SPRING/SUMMER 2023 ISSUE 32 INSIDETHE MAGAZINE FROM NORTHERN BALLETContents 4 Welcome from Artistic Director, Federico Bonelli 6 Our spring 2023 season 8 Upcoming events autumn 2023 10 Meeting the Choreographers: Sketches 12 Introducing David Collins 14 Capturing the Rhythm: George Liang 16 Company update 18 Rekindle the Romance: Romeo & Juliet Appeal 20 Spotlight; the tutus of Paquita 22 Academy update 24 Learning update 26 What’s on 2Front cover: Sarah Chun in The Nutcracker. Photo Bill Cooper. Inside: Alessandra Bramante and Joseph Taylor in Sketches. Photo Kyle Baines. 3During our spring 2023 season, we have been busy working in the background to establish Northern Ballet’s future now that we have our senior leadership team in place. I am delighted that earlier in the year we welcomed new Executive Director, David Collins who joined us from Opera North. Together we have been working closely to build on Northern Ballet’s existing legacy of world-class dance. We are excited for you to join us on this journey. In May I introduced Sketches, a programme dedicated to nurturing new choreographic talent. Six of our dancers were mentored by three established choreographers and presented their creations to an audience, alongside a new piece from Leeds-based choreographer Jamaal Burkmar. This summer our inclusive dance festival Expressions returned, celebrating its tenth anniversary year. We enjoyed so many excellent performances, including the world-renowned Candoco, and premiered Every Little Thing is a Change... an original dance film featuring our Company dancers and participants from our Ability inclusive dance group. Next up in the autumn will be our mixed programme Generations: Three Short Ballets, with new work from Tiler Peck and Benjamin Ella and featuring Hans van Manen’s classic contemporary piece Adagio Hammerklavier. This sits alongside a tour of Beauty & the Beast and a special festive run of The Nutcracker at Leeds Grand Theatre, two of David Nixon CBE’s best-loved ballets. I am particularly excited about our announcement for spring 2024, when we will be reviving the Christopher Gable and Massimo Morricone 1991 classic Romeo & Juliet. This work is a true cornerstone of Northern Ballet’s repertoire, and I hope you will be able to help us to bring this timeless ballet back to life with the restoration work it requires through our Rekindle the Romance appeal. And finally, we have our children’s ballet to look forward to with performances of Tortoise & the Hare and our newest launch: Northern Ballet Late, a series of informal ballet evenings at our home in the heart of Leeds, the first of which will take place in January. As ever, the Development team and I would like to thank you for your generous support. Best wishes, Federico Bonelli Artistic Director Federico’s welcome 4Zoë Walker Head of Development zoe.walker@northernballet.com Richard Cross Development Executive richard.cross@northernballet.com Laura Kelly Individual Giving and Events Executive laura.kelly@northernballet.com Aerys Merrill. Photo Guy Farrow. We are deeply saddened to share the news that in June we lost a beloved colleague. During your time as supporters many of you will have had the privilege to meet Bethany McNaboe, our Head of Trusts & Foundations. Beth’s warmth and openness not only made her a fantastic fundraiser, but a respected colleague and a treasured friend to so many who work at Northern Ballet, and this news has been a shock for the whole company. If you would like to make a gift to support Beth’s family through this difficult time, you can do so via JustGiving. Bethany McNaboe 5Our spring 2023 season We were back on tour with a bang in the spring with a hugely successful run of The Great Gatsby in Leeds, Sheffield, and London, where every performance was a sell-out! Our children’s tour of Ugly Duckling continued across the UK, visiting over 20 local theatres to give children across the country the perfect opportunity to enjoy live ballet, music, and theatre for the first time. In April we held a special Season Launch event where attendees got to see previews from Beauty & The Beast, Romeo & Juliet, and an incredibly special one-off performance of Paquita. If you missed it, you can watch the full Season Launch right here. 6Photos Emily Nuttall, Ellis Dytrych, Kyle Baines and Johan Persson. 7Upcoming events Patron events Wednesday 23 August 2023 Open Rehearsal Day Northern Ballet, Leeds To RSVP for this event please contact Richard Cross richard.cross@northernballet.com Benefactor events Wednesday 23 August 2023 Open Rehearsal Day Northern Ballet, Leeds Thursday 31 August 2023 Generations Rehearsal and Insight event Northern Ballet, Leeds Friday 8 September 2023 Generations: Three Short Ballets Opening Night Northern Ballet, Leeds Tuesday 31 October 2023 Generations: Three Short Ballets Opening Night Linbury Theatre, London To RSVP for any of these events, please contact Richard Cross richard.cross@northernballet.com Alternatively, the full performance dates are available on our website. We have Benefactor tickets on hold for every performance and may happily book your tickets for a date of your choice We’ll also be hosting our Annual Benefactors Dinner in the autumn - more details to follow! Company class dates Northern Ballet, Leeds, Saturday 16 September 2023, 11.00am Nottingham Theatre Royal, Saturday 7 October 2023, 11.30am Linbury Theatre, London, Thursday 2 November 2023, 11.00am Newcastle Theatre Royal, Saturday 11 November 2023, 11.30am Norwich Theatre Royal, Saturday 25 November, 11.30am Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday 9 December 2023, 11.00am Book online now Spring 2024 dates are also available to book. As a working ballet company, all events remain subject to change. 8Joseph Taylor and Dominique Larose in rehearsal for Three Short Ballets. Photo Emily Nuttall. 9Next >