482 226655

Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 MarchSheffield, Lyceum TheatreBox Office 0114 249 6060

Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 AprilCardiff, New TheatreBox Office 029 2087 8889

Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 MayMilton Keynes TheatreBox Office 0870 060 6652

Wednesday 11 – Saturday 14 MayBelfast, Grand Opera HouseBox Office 0289 024 1919

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 MayLondon, Sadler’s WellsBox Office 0844 412 4306

claude-michel schönberg and david nixon’s

cleop

your pull-out-and-keep poster 11

patraPhoto: Jason Tozer

12 inside

Cleopatra’s story is one that David Nixon hasbeen itching to tell as a ballet. “I’ve been inter-ested in Cleopatra and that period for a longtime. I think the legend and the mystery of thewoman grow rather than lessen. Two-thousandyears later she is as popular as she ever was, infact more so.”

The inspiration behind Cleopatra came from therevival of a previous collaborative project,Northern Ballet’s Wuthering Heights, which sawClaude-Michel and David working together forthe first time in 2002.

David explains: “The revival of WutheringHeights in 2009 was the key turning pointbecause Claude-Michel and I decided that weneeded an extra scene in the ballet forHeathcliff,” David said. “The combination of re-writing part of the music and working with anew cast six years after having created the orig-

inal production somehow meant the ballettook off far more intensely and powerfullythan it had the first time. Claude-Michel wasreally inspired by this, and so immediately westarted talking about the next project and I said, you know, Cleopatra is still there.

“Two weeks later I got a phone call fromClaude-Michel asking me to come over andlisten to some of the music he’d written. Itwas incredible. It was imaginative andsensual and moving and captured thehumanity of the characters. Sometimes withpeople like Cleopatra and Alexander theGreat, or any of these phenomenal charac-ters, we forget that they are also human andare capable of emotions. I felt so muchemotion in the music Claude-Michel had writ-ten, even the naivety of Cleopatra was there. Ifelt that I could not let somebody else chore-ograph to that music. It was mine!”

creatingcleopatra

Cleopatra is Northern Ballet’s new production for 2011. Created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and David Nixon, this promises to be one ofNorthern Ballet’s most exciting ballets. David Nixon gave inside a taste of what to expect.

Creating Cleopatra 13

Claude-Michel’s music is the driving forcebehind David’s creative process for Cleopatra.“The dance really comes out of the music. Irespond to what he’s written. Maybe becausehe writes for musicals there’s always a bit morelatitude in what you can do with the music.With Claude Michel’s music, if I find myselfsomewhere else, I can often work with it. Itmoves you, and you move to it. The music isreally powerful and I think people will love it.For me, it’s some of the best he’s ever written.”

Cleopatra has inspired generations of artistsand David is keen that he represents this iconicwoman as honestly and fairly as he can. Hetells us: “What we want to focus on is that she’snot just a seductress, she’s an intelligent,sensual woman, who always has her country atthe forefront of her mind. People thought of hernot only as a Queen but also as a Goddess. Iwant the audience to understand her as ahuman as much as someone going to lead acountry. She possessed a quality that couldengage men and hold them, and I’m hoping tosomehow create that kind of charisma, and atthe same time let the audience know this was awoman who had children, who was trying toprotect them. She was someone who thoughtseveral times in her life that she had achievedher goal only to be left running for her life.

There’s an incredible woman in there.”Cleopatra has its world premiere in Leeds onSaturday 26 February and will then embark on anational tour to theatres in Edinburgh, Hull,Sheffield, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Belfast,London, Nottingham, Woking and Norwich.Tickets are on sale in most venues.

For an extended version of this interview visitwww.northernballet.com/inside

Keep up-to-date with the development of theballet by signing up to Cleopatra Confidential atwww.northernballet.com/cleopatra and receiveadvance booking information, behind-the-scenes photos, footage, interviews and clips ofthe music.

Book a table at our exclusive Cleopatra dinnerin Leeds on Wednesday 2 March 2011. For£150 per person, enjoy a pre-performancechampagne reception, a complimentaryprogramme, interval drinks and a three coursepost-performance meal in the unique surround-ings of the Howard Assembly Rooms at LeedsGrand Theatre. For further information or tobook a place contact Judith Baker on 0113 2208000 or emailjudith.baker@northernballet.com

Main picture: Martha Leeboltas Cleopatra and TobiasBatley as Mark Antony

Photo: Jason Tozer.

In your local theatre you can find out more aboutthe Company and the production with a talk ordemonstration, or you can try out some move-ments in a workshop.

We are renowned for our work in schools aroundthe UK, through production-based workshops, cross-curriculum projects andteacher training.

In our new home we offer classes for everyone,from tiny tots to adults, in ballet, contemporaryand jazz. There are classes available for peopleof all abilities, from those who want to have fun,tone up and get in shape through to profes-sional level dancers.

Find out if dancing really is as easy as thedancers make it look! Our classes offer

Opportunities for all ages and abilities from tiny tots to adults

Inspiration from training alongside Northern Ballet dancers

Excellence through tuition from world-classprofessionals

Variety with Ballet, Jazz and ContemporaryDance classes

Accessibility with evening, weekend andlunchtime classes

Find out more at www.northernballet.com/joininor speak to us on 0113 220 8000.

14 inside

everybodyjoinin

Move a step closer to Northern Ballet and join in the fun. There are lots ofways to get more from the Company through your local theatre, yourschool or at our new home in central Leeds.

Getting closer to northern ballet 15

New faces at the AcademyOur Academy continues to go from strength tostrength. The students are thrilled with our newhome, especially the Studio Theatre which willoffer them their first experience of performing toa live audience.

Our students have always benefited from theunique support and guidance of ex-professionaldancers and from the access they have to theCompany. Two ex-Northern Ballet dancers,Nathalie Léger and Natalie Leftwich, haverecently joined the Academy teaching staff. Theirfaces will be familiar to many of you.

Photos from top left: Children taking part in a Northern Balleteducation activity; a member of Northern Ballet’s Academy;Premiere Dancer Kenneth Tindall, Photo: Bill Cooper. Mainphoto: A member of the tiny tots dance class.

Above: Natalie Leftwich, Photo: Brian Slater; Nathalie Léger, Photo: Hanson

16 inside northern ballet’s Learning team in Hong Kong

In early July Northern Ballet’s Learning team trav-elled across the world to Hong Kong to lead athree-day dance project for the British Council atthe Providence Garden for Rehab in the newterritories of Hong Kong. Dance EducationOfficer Caroline Burn worked with local danceartists, care workers and members of the RehabCentre, exploring the benefits of dance andmovement for people with learning difficulties.

“Our aim was to develop the knowledge andunderstanding of how dance can be used toencourage creativity, expression and interactionbetween the people with disabilities and theircare workers,” she explains.

The project used props to make movement lessintimidating, encouraging social interaction anddeveloping participants’ individual movementskills. Working in pairs encouraged team build-ing and helped grow confidence.

Caroline worked with the care workers todevelop their own dance sessions, showingthem how the theory they had learned could beused in the context of a session, allowing themto explore their own creativity.

Reflecting after the project, the care workers anddance artists spoke about the positive effects ofmovement for the centre members and how activities for the whole group can work on different levels according to what each partici-pant can achieve.

Caroline was thrilled with the success of theproject, “We left the care workers with a new setof skills, almost a tool bag of things they coulduse as a starting point for carrying out their owndance sessions.

“On a personal level the project was reallyinspiring. What was interesting for everybodywas seeing the dramatic shift in the people withlearning disabilities making their own choicesand decisions, and sometimes being in controlof their care workers! For me this was a reminderthat everybody at some point needs to be aleader, and in control, and share those skills, tobe able to work together and have a voice. Ithink dance can do that.”

dancejourneysin HongKong

“What wasinteresting foreverybody wasseeing thedramatic shift inthe people withlearningdisabilitiesmaking theirown choicesand decisions,and sometimesbeing in controlof their careworkers!”

17

Let’s be friends Friendship is one of the most rewarding thingsin life. Good friends help you to be the best youcan be. Our Friends and Patrons help to securethe future of the Company they love and allowus to share our work with many more peoplearound the UK and overseas.

We think of friendship as the ultimate gift. Doyou know someone who would enjoy the bene-fits of our Friends and Patrons schemes? For lessthan £1 a week they can support Northern Balletand gain a unique behind-the-scenes insightinto our world: meet our dancers, watchrehearsals, get sneak-previews of new work andmeet like-minded people.

For more information please visit www.northernballet.com/friends or contact Judith Baker on 0113 220 8000 or emailjudith.baker@northernballet.com

The Directors’ CircleNow you can join a growing group of individualswho have a passion for dance and a commit-ment to invest in the future of one of the coun-try’s most successful dance companies.

By joining our Directors’ Circle you can enjoybenefits at a number of levels allowing you toengage on a more personal basis with our work.These include performance tickets, exclusiveevents, the opportunity to watch from the wings and private dinners with the dancers andcreative teams.

Current members include: Mr and Mrs GeoffreyArmitage; Mr and Mrs Jeremy Burton; Mr and MrsTerry Bramhall; Mr Michael Bryan; Mr and MrsPeter Farmer; Mr and Mrs Christopher Kinder;Mrs Ann Meyrick; Mr and Mrs Bruce Noble; MrsJanice Reed; Mr and Mrs Phil Swallow; Mr andMrs Peter Terry (Gold Members).

For information about joining the Directors’ Circleand for the full list of members’ benefits contactHannah Walker, Individual Giving Manager, on 0113 220 8000 or email hannah.walker@northernballet.com

circle of friends

Above: Friend Andrea Scargillwith Northern Ballet SoloistMartin Bell. Photo: Justin Slee.

Opposite: Participants inNorthern Ballet’s dance project in Hong Kong. Photo: Caroline Burn.

18 inside 18 inside

Take a seat Naming a seat for a loved one in theStudio Theatre at Northern Ballet’sstunning new powerhouse for inventive dance is a unique way toshow you care.

From just £150 your gift will givesomeone the opportunity to take theirplace in the future of Britain’s favouriteballet company.

Simply create an inscription to beetched on a brass plate, which will beplaced on the seat in the StudioTheatre for the life span of the seat.Northern Ballet will provide you with agift certificate and an invitation to takea tour around our new home and seeyour gift.

For further details contact HannahWalker, Individual Giving Manager, 0113 220 8000 or emailhannah.walker@northernballet.com

Fantastic group offers A visit to the theatre is always specialbut what better way to enjoy NorthernBallet than with a group of friends,family or colleagues?

We offer generous discounts onselected performances of all of ourproductions. Depending on the venueyou chose to attend you may also beeligible for a whole host of other bene-fits such as no booking fees, dedicatedphone lines, extended reservationsperiods and pre-booking facilities forprogrammes and ice-creams.

Full details of current group discountscan be found atwww.northernballet.com/groups or tobe kept up-to-date with the latestgroups news register for our eBulletinon the Keep in Touch page on ourwebsite.

the perfectchristmas

Events to look out for... Events to look out for... 19

Ways to keep in touch Join our keep in touch service and getregular news and updates, as well asspecial offers, ticket alerts, competi-tions and behind-the-scenes photosand footage. Sign up at www.northernballet.com/keepintouchYou can also connect with us onFacebook, YouTube and Twitter.

…GiselleLook out for our production of Giselle atLeeds Grand Theatre from Wednesday25 to Saturday 28 May 2011. You willfind more information about it in yournext issue of inside.

inside is published biannually by Northern Ballet

Northern Ballet Quarry HillLeeds LS2 7PA Telephone +44 (0)113 220 8000Fax +44 (0)113 220 8001www.northernballet.com

Board of DirectorsProfessor Chris Bailey Dr Jo ButterworthDavid Forbes (Chair)Susie HargreavesAlan HarrisonDenise JaggerCath LennonCouncillor John ProctorMaxine Room Phil SwallowVictoria TomlinsonVeronica Wadley

Artistic DirectorDavid Nixon

Chief ExecutiveMark Skipper

Music DirectorJohn Pryce-Jones

Inside editorial teamLaraine Penson Ruth Burke-KennedyCatherine Mullaney

Founded in Manchester in 1969 and based in Leedssince 1996, Northern Ballet has grown to becomeone of the UK's best loved companies and an impor-tant international cultural ambassador. We arerenowned for creating inventive narrative balletsand for touring these throughout the UK and over-seas reaching audiences who might otherwise nothave access to world class dance. Our ground-breaking Learning programme gives access for allpeople to engage in the highest quality dance activ-ities and our Academy provides opportunity andinspiration, as well as unrivalled classical dancetraining, to the dancers of the future.

Print sponsored by Axis 01484 722 732

Designed by Andrassy Design 01484 434844

Supported by:

Charity No: 259140VAT No: 146 6307 66Company Registration No: 947096, Registered in England and WalesNorthern Ballet Theatre trading as Northern BalletCompany limited by guarantee and share capital

Please note that information is correct at the time of publication but is subject tochange.

Photo: Pippa Moore as Clara and Ashley Dixon as theNutcracker Prince in Northern Ballet’s TheNutcracker.

Photo: Jason Tozer.

www.northernballet.com