< PreviousMeet the Choreographers Sketches Sketches is a new series at Northern Ballet devised by Artistic Director, Federico Bonelli, in his pursuit to develop and nurture new voices and artists in dance. The first iteration of Sketches was held in May and featured an eclectic selection of pieces choreographed by six of Northern Ballet’s own dancers, alongside a new piece by award-winning Leeds-based choreographer Jamaal Burkmar, all performed by fellow members of the Company. The dancer-choreographers took part in several creative workshops where they were mentored by three established choreographers: Mthuthuzeli November, choreographer of Wailers; Kenneth Tindall, choreographer of Casanova; and Sharon Watson MBE DL, CEO & Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. George Liang and Bruno Serraclara, two of our emerging choreographers in question, share an insight into their process and inspiration for their respective pieces. How did you discover your passion for choreography? Bruno: During my school years we were given opportunities to improvise during class and to create very small and short choreographies for ourselves. I found it quite hard to create on the spot, but I enjoyed it and since then I have always preferred to create for a piece of music that I really like and that inspires me. Can you share some of your major influences and inspirations behind your piece created for Sketches? George: My work is called Out of Breath. I wanted to use this concept to explore different types of breath. I chose this concept because I am a person who has many ambitions, and as a Virgo, I like to achieve a lot of things, in life or even in one day sometimes. By doing that I often feel out of breath! Top: George Liang in rehearsal for Sketches. Bottom: Bruno Serraclara in rehearsal for Sketches. Photos Emily Nuttall Bruno: My main inspiration for my piece was the music that I chose. It is three pieces of very different music, so the steps had to go according to the mood of it. There is a romantic and sad melody from Verdi’s music, nostalgic yet sensual from Lana del Rey, and a blast of energy and overwhelming feeling from Matsuri-Shake. My inspiration for the steps came from very different places as well, it can be from a character from a movie that does something intriguing, or from the weird position a statue was in at a museum, or from other choreographers I’ve worked with in the past. 10What are your aspirations and goals as a choreographer? How do you see your work evolving and growing in the future? George: I would love to continue the journey as a choreographer. I hope to build on what I already have and continue to find my own voice and style in my work. I had such a blast creating in the studio with my colleagues. Hopefully, it won’t be too long until the next time I create something. Bruno: My aspiration would be to make the audience feel something they don’t usually feel. Reaching out with stories they can relate to and feel emotional about, or simply have a good evening and forget about their problems. I hope I get another opportunity to choreograph because it is something I really enjoy doing and I have many ideas for future choreographies. Top: Saeka Shirai and Jonathan Hanks in rehearsal for Sketches. Bottom: Sean Bates and Gemma Coutts in rehearsal for Sketches. Photos Emily Nuttall Bruno is sponsored by Julian Maitland. George is sponsored by Paul & Diane Cusworth. 11David Collins joined Northern Ballet in January of this year from Opera North, where he was Executive Director and Deputy CEO. In that role he led the fundraising campaign for the company’s major capital project to create the Howard Opera Centre and transform the Howard Assembly Room as a performance venue with new public spaces in the heart of Leeds. David’s arrival came at an exciting time for Northern Ballet, looking to the future under the artistic leadership of Federico Bonelli, who took over as the company’s new Artistic Director in May 2022, and the chairmanship of Guy Perricone, who joined in July 2022. Together they have announced an exciting programme of work for the 2023/2024 season with three overarching themes; creating stories that connect, developing new voices and artists and sharing the joy of dance with everyone. Below David shares with us his thoughts about Northern Ballet and his vision for the future. Introducing David Collins David Collins at Wigs Benefactor Event. Photo Emily Nuttall. 12What made you want to work for Northern Ballet? Ever since I moved to Yorkshire seven years ago, I’ve been an admirer of Northern Ballet’s work, creating stories that speak to audiences of all ages, always delivered to the highest standard by a company of incredibly talented dancers and musicians. The chance to move across Leeds from Opera North to learn in detail about a new artform was one that I couldn’t resist. I’m incredibly fortunate to have worked in roles across theatre, opera and now ballet, and relish the chance to gain a deeper understanding of each. Growing up I was very lucky to have an uncle who took it upon himself to introduce me to all three artforms, inviting me to join him regularly to watch productions in London. When I got my first role at a music festival in London, followed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, my uncle Michael would always be a regular guest as we continued to share notes on what we saw. Sadly, he died a few years ago, but of those artforms I know ballet was his first love. He took me to my first ever ballet (a MacMillan triple bill), and as I’ve joined the company, learning about the intricacies of ballet, I’ve done so imagining what Michael would make of this new adventure. It’s an exciting time in the company with a new senior leadership team now in place – what are you most excited about going forward for Northern Ballet as an organisation? Northern Ballet has a well-earned reputation for creating high quality ballets from a wide range of inspirations. It’s notable when I talk to audiences or peers in the industry how much affection there is for this company. Looking to the future Federico wants to build on those foundations by creating new stories that connect with people across the UK, by championing new artists to create that work and by sharing the joy of participation in dance with everyone. Every day when I walk into the building at Quarry Hill, I have the pleasure of meeting people young and old enthused by the dance classes they are attending, it’s infectious! After being here for a few months, what has been the most surprising thing to you about Northern Ballet? The sheer number of people who dance with the company, in our building and in schools and communities across the north. From young people hoping to pursue a career in dance, to those just trying something new, the range of people we reach is astounding, all of them united by the joy of dancing. What are your goals and visions for Northern Ballet for the immediate future, and long term? We are intent on finding new stories to tell through ballet, stories that people find thrilling, entertaining and moving in equal measure. To do that we want to find a range of new choreographic, musical and other artistic voices to help us create work that really connects with our audiences. At the same time, we want to focus on the whole breadth of the company’s work from the Academy, Learning and the various outreach programmes building around those narratives, so that we can make a real impact in people’s lives both through the work they experience on stage, and through their own creativity by dancing with us. At the season launch one of the themes you highlighted was the joy of dance, which ballet brings you the most joy? Well, I certainly enjoyed experiencing The Great Gatsby with audiences in Leeds, Sheffield and London, but I’d have to say that since I joined Northern Ballet the most joyous piece of dance I have seen is our new film Every Little Thing is a Change. It’s been created by members of our Ability course and company dancers. It was released online during Expressions, our inclusive dance festival, and it’s truly life affirming. 13Capturing the Rhythm with George Liang Dancer George Liang joined Northern Ballet in 2018 from the National Ballet of Canada. If you’ve been to see a Northern Ballet production in the past five years you will be familiar with George’s work on stage in roles such as George Wilson in The Great Gatsby and Lyr, Lord of the Sea in The Little Mermaid, but did you know that some of the Northern Ballet photographs that you see are by George? With a keen interest in photography, for the last year he has been our Associate Photographer in Residence, capturing moments behind the scenes, in addition to his own work. As his stint in this position comes to an end, George joins us to tell us about his practice. George is sponsored by Paul & Diane Cusworth. How do you approach capturing the fluidity and movement of dance in a still photograph? Fluidity is something that is quite hard to capture, that is why live performance is so exciting, and it is something that is difficult to capture as a photograph. I love to play around with my camera using long exposure. The camera’s shutter is open for a lengthy period of time resulting in an image that captures the trail of moving objects in front of the camera, while some elements are still razor sharp. Are there specific challenges or considerations unique to photographing dancers compared to other subjects? Dancers are very aware of their body position. I find myself good at directing photoshoots when I am shooting non-dancers. It’s an interesting journey to help people be comfortable in front of the camera. Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had while photographing here at Northern Ballet? The most memorable moment for me is shooting the rehearsal process of our Made in Leeds triple bill. Being able to document these moments while dancing in the triple bill myself was special. How did you become interested in photography? I have always enjoyed taking photos from my phone. I love to document my life through photography. I bought my first professional photography camera about 4 years ago and since then I’ve learned a lot and taken lots of photographs for my colleagues and work commissions. What aspects of dance do you find most inspiring to capture through photography? I love capturing moments in the air. All kinds of jumps are so interesting but also challenging to capture and the result is extremely rewarding. Can you share any tips or techniques for capturing emotion and storytelling in dance photography? For capturing an emotion, I would usually take more close-up pictures where you would be able to capture the eyes and expression of the subject. For a storytelling ballet you would pick some of the signature steps to photograph that represent the important scenes of the story. 14Alessandra Bramante and Jackson Dwyer in The Nutcracker. Minju Kang in Ma Vie. Julie Nunès and Filippo Di Vilio in The Nutcracker. Northern ballet dancers in Wailers. 15Company update Joseph Taylor will be promoted to Premier Dancer, Jonathan Hanks, Saeka Shirai and Dominique Larose to Leading Soloist and Alessandra Bramante and Harris Beattie to Coryphée. In other exciting news Aaron Kok will join the Company as a Dancer, Mayuko Iwanaga and Yu Wakizuka as Apprentices and Itsuki Amemiya also as an Apprentice until December. Congratulations are in order for Premier Dancer Abigail Prudames who is currently on maternity leave after welcoming a beautiful baby boy to her family. Abigail Prudames Gavin McCaigSean Bates We want to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Johnny Lo whose time at Northern Ballet has come to an end as he starts his role as Music Director at Australian Ballet. Similarly wishing the best to our Director of Planning, Tobias Perkins who is also going international as the newly appointed Executive Director at Royal New Zealand Ballet. Joseph TaylorDominique Larose Jonathan HanksAlessandra Bramante Saeka ShiraiHarris Beattie Jonathan LoMackenzie Jacob Katherine LeeWesley Branch We want to say a fond farewell to the following dancers who are going on to pastures new and we wish them well for the future: Mackenzie Jacob now dances for Scottish Ballet, Katharine Lee for San Francisco Ballet and Sean Bates for Zurich Ballet. Gavin McCaig has retired from performing and joins the Young Dancers Academy in London as Director of Business Operations, and Wesley Branch has also left the company. 16REKINDLE THE ROMANCE Romeo & Juliet Appeal Rekindle the Romance today: Scan the QR code to donate or text BALLET to 70460 to donate £5. Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message. Northern Ballet registered charity number 259140. Company registration number 947096. Northern Ballet Limited registered in England and Wales. Northern Ballet, 2 St. Cecilia Street, Leeds, LS2 7PA. Amber Lewis and Joseph Taylor in Romeo & Juliet. Photo Guy Farrow. Can you help to bring our star-crossed lovers back to life? Northern Ballet’s beloved 1991 production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Christopher Gable and choreographed by Massimo Morricone, was damaged in a devastating river flood in 2015. Your donation to the Rekindle the Romance appeal will go towards restoring, repairing, and updating this timeless ballet, a true cornerstone of our history. Future generations of passionate ballet fans can enjoy this production thanks to your support.Rekindle the Romance Appeal This version of Romeo & Juliet was last performed by the company thirteen years ago in 2010. As we look towards the future, we want to celebrate our history and heritage as a world-class storytelling ballet company. What better way to tell our story than by those who have been on the journey with us? Here are a handful of your memories that you have shared with us so far! If you’ve yet to submit yours, let us know what you remember and enjoyed about this production on our webpage. “I first saw Northern Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet on Wednesday, 20 February 1991 at the Alhambra Theatre Bradford. Romeo was danced by Anthony Harith, Juliet, Vincianne Ghyssens and Mercutio, Ferguson Logan. I was so bowled over by the production I immediately signed up to be a friend to find out more about the Company which was then based in my hometown of Halifax. I have been a friend, then Patron and now Benefactor ever since. To say I am happy about it being resurrected is an absolute understatement.” -Dianne Balmforth “I took my daughter to see it in Cardiff, she was about 16 (she’s nearly 46 now) she didn’t know the story, and when it got to the bit where Juliet finds Romeo dead, I turned and saw the tears streaming down my daughter’s face. It was magical. I remember the costumes for the dance of the knights, black, red and gold. So magnificent. Every time I hear that music, I see those costumes.” -Eirwen Godfrey “I first saw this production on Christmas tv and just loved it, especially the opening which was different from the usual (the standard intro seems to me to start “in the middle of the music”) so when it came to the Opera House in Belfast, I made sure I was there. The settings, costumes, orchestra, acting and, of course the dancing all made a deep impression. That performance stayed vividly in my memory for all sorts of reasons, not least that it was the last occasion I was in a theatre with my mother. I was at the Coliseum in London (at a Cuban ballet performance) when I saw a girl wearing a Northern Ballet top – I got chatting to her, as a fellow NB fan and we agreed that Northern Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet was the definitive version.” -Joyce Ann MacCafferty Federico Bonelli, Amber Lewis and Joseph Taylor behind the scenes of the Romeo and Juliet photoshoot. Photo Emily Nuttall. 182003 1996 2007 2007 19Next >