< PreviousProduction credits TechnicalWardrobe Production Manager Steve Wilkins Original Production Manager Tim Anger Set Construction Bryan Tweddle Ian Broscomb Jeff Winstanley Jon Moorhouse Mike Roberts Peter Deacon Revival Set Refurbishment Griz Pedley Pradeep Dash Scenic Artists Dave Gillan Jerry Hedford Marise Rose Matt Grace Sarah East Revival Scenic Artist Ali Allen Props Ali Allen & Northern Ballet Stage Management FurnitureTopshow Donated Bicycles Andy Turner Original Costume Supervisor Kim Brassley Revival Costume Supervisors Mikhaila Pye Carley Marsh Julie Anderson Ladies costumes made by Julie Anderson Carley Marsh Sarah Anderson Donna Hardcastle Assisted by Ellie Kemp Holly Prescott Roxanne Major Tailoring by Leslie Woolford (Les the Tailor) Original Hats and Headdresses by Jane Smith & Northern Ballet Wardrobe Revival Headdresses by Harriet Rogers Assisted by Northern Ballet Wardrobe Wigs and Makeup Supervisor Harriet Rogers Pointe Shoes by Freed of London 10Ayami Miyata in Swan Lake. Photo Lauren Godfrey. 11A BALLET BY DREW M C ONIE Music by Grant Olding WORLD PREMIÈRE Nottingham Theatre Royal 25 Sep – 2 Oct Hull New Theatre 12 - 16 Oct Norwich Theatre Royal 19 – 23 Oct Sheffield Lyceum Theatre 2 – 6 Nov Leeds Grand Theatre 9 – 20 Nov Southampton Mayflower Theatre 2 – 4 Dec BOOK NOW NORTHERNBALLET.COM/MERLIN Production supported by 12Photo Justin Slee. David Nixon has been Artistic Director of Northern Ballet since 2001. David trained as a dancer, first in his hometown of Chatham, Ontario and then at the National Ballet School of Canada where his training began in earnest. It was during his time there that he first became interested in choreography, helping to revive a choreographic workshop with the approval of school director Betty Oliphant. After further training in Europe he returned to Canada to train with Erik Bruhn and the great Russian teacher, Eugene Valukin. David’s career began at the National Ballet of Canada where he progressed rapidly through the ranks to become a Principal Dancer, dancing lead roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire. In 1985 he joined the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin as Principal Dancer where he won the Critics’ Award for Best Male Performance (1987) and continued to increase his own choreographic output. This included producing and directing the successful mixed programme, David Nixon’s Liaisons, at the Hebbel Theatre, Berlin in 1990. David left Berlin for a series of Principal Guest Artist positions with National Ballet of Canada, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich and Royal Winnipeg Ballet before returning to Deutsche Opera Ballet in 1994 as First Ballet Master. His Guest Artist credits also include: Birmingham Royal Ballet; Komische Oper; Deutsche Staatsoper; Hamburg Ballet; and Sydney City Ballet. In 1994 David became Artistic Director of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, USA. During his six years with the Company, he added 16 world and 15 company premières to the repertoire. Since joining Northern Ballet, David has added an impressive array of new works to the repertoire including: Madame Butterfly (nominated for an MEN Award); Wuthering Heights; I Got Rhythm; Swan Lake; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (nominated for an Olivier Award and MEN Award); Peter Pan; Dracula; The Three Musketeers (winner of MEN Award and nominated for an Olivier Award); A Sleeping Beauty Tale; The Nutcracker; Hamlet; Cleopatra; Beauty & the Beast; The Great Gatsby (nominated for a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award and UK Theatre Award); Cinderella (nominated for a Manchester Theatre Award); The Little Mermaid (winner of a BroadwayWorld UK Award); and several short works. His adaptation of Dracula became Northern Ballet’s first performance to be broadcast live in cinemas on Halloween 2019. David’s productions have been staged worldwide including Europe, Canada, the USA and South Africa. Most recently he reproduced The Great Gatsby for West Australian Ballet in 2017. In 2020, David’s choreography featured on primetime television on BBC One’s The Greatest Dancer. David was voted Director of the Year by readers of Dance Europe in 2003 and 2006, and in 2018 was awarded the Ken McCarter Award for Distinguished National Ballet School Alumni by Canada’s National Ballet School. Under his directorship Northern Ballet has also won several awards: Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Audience Award) 2004, 2005 and 2006; Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Patron’s Award) 2009; Taglioni European Ballet Awards (Best Company) 2014; South Bank Sky Arts Awards (Dance Award) 2016 for 1984 and 2020 for Victoria; UK Theatre Awards (Achievement in Dance) 2018. Northern Ballet has also been nominated for many prestigious awards: South Bank Sky Arts Awards (Dance Award 2017) for Jane Eyre; UK Theatre Awards (Achievement in Dance) 2016; and the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Outstanding Company) 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In January 2010 David was awarded an OBE for his services to dance in The Queen’s New Year Honours List. Artistic Director David Nixon OBE 13The Dancers - Our Collaborative Artists Miki Akuta JUNIOR SOLOIST Miki is from Fukuoka in Japan and joined Northern Ballet in 2014. She trained at Kazuko Sugihara Ballet Art in Japan and Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. Sarah Chun FIRST SOLOIST Sarah is from Chicago, Illinois and trained at the Faubourg School of Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet Academy of Chicago. She previously danced with Oklahoma City Ballet and Kansas City Ballet. She has won awards placing second and third at the Youth America Grand Prix in Chicago. She joined Northern Ballet in 2016. Sponsor Bernard Eke Antoinette Brooks-Daw PREMIER DANCER Antoinette is from Somerset and joined Northern Ballet in 2008. She trained at The Trull School of Dancing in Taunton and was a Junior Associate of The Royal Ballet School before joining The Royal Ballet School (Lower and Upper Schools). Wesley Branch DANCER Wesley was born and raised in East London. He trained at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and English National Ballet School. Past performance experience includes works by Kenneth MacMillan, Didy Veldman and Wayne Eagling. He joined Northern Ballet in 2019. Alessandra Bramante DANCER Alessandra is from Siracusa, Italy. She trained with the ASDC Dietro le Quinte in Catania, Il Balletto di Castelfranco Veneto and the John Cranko School in Stuttgart. She joined Northern Ballet in 2019. Helen Bogatch DANCER Helen is from Tallinn. She trained at Tallinn Ballet School and later danced with Estonian National Ballet. She joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Sponsor Kate & Andrew Fisher Harris Beattie DANCER Harris trained at Danscentre in Aberdeen and Central School of Ballet. In 2017 he won the Gold Medal at the Genée International Ballet Competition. He previously performed with Ballet Central and joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Sponsor Christine & Peter Farmer Sean Bates FIRST SOLOIST Sean is from Milton Keynes. He trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined Northern Ballet in 2012. Sponsor Clive & Virginia Lloyd Aitor Arrieta GUEST ARTIST Aitor joined English National Ballet in 2016 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2019. Joint winner of Emerging Dancer 2017, he trained at the Mariemma Royal Conservatory of Professional Dance. Roles for English National Ballet include: Albrecht (Giselle); Nephew/Prince & Nutcracker (The Nutcracker); and Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake). Created roles include Forsythe’s Playlist (Track 1, 2). 14Natalia Kerner DANCER Natalia is from Salvador-Bahia in Brazil. She trained at Ebateca School of Ballet in Brazil and at Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. In 2014 she performed with The Norwegian National Ballet in The Nutcracker. She joined Northern Ballet in 2015. Sponsor Dean Eggleston Minju Kang FIRST SOLOIST Minju is from Seoul, South Korea. She trained at Seoul Arts High School, Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts and The Hamburg Ballet School. She previously performed with Bundesjugendballett for two years before joining Northern Ballet in 2016. Sponsor Linda & John Topott Riku Ito FIRST SOLOIST Riku is from Yokohama, Japan and trained at Yumi Kitamori Ballet Studio and The Hamburg Ballet School. He joined Northern Ballet in 2014. Sponsor Kyla & Andy Mullins Jonathan Hanks SOLOIST Jonathan is from Gloucester and trained at Linda Virgoe’s Dance Studio and The Royal Ballet School (Lower and Upper Schools). He danced with the Estonian National Ballet before joining Northern Ballet in 2016. Sponsor Bernard Eke Albert Gonzalez Orts DANCER Albert is from Valencia in Spain. He trained at Estudio de Danza María Carbonell in Valencia, the École Atelier Rudra Béjart in Lausanne and the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. He joined Northern Ballet in 2019. Sponsor Andy & Kath Barff Rachael Gillespie FIRST SOLOIST Rachael is from Swindon and joined Northern Ballet in 2007. She trained with the Judith Hockaday School and Central School of Ballet. Her previous companies include Scottish Ballet and Ballet Central. Sponsor Louise & Philip Keller Sara Dos Remedios APPRENTICE Sara was born in England and raised in Barcelona. She trained at the Professional Dance Conservatoire in Barcelona, EESA/CPD Institut del Teatre and at the Ecole Supérieure de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes, France. She completed her training on the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme and joined Northern Ballet in 2020. Ashley Dixon PRINCIPAL SOLOIST Ashley is from Hull and trained at Central School of Ballet. He joined Northern Ballet in 2004. Filippo Di Vilio JUNIOR SOLOIST Filippo is from Vinci in Italy and joined Northern Ballet in 2014. He trained at Teatro alla Scala Ballet School in Milan, St. Carlo Ballet School in Naples, English National Ballet School and the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. Sponsor Jane & Alan Foale 15The Dancers - Our Collaborative Artists Greig Matthews FIRST SOLOIST Greig is from Aberdeen and trained at The Lamour School of Dance in Aberdeen, The Dance School of Scotland and The Royal Ballet Upper School. He previously danced with Vienna State Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago before joining Northern Ballet in 2021. Harriet Marden DANCER Harriet was born in Rochford, Essex and raised in Bournemouth. She trained at the Jo Heynes Performing Arts School in Bournemouth and at Central School of Ballet before joining the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. She joined Northern Ballet in 2015. George Liang DANCER George is from Taipei, Taiwan and trained with the New Zealand School of Dance, Canada’s National Ballet School and I Shin Dance Studio. He previously danced with The National Ballet of Canada and joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Heather Lehan DANCER Heather is from Kitchener in Ontario, Canada. She trained at Canada’s National Ballet School and joined Northern Ballet in 2017. Sponsor Mr Jolyon & Mrs Carol Harrison Dominique Larose FIRST SOLOIST Dominique was born in San Francisco, California and trained at the Ayako School of Ballet, Tanz Akademie Zürich and the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. She joined Northern Ballet in 2014. Kyungka Kwak DANCER Kyungka is from Seoul, South Korea and trained with the Sunhwa Arts School and Ewha Womans University. Her previous companies include Universal Ballet Company, Korea. She joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Mlindi Kulashe LEADING SOLOIST Mlindi is from Cape Town, South Africa where he trained at the Cape Town City Ballet and Cape Junior Ballet School. He completed his training at English National Ballet School. He has performed with Cape Town City Ballet and was awarded a Bronze Medal at the 2011 Genée International Ballet Competition. He joined Northern Ballet in 2013. Sponsor Paul & Diane Cusworth Matthew Koon FIRST SOLOIST Matthew is from Manchester. He trained as an Associate of the Academy of Northern Ballet before taking up full-time vocational training at English National Ballet School. He joined Northern Ballet in 2013. Sponsor Neil Eckersley Sena Kitano DANCER Sena is from Osaka in Japan and trained at Soda Ballet School in Japan and the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. She joined Northern Ballet in 2020. 16Kevin Poeung FIRST SOLOIST Kevin is from Montpellier in France. He joined Northern Ballet in 2012 having trained at English National Ballet School. Sponsor Russell Race Aurora Piccininni DANCER Aurora is from Italy. She trained at the Conservatory of Valencia and on the Professional Graduate Programme at the Academy of Northern Ballet. She joined Northern Ballet in 2019. Leandro Olcese APPRENTICE Leandro was born in Brazil and raised in Italy. He trained at Spazio Danza Cicagna in Italy and English National Ballet School. He joined Northern Ballet in 2019. Julie Nunès DANCER Julie is from La Ciotat in France and trained at the National Dance School in Marseille and Central School of Ballet. Upon graduation, she joined the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. She was part of the corps de ballet in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Stockholm and joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Matthew Morrell DANCER Matthew is from Manchester and trained at Central School of Ballet and the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Professional Graduate Programme. He joined Northern Ballet in 2018. Sponsor Neil Eckersley Ayami Miyata LEADING SOLOIST Ayami was born in Shiga, Japan and trained at Jun Ballet Gakuen, Japan and Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. She joined Northern Ballet in 2009 and performed with Ballet Ireland and Singapore Dance Theatre, before rejoining Northern Ballet in 2014. Sponsor Louise & Philip Keller Aerys Merrill DANCER Aerys Merrill is from Richmond, Virginia and studied with Richmond Ballet through high school. Aerys later attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts receiving a B.F.A in Ballet Performance. Aerys previously danced with Atlanta Ballet in their second company and with Ballet Memphis before joining Northern Ballet in 2020. Charlotte McKay DANCER Charlotte is from Rossland in British Columbia, Canada and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined Northern Ballet in 2020. Gavin McCaig JUNIOR SOLOIST Gavin is from Motherwell near Glasgow and trained at The Dance School of Scotland and English National Ballet School. He joined Northern Ballet in 2014. Sponsor The Sterry Family Foundation 17For dancer biographies visit northernballet.com/dancers The Dancers - Our Collaborative Artists Lorenzo is from Crova, Italy. He trained at Teatro alla Scala Ballet School in Milan and at The Royal Ballet School before joining Northern Ballet in 2016. Lorenzo Trossello SOLOIST Javier Torres PREMIER DANCER Javier is from Cuba and trained at the National Ballet School of Havana. He previously performed with Ballet Nacional de Cuba and also performs regularly as a guest artist. He joined Northern Ballet in 2010 and was nominated for Best Male Dancer at the 2018 National Dance Awards. He is a member of the International Dance Council CID, UNESCO and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Matthew Topliss SOLOIST Matthew was born in Boston, Lincolnshire. He is a graduate of the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Centre for Advanced Training programme and continued his training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He joined Northern Ballet in 2012. Sponsor Jo McLaren Andrew Tomlinson DANCER Andrew was born in Leeds and trained on the Academy of Northern Ballet’s Centre for Advanced Training Programme and at Canada’s National Ballet School. He previously performed with The National Ballet of Canada and joined Northern Ballet in 2017. Joseph Taylor LEADING SOLOIST Joseph is from Skegness, Lincolnshire. He trained at the Janice Sutton Theatre School and Elmhurst School for Dance (Upper School). He joined Northern Ballet in 2012. Sponsor Patricia Swallow Archie Sherman APPRENTICE Archie is from Kent and trained at Hilton Hall Dance Academy before joining The Royal Ballet School. He joined Northern Ballet in 2020. Sponsor Stephen Griffith MBE Bruno Serraclara DANCER Bruno is from Barcelona and started dancing at Escola de Dansa Marisa Yudes in Barcelona at age eight before continuing his training at Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo from 2015 until 2020. He joined Northern Ballet in 2020. Mariana Rodrigues JUNIOR SOLOIST Mariana is from Lisbon, Portugal and trained at the National Conservatory Dance School in Lisbon and at The Royal Ballet School. She joined Northern Ballet in 2012. Sponsor Patricia Swallow Abigail Prudames PRINCIPAL SOLOIST Abigail is from Harrogate in North Yorkshire and joined Northern Ballet in 2011. She trained at The Royal Ballet Lower School and Elmhurst School for Dance (Upper School). Sponsor The Sterry Family Foundation Photos Lisa Stonehouse & Karoline Kuras. 18Matthew Koon in Swan Lake. Photo Emma Kauldhar. 19Next >