< PreviousRAISING THE BARRE Our annual impact in numbers Thanks to the generosity of all our supporters and funders over the last year, we have been able to continue performing and touring world-class ballet, nurturing talent through our Academy and sharing the joy of dance with people of all ages, across the UK. We hope that these facts and figures demonstrate the far-reaching impact of the ambitious work that your support makes possible: Northern Ballet has • 108 employees, including • 37 Company dancers On Stage 2023 • 161 performances • 30+ venues • 85,000+ audience reached • 1 ,000+ free tickets distributed, removing barriers to access • 7 early-career choreographers mentored to develop and perform new work Academy The Academy of Northern Ballet continues to be the leading centre of excellence for dance training in the North of England. In the academic year 2022/23 we delivered the following: • 1,000+ students took part in classes across our open and professional programmes • 48 Academy students received bursaries in 2022/23 • 2,000+ primary school pupils engaged in free Spotted! workshops across 22 schools • 800+ open classes including adult courses, drop-in sessions, children’s classes and workshops for over 55s Learning We believe in the power of dance to improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing, no matter their age or ability. Northern Ballet delivers outreach in schools, as well as bespoke programmes for adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities, wheelchair users and people affected by Parkinson’s disease. In the academic year 2022/23 we delivered the following: • 7,000+ individuals engaged • 800+ outreach sessions delivered • 4,998 children engaged in free outreach sessions as part of our Children’s Ballet tour • 96 schools worked with • 200+ dancers with disabilities performed in Expressions, our annual festival of inclusive dance 10Northern Ballet is a registered charity. The diagrams below show how we generate income and where this money goes. After public funding and box office, fundraising represents the most significant portion of our overall income: We are the UK’s widest touring ballet company and the vast majority of our expenditure is directly associated with bringing world-class ballet to as many people and places as possible: Public Funding (Arts Council England, Leeds City Council) Box office income Fundraised income Theatre Tax Relief Academy & Learning fees Other Quarry Hill (room hire & cafe) Touring Administration Building running costs Communications & Marketing Production costs Academy Fundraising Learning & Outreach Every gift we receive contributes to this picture and we hope this insight demonstrates how vital your ongoing support is to Northern Ballet. Expenditure: Income: 11FALLING BACK IN LOVE: Reviving Romeo & JulietThe task of reviving Christopher Gable CBE and Massimo Moricone’s iconic production of Romeo & Juliet has required exceptional effort from every member of Northern Ballet. After suffering extensive damage to the sets and costumes following devastating floods in 2015, forcing the show into early retirement, it has taken the utmost amount of care to restore the production to its former beauty and pass on the landmark love story. So, where to begin when restoring a masterpiece? Choosing the Production Christopher Gable CBE and Massimo Moricone’s Romeo & Juliet first premièred in 1992 at Leeds Grand Theatre. Receiving critical acclaim, Romeo & Juliet has remained in the hearts of audiences across the world. The connection to the story of two young lovers runs deep, not only for our audiences, but within our Company also. Federico was invited to perform the famous balcony pas de deux for Northern Ballet’s 50 anniversary gala back in 2020. Recognising how integral the ballet is to the company’s history, Federico’s decision to revive Romeo & Juliet has delighted company members to be able to share this labour of love with audiences once again. Jayne Regan Pink, William Walker & Massimo Moricone in rehearsal for Romeo & Juliet. Photographer unknown. 13Learning to Love Former director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Gregory Doran paid us a visit to teach us how to fall into the world of fair Verona where we lay our scene. With copies of The Bard’s play in hand, Sir Gregory guided company members through the intricacies of Shakespearean language as they delved deeper into their characters. Bringing Back the Memories Standing the test of time, Romeo & Juliet has remained a cherished gem. This January, The University of Leeds’ Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery unveiled a new exhibition drawing together props, costumes and photographs from the production. The exhibit tells the story of how Northern Ballet created a classic portrayal of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy. Our very own former Romeo and Artistic Associate Daniel de Andrade welcomed guests in the gallery with an evening of sharing his experience of performing the iconic role. Daniel gave rich insights into what it was like working with Christopher Gable, how he prepared to bare his soul on the stage, and how he has gone about passing on his knowledge to the new generation of storytellers in rehearsals. “It’s an expression of love in its highest form” - Daniel de Andrade, Artistic Associate Sir Gregory Doran in RSC Masterclass. Jun Ishii, Julie Nunès and Harry Skoupas in RSC Masterclass. Photos Sophie Beth Jones. Daniel de Andrade in RSC Masterclass. Photo Emily Nuttall. 14Saving our Sets In true Shakespearean style, Romeo & Juliet has battled tragedies of fires and floods. Rather than starting from scratch, our Technical team have been working tirelessly to repair and restore the original set to its former glory as intended by designer Lez Brotherston OBE. We went along to the team’s home at Northern Ballet’s stores in Bramley to see how their expertise has breathed new life into the set pieces and props. From restorative metal work, meticulous recreations of original painting, to even utilising new 3-D printing technology, the team’s masterful skills and knowledge have made the production sing with vibrancy once again. From Storyteller to Storyteller Whilst preparing for the revival we have had dancers of the 1991 production join us in the studio to help pass down the legacy. Both William Walker and Jayne Regan Pink, the original Romeo and Juliet, were there to share their knowledge of the production, helping us recapture the drama of the ballet and instilling the passion for our 2024 production. “Audiences continue to connect with this story, because we as humans continue to fall in love” - Jayne Regan Pink Damage to the Romeo & Juliet set and costumes. Photos Emily Nuttall and Sophie Beth Jones. Jayne Regan Pink and William Walker in rehearsal for Romeo & Juliet. Photos Emily Nuttall. 15Photos Gavin Joynt and Ant Robling. 16Learning update In October we launched a new project in three schools for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Yorkshire. Rise and Shine is a two-year pilot project which has been generously funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The pilot work builds on our hugely successful schools project Rise, which works with 320 nine-to-ten-year-olds from 7 schools across West Yorkshire, using Northern Ballet repertoire to allow pupils to explore their own self-expression and identity through dance and music. Rise and Shine is led by Northern Ballet’s Community Dance Artists, alongside supporting artists with lived experience of disability and specialist Music Therapists and covers the full academic year with weekly sessions in school for students to explore movement, music and creativity. The project culminates in a wonderful opportunity for the students to ‘shine’, by taking part in a performance of Expressions at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, alongside professional disabled dancers and other inclusive community dance groups. The funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation also allows us to work with Dr Louise McDowall, a Research Fellow in Exercise and Health Psychology from the University of Leeds. Louise will be conducting research alongside the project to allow us to understand and demonstrate the impact of the project for the participants and their school staff. 17It’s never too late to learn to dance! What inspired you to start taking class? In a bid to get fitter over the summer I started running again after a long break. As winter approached (and the rain), I was looking for other activities to mix it up a bit. A lot of our supporters take part in the Open Classes in the building and have suggested I join in, so I thought I would give it a go! In my day-to-day work at Northern Ballet, I often meet supporters and audience members who are new to ballet, so I also thought getting to grips with the terminology and the fundamentals would give me a bit of an advantage when meeting new people at our events. What is the class like? And what have you learnt so far? The beginner classes take place on Mondays at 6.45pm, so work well when working full- time and needing to travel to Leeds. Each class consists of a warm-up to get the blood flowing, then we typically start with exercises at the barre, before moving on to centre work. The atmosphere is friendly, laid back, and everyone is invited to go at their own pace and ask questions as we go. Sara Horner, our teacher, is lovely and great at explaining everything and making it accessible. We started at the beginning by learning the feet positions 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and last week we added 4th. We have also learned the proper requirements around posture, turnout and placing. At the barre we started with Demi and Grand Plié and have worked through a whole host of exercises with our most recent being Développé. In the centre we have covered Port de Bras, Sauté, Galop, Glissade, Temps Levé, and Balancé. We are now working towards combining the movements we have learnt to create an enchaînement (a linked sequence of steps or movements), emphasising how much everyone on the course has learnt and achieved so far. By adding the steps together to form slightly more intricate exercises, the aim is that we will feel prepared to continue to participate in more adult ballet classes in the future. Our very own Development Executive Richard Cross has been taking part in our Open Ballet Classes for adults this season. We caught up with him to see how he has been getting on. Richard Cross. Photo Emily Nuttall. 18Will you continue? Absolutely! I have the bug now and I have really enjoyed taking part. One of my favorite things about working for Northern Ballet is its approach to making ballet and the arts accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. Ballet is often seen as an elite art form, but there is such a sense of community and family at Northern Ballet in which everyone is welcome to come together and take part. My job is to be an advocate for the Company and make sure our supporters can have as close a relationship to the Company and our dancers as possible, so they want to keep supporting us. Taking part in the classes has shown me what an important role that is, as Northern Ballet is a valuable part of the community in which we are all lucky to be a part of and support. Are there other adult classes? As well as the Beginner classes as an introduction to ballet, the Academy also offers two more regular adult classes for various experience levels. There are also classes for over 55s and regular drop-in sessions and pop- ups, all alongside regular outreach work in the community. There is no excuse to not get more involved…. See you there! For more information on our adult classes visit our website Have you enjoyed it? And have you felt much benefit day to day? I have really enjoyed taking part. Following class, I feel very refreshed, and it is a great workout. Mondays are always fairly hectic with lots of meetings, so it is also a great way to unwind and recharge. I have also noticed that my posture has improved considerably, which has helped in my running. On my run route home there is about a mile climb up a hill and the ballet classes have helped with my core strength, and I am getting much quicker at running up the hill! Experiencing ballet firsthand has given me an even greater appreciation of our Company and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in bringing the work into the community, which will help me in my day-to-day work with the fundraising team. What have you found most challenging? When you are concentrating hard on the moves, I find a lot of the terminology flies over my head a bit (I was never good at French at school!), so I sometimes find myself struggling to refer back to exercises that we have done previously without seeing them visually first. Sara has helpfully provided us all with a list of all the vocabulary and, whenever we repeat an exercise, we are always given time for a recap as well. I have such respect for the dancers in the Company. I am lucky enough to be able to pop into the Company’s regular daily class and rehearsals every so often as part of my job, and they make it look so easy and must have such incredible memory skills; they are so talented. Photos Emily Nuttall. 19Next >