A male dancer in red is standing with arms by his side as female dancers also in red, stand arabesque around him

Intimate Pages

This ballet is inspired by an exquisite string quartet piece by Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who wrote it with a love interest in mind.

When I listen to the music I hear so many emotions. Yearning, ecstasy, struggle, elation. Ultimately, that is what led me to want to discover and explore the human emotion and those feelings through dance.

From the Stage

Two dancers wearing crimson, one holds the others waist and that person is en pointe, one hand on the other's shoulder
Woman balances en pointe on one foot, leg behind her raised high and another dancer helping her balance by holding her right hand
Female dancer wearing a red dress leap high with an arm stretched above her while two dancers dressed in red look on
A male dancer in red is standing with arms by his side as female dancers also in red, stand arabesque around him

Photos taken by Emily Nuttall, featuring dancers Aerys Merrill, Harris Beattie, Kaho Masumoto, and Sarah Chun.

Choreographer looks on while a dancer walks imperiously while innumerate dancers surround her, all stretched across and floor facing down
Dancer wearing grey and pale pink pointe shoes sits on the floor in a deliberate pose, torso upright but leaning back on her hands
Male dancer stands emotionless while surrounded by six dancers, all arabesque and en pointe, supporting themselves by placing their free hand on his shoulder
Choreographer wearing pink, sat on the floor leaning back on one arm, while talking with someone out of frame
Choreographer wearing a pink top and trousers explaining the movement she envisions to people out of frame

Images from rehearsals of the new piece Intimate Pages, with Northern Ballet dancers and the choreographer Tiler Peck. Photos by George Liang.

Music by Leoš Janáček

String Quartet No. 2 ‘Intimate Letters’ mvts. I, II, IV

Performed live by:

Geoffrey Allan - Violin
Helen Boardman - Violin
Rosalyn Cabot - Viola
Toby Turton - Cello

Lighting Design by

Alastair West

Costumes designed and made by

Julie Anderson and Carley Marsh
With support from Northern Ballet wardrobe department

Lycra supplied by

Showtime Fabrics

Hair & make up styled by

Harriet Rogers assisted by Elizabeth Fraser

Running time 20 minutes

Dancer leaping across the frame while looking directly at the viewer, wearing peach and with fabrics flowing in the wind

Generations:

Join us for a trio of contemporary ballets created by choreographers from across the generations – brought together by Artistic Director Federico Bonelli.
Read more
Female dancer in a orange skirt smiling as she stands on one foot en point, one leg bent at the knee behind her and an arm raised above her head while the other is held by a male dancer in white and grey

Joie de Vivre

The rising star: a UK première by up-and-coming choreographer from The Royal Ballet Benjamin Ella.
Read more
Three couples, each wearing white, a male holds steady a female who is leaning forward on one foot while the other leg is extended in the air behind her

Adagio Hammerklavier

A timeless classic of twentieth-century dance.
Read more