< PreviousAmber joined Northern Ballet in 2022 after previously dancing with Hong Kong Ballet. Alongside her busy schedule of rehearsals and performances, Amber has also been exploring another angle to her creativity in producing content for Northern Ballet’s TikTok. Amber joined us to tell us about the world of TikTok trends and how she’s been capturing the behind-the-scenes life of a dancer at Northern Ballet. Behind the lens: Meet our Leading Soloist come TikTok content creator, Amber Lewis Watch one of Amber’s Ballet Step Fridays herethat on TikTok in the ballet world, so it has really caught users’ attention. I wasn’t sure where to start so I tried something and stuck with it. I wanted to start my own trend! Does TikTok give an insight into the dancers here at Northern? I try to record all the Company dancers and give a glimpse into getting to know us. Even though it’s on the screen of a phone, it gives a better idea of our personalities. TikTok is an easy way to connect to the individuals in the Company as otherwise it’s only in special circumstances that our audience gets to meet us. I’ve been aiming for something more raw, more personable, more day-to-day. Really us dancers are just people doing the job they love! Showing the grittier side is really interesting; I want to find the ‘normal’ of ballet. You always see the end product in our profession and seeing what is in-between is fascinating. How have you found running the TikTok account? I like it! Trying to find the time to fit in my schedule is something I have to work hard to manage but I love it. I love being an artist as a dancer, but sometimes we’re only creative in one setting. So, it’s fun to take my creativity outside of the studio. I’m still using my skills but utilising them in a different channel. I get to take the job I love and extend it to a different sphere. I think that because I’m a dancer, the other dancers are easier with me. They don’t freeze up when I’m filming because I’m already part of the creative process in the room. Sometimes I’ll see something when I’m on the side, like a beautiful 30 seconds of a pas de deux and think that other people might enjoy that too. You can follow us on TikTok @northernballet How did the Northern Ballet TikTok start? So, this time last year, I got an injury whilst we were on tour. I had to be with the Company and do rehab for the injury, so to make things fun for the dancers I started making little videos along the tour and posting them to my Instagram account. That’s what sparked it. Emily Nuttall, Northern Ballet’s Head of Content, saw my Instagram feed and asked if I could run the Company TikTok. I began with a trial period and was officially contracted to run the account in June 2023. What do you think the benefits are of using a less traditional social media platform such as TikTok for Northern Ballet? It’s hard to attract a younger audience to ballet but a lot of young people use TikTok, so by sharing ballet on this platform in our unique Northern Ballet way, we are finding ourselves new followers and audiences. Northern Ballet is one of few ballet companies using TikTok, so hopefully in doing so we can achieve recognition as a Company beyond the UK and access TikTok’s broad international reach. The number of users of TikTok increases every year. What do you think makes it so popular? I think it’s these trends that pop up and go viral. Everyone’s trying them! I’ve never been on a platform before where one person does something and then millions of people replicate it. It’s very new. There’s that draw because it’s short, quick and engaging. Usually, the trends are easy to follow so you can get out there and find an audience within 5 seconds. Also, something I’ve been trying to figure out is why certain videos from Northern Ballet begin to trend, but I haven’t found a pattern to it yet. I started ‘Ballet Step Friday’, taking a step from the ballet vocabulary and asking a dancer to demonstrate it. No one is doing Amber Lewis. Photo Emily Nuttall. 21Northern Ballet so far: Meet our newest Company members We hear from two of our newest Company dancers about their experience of dancing with Northern Ballet so far. Meet Aaron Kok (Dancer) and Mayuko Iwanaga (Apprentice) who joined us in summer 2023. What was it that attracted you to Northern Ballet? Mayuko: First, Northern Ballet does a lot of performances all around the UK and, for me, travel was something I really wanted to do after graduating from school. Also, Northern Ballet’s storytelling attracted me so much because I have always been interested in storytelling through movement, but had never really learnt to dance like this before, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more about it. Aaron: At the essence of what Northern Ballet does is storytelling, and that was what attracted me to the Company. What has been the best moment for you since you’ve joined the Company, and why? Mayuko: I think it would be my first performance of The Nutcracker, dancing the snowflakes on stage at Leeds Grand Theatre for the first time. The snowflakes piece is really demanding in terms of technique and stamina, and I found it hard to keep up with the other dancers. Even though I was very worried and nervous before I went on the stage, once we started dancing together as snowflakes, I totally forgot all my worries and really enjoyed dancing as if I was a snowflake, whirling around the stage. It truly was a magical moment for me. Aaron Kok, Mayuko Iwanaga and Stefano Varalta in Mechanics of Movement. Photo Sophie Beth Jones. 22Aaron: Every day is always a new day with something new to look forward to and always so much happening. It’s hard to pinpoint a particular moment, but The Nutcracker runs were fun! Mayuko, this is your first Company, but for you Aaron how does Northern Ballet differ from other companies you’ve danced with before? Aaron: We tour a lot! It’s definitely refreshing to take the ballets we perform to different cities and audiences. Did you have a favourite city or venue on the autumn tour – and why? Mayuko: I liked Norwich. There were a lot of pretty arcades and cafés with delicious pastries! What are you dancing in Romeo & Juliet? Mayuko: I will be very busy dancing in the corps as one of Juliet’s friends and also as both a Montague and Capulet woman. Aaron: I will be in the corps as one of the Montague men, alongside the role of Mercutio, which I’m very excited about. How have you found the process? Mayuko: I’ve been having so much fun learning Massimo Moricone’s style as a choreographer. I’ve been learning so much about acting, expressing the “real” on the stage throughout this ballet. At the same time, I find it a little difficult to catch the details of the choreography and corrections and rehearse it with a lot of attention to what is happening around myself. This is definitely something that I don’t really have experience with, and I am learning so much from other company members. Aaron: I think Romeo & Juliet has a great history with the company and I’m excited to be a part of it. We had Sir Gregory Doran, the former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford working with us in rehearsals for a few days and it was so insightful to hear the depth and meaning behind the text, which has helped with the artistry behind our movements. Be sure to look out for Aaron and Mayuko on stage this spring! Mayuko Iwanaga and Aaron Kok. Photo Emily Nuttall. 23Changing Emily Deller and Lyndsey Holmes are longstanding members of the Northern Ballet team with a combined experience of 12 years with the company. In June of last year, they both transitioned to new roles, with Emily becoming the new Artistic Planning Manager and Lyndsey the new Company Manager. The pair joined us for a conversation about the change and how they’ve been finding their new positions. Lyndsey: I started as Company Manager in June 2023. Before that, I’ve been Stage Manager, Duty Manager, and Assistant Stage Manager here. I began as Assistant Stage Manager in October 2016, so I’ve been with the company for over 7 years now, working my way up through the different roles in the team – and here I am! Emily: I started as Company Manager in June 2019 and then started my new role as Artistic Planning Manager in June 2023. Pretty much exactly four years as Company Manager, almost to the week. It was really pleasing to me! Places In Conversation with Emily Deller and Lyndsey Holmes Emily Deller and Lyndsey Holmes. Photo Sophie Beth Jones. 24Lyndsey: Having done those other roles, it’s nice how the understanding I gained from them has set me up for this new role. The job is quite different, really different in fact with it not being as linked to the stage. We’re the same team and work out of the same office but the role itself involves much more admin and pastoral care of the dancers. Can you both tell us more about what makes a successful Company Manager? Emily: Communication! Lyndsey: We’re both very good at talking! Emily: It is a key part of the job. It’s a funny job because you’re a department of one but work with every person in the building in some way. A ballet Company Manager job is a unique one, especially if you think about how few there are in the UK. The intricacies of ballet as an art form means we are required to have far more niche knowledge. Lyndsey: I’ve worked previously in stage management for theatres, plays, and dramas but what differs here is that the dancers are also athletes. They’ve been training their whole lives, so it’s closer to working with athletes than performers which requires a different approach. Emily: There is a lot to wrap your head around. The dynamic of the group shifts and you have to shift along with it to make sure you’re still giving the dancers what they need as they move through their careers. In that sense, you form strong relationships that have longevity. Lyndsey: Both our jobs give us regular reasons to see people and interact with our colleagues. It’s lovely to have the opportunity to go around the building and interact with people. We are lucky that we work in a building filled with good people who are all invested in the future of the company and the work we’re doing. With everybody being so busy I think it’s important to mingle and help each other get through. Emily, can you explain what being Artistic Planning Manager involves? Emily: I guess it’s thinking in broad strokes, thinking about the tours. I liaise with venues about dates, link them to the relevant people here at Northern Ballet and make sure everyone understands where we’re going and what we’re doing. More on the artistic side, I look at what we’re wanting to programme. I work closely with both Federico and David about our future plans and what our artistic options are. Both of you have spent time away on tour with the company. What’s in your ‘tour survival guide’? Lyndsey: Find great places for brunch. Good coffee and good food are how to survive the tour. Emily: We’ve both toured so much and it can be easy to fall into being repetitive, so I’d say find a balance where you can. If you’ve got time to yourself, take yourself out for breakfast. Or we’ll grab coffee with the girls in Wardrobe and Wigs. It’s about finding the nice moments in what can be quite a hectic week. You have both worked closely together for a while now, what’s it like having each other to turn for support in your new roles? Lyndsey: It is so useful! I’m constantly checking in with Emily for that bit of reassurance that I’m on the right track. Having her there to ask questions is amazing. We’ve always worked well together even in our previous roles, but as a friend, having her still in the building is great. Emily: There’s so much crossover that I’m really trying to make cohesive. We know each other so well and we’re such good friends, it really makes it easier. We share information a bit more readily. Lyndsey: We’re each a department of one but the crossover means we come together as a power-duo! Emily: We’ve been sitting next to each other for the past four years. It’s nice that we’re both still here and we’ve both progressed. It makes coming to work special. 25Romeo & Juliet London Opening Night Benefactors Tuesday 28 May 2024, 7.30pm (Drinks from 6.30pm) London Sadler’s Wells Romeo & Juliet London Patrons Evening Patrons Thursday 30 May 2024, 7.30pm (Drinks from 6.30pm) London Sadler’s Wells Beauty & the Beast Benefactors Tuesday 4 June 2024, 7.30pm (Drinks from 6.30pm) Leeds Grand Theatre Open Rehearsal Day Patrons and Benefactors Thursday 22 August 2024, 10am – 6.30pm Northern Ballet Company class dates spring 2024 Northern Ballet Patrons and Benefactors can watch our dancers take their daily class on stage at theatres across our national tour. Why not introduce a friend to the joy of dance? Patrons and Benefactors are also able to bring along a guest to any of our open Company Classes. Nottingham Theatre Royal Saturday 4 May 2024, 11.30am Norwich Theatre Royal Saturday 18 May 2024, 11.30am Sadler’s Wells, London Saturday 1 June 2024, 11.30am Leeds Grand Theatre Saturday 8 June 2024, 11.30am Book online now. As a working ballet Company, all events and timings remain subject to change. Upcoming events Spring 2024 Dominique Larose and Joseph Taylor in Romeo & Juliet. Photo Emily Nuttall. 2627Registered charity no. 259140. Company registration no. 947096. Northern Ballet Limited registered in England and Wales. Company limited by guarantee and share capital. Productions supported by What’s on Tour dates Beauty & the Beast Leeds Grand Theatre 4 – 9 Jun 2024 northernballet.com/beauty Three Short Ballets Leeds Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre 6 – 14 Sep 2024 northernballet.com/three-short-ballets A Christmas Carol Sheffield Lyceum Theatre 7 – 9 Nov 2024 Hull New Theatre 12 – 16 Nov 2024 Norwich Theatre Royal 19 – 23 Nov 2024 Nottingham Theatre Royal 26 – 30 Nov Leeds Grand Theatre 17 Dec 2024 – 4 Jan 2025 northernballet.com/a-christmas-carol Tortoise & the Hare Touring nationally spring 2024 northernballet.com/tortoise Romeo & Juliet Nottingham Theatre Royal 30 Apr – 4 May 2024 Norwich Theatre Royal 14 – 18 May 2024 London Sadler’s Wells 28 May – 1 Jun 2024 Royal Shakespeare Theatre 19 – 28 Sep 2024 Southampton Mayflower Theatre 3 – 5 Oct 2024 Canterbury Marlowe Theatre 9 – 12 Oct 2024 Newcastle Theatre Royal 23 – 26 Oct 2024 northernballet.com/romeo-and-juliet Sketches Leeds Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre 9 – 10 May 2024 northernballet.com/sketches 28Next >