Inside the Rehearsal Room with Luke Ahmet

After a busy autumn season we caught up with Luke Ahmet, Assistant Rehearsal Director. Luke gave us his insight into the rehearsal room and getting to grips with his new role with Northern Ballet. 

Where have you worked at previously and what is your background?

I trained at the Royal Ballet School from the age of 11. I was there for eight years and then I joined Scottish Ballet as a Dancer, I was there for ten years as a soloist and then decided to take a new career path and go more contemporary, so I joined Rambert Dance Company and was there for six and a half years. I really enjoyed the transition from less classical work. Following that I worked freelance with independent choreographers such as Wayne McGregor, which was incredibly rewarding and took me pretty much around the world. Being freelance meant I could do so much more with my time, whether it was staging other ballets for different choreographers and teaching ballet or contemporary classes, which led me onto my current trajectory. 

What drew you towards working at Northern Ballet?

I remember that I had seen the company a lot when I was a lot younger, and what has always struck me is the storytelling. The Company has an incredible history of telling narratives through ballet and I find it exciting to be a part of that. We have such a rich catalogue of work and a lot of our ballets, such as the recent performances of A Christmas Carol in Leeds, can be considered classics. It excites me to be able to offer my own perspective and my own stamp on those stories for modern audiences.

Another wonderful thing about Northern Ballet is its place in the community. There is a committed audience of supporters and audience members, but the Company also reaches so many people outside of the theatre, whether that is through the Academy, training the next generation of dancers, or through work in schools. Being a part of all of this is incredibly rewarding. 

What does the job of Assistant Rehearsal Director consist of?

My role primarily consists of training, so a regular part of my day is teaching Company Class in the morning, managing rehearsals, teaching repertoire, and making sure that all the steps are improving with each rehearsal. I also assist the other rehearsal staff with anything they might need to hand over to me. I see my role as the middle ground between being a coach and assisting with what is already there.

Can you describe the rehearsal process at Northern Ballet? How do you plan a week of rehearsals?

Typically, the rehearsal staff will work with Federico (Bonelli, Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director) to look at what needs to be focused on and then put that into a rehearsal schedule for the week. Typically, when they’re not performing, the dancers will work from 10am – 6.30pm. Class is always an hour and fifteen minutes at the start of the day and then we will use the rest of the day for rehearsals with opportunities to refuel throughout. 

At the moment we are rehearsing for Jane Eyre, which opens in Leeds in March. The other ballet staff (Daniel De Andrade and Christelle Horna) know the ballet very well, but it is new to me, so I have had to catch up a bit. I do this by watching videos from all the different companies, in particular the Northern Ballet version. I collate my own personal bible with all the steps, the counts and all the activity that needs to happen on stage and then work with the dancers to get the best possible result.

Northern Ballet is a busy touring Company – how do you adapt rehearsals when visiting our tour venues?

We are lucky to have our Studio Theatre to work in at our home in Quarry Hill. As this studio has a full stage to work with, we can do full costume runs or small-scale technical rehearsals and plan for any eventuality on tour. For instance, we can put items of the set into the studio and set markers to indicate a specific performance area at a venue.   

I think a notable example of this is for our performances of Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which was a traverse stage and was a unique situation for the Company. Here we had to look really carefully and develop a strategy for the dancers’ entrances and exits and how they could work or be adapted without losing the integrity of the show. 

I think this work paid off perfectly and the audience members (particularly those in the stalls) really felt part of the action. The unique properties of the stage actually enhanced the experience, thanks to a lot of hard work in rehearsals.
 

What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your role at Northern Ballet?

I still feel like I am figuring things out, I am still working hard to build relationships and trust with the dancers. I am a new person to them, and I know it is important to be mindful of that, and take the time to build trust. 

In previous roles I have come in, set everything up for the first night, and then my role is complete, and I leave. At Northern Ballet I am far more connected to the Company, and part of the challenge of my role is to keep myself and the dancers motivated between each show to keep everything fresh. For example, we just finished a big tour of A Christmas Carol with two weeks of performances in Leeds, having already performed the ballet on tour since the start of November. So a challenge is to keep the energy levels and focus high, to give the best possible experience to audiences.   

We have a lot of supporters who watch more than one show of each performance. Beyond the main storylines, what is your favourite thing to look out for on stage?

Because I watch pretty much every show, I really love watching the dancers in crowd scenes. You will see people having their own stories within the story. The main story obviously never changes but the action on stage is so layered, everyone is acting all the time and it’s quite fun to pick out things happening in the background. I find myself imagining “what are they actually talking about over there" and as someone who watches the company perform so much, I can tell you that no two performances are the same, which really goes to show how well the Company presents its stories to the audience.

What has been your proudest moment since you’ve joined the Company, and why?

The opening night of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre was a really proud moment, not only for the dancers and rehearsal staff but the Company as a whole.  The atmosphere was electric and the dancers were incredible. It was a really moving night and a real achievement, I think.

Looking forward, we are reviving Jane Eyre, Romeo & Juliet is coming back to Leeds, not to mention the announcement of the brand-new ballet Gentleman Jack. What most excites you the most about the future at Northern Ballet?

I have worked on a couple of projects with Jane Eyre choreographer Cathy Marston already, including The Cellist. It feels like a rite of passage that I have already worked with her, and I am really excited to do so again in my role at Northern Ballet, as Jane Eyre is a really beautiful production. I am also very excited to be restaging Romeo and Juliet in Leeds at the Playhouse, after such an incredible tour in Autumn 2024.

Looking much further ahead, Gentleman Jack is very exciting. I have worked with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa before, and I think it is going to be a really interesting and exciting project. This kind of story has never been attempted by a ballet company before, and I am excited to be a part of breaking new ground. 

One of the benefits of supporting Northern Ballet is being able to come and watch rehearsals. What would you say to a supporter coming in to watch a rehearsal for the first time?  

I would say that it’s important to come in without a preconceived idea of what you’re going to see or what it’s going to be like as it is always different. My advice would be to sit back and let it all soak in. It’s a real privilege to see behind the scenes, and the workings of the machine, as most people will only see the finished product and not get the full picture of the level, work and detail that goes into each performance. 

We have supporters watching a variety of rehearsals, whether it is Company Class, focused work with two dancers for a pas de deux, a dress rehearsal, or even a session with the dancers working on entrances and exits and doing no dancing at all! There is always something interesting to see, and seeing the work in rehearsals really enhances the experience of watching the finished product on stage.

I remember one time a while ago when I was dancing, the safety curtain couldn’t come down and the audience could see all the technical staff moving sets around, and they got the biggest applause of the night. So, I think seeing behind the scenes can be a really enjoyable experience and, as Northern Ballet is one big family, it brings you closer to everyone at the Company, not just the dancers.

Do the dancers enjoy having people in rehearsals?

Although it might just be a class or a rehearsal, having guests watching does give it that kind of performance element, and I think that (especially if the dancers know the guests in rehearsal) the dancers do thrive on that a little bit because they want to show their best to people that they are close to. I think we all thrive on having people watch the work even if it is at a really early stage.

Back in August we had over 100 supporters in to watch rehearsals for our Open Day. Did you enjoy opening up the rehearsal room for the day?

It was a really fun day! I was surprised how many people came, and with how many had such a deep connection to the Company. I don’t think many companies do a full day of rehearsals for supporters and it really helps to foster a close connection between supporters and the Company. One of the best things about the day was that a very generous supporter kindly bought lunch for all the dancers and artistic staff, which meant that everyone sat together eating lunch and could catch up and get to know each other over a bite to eat. I found it great to hear about everyone’s passion and dedication to the Company and it made me feel really positive for the future.

Watch Luke and the Company in rehearsal in 2025!
Save the date:
Northern Ballet Open Rehearsal Day
Thursday 28 August 2025 
10AM – 6.30PM
Available to Benefactors, Patrons and the Artistic Directors Circle