Leeds Civic Trust Unveiling 200th Blue Plaque To Honour Visionary Dance Teacher And Educationist, Nadine Senior MBE
Leeds Civic Trust is celebrating a significant milestone by unveiling its 200th blue plaque in honour of the esteemed dance educator Nadine Senior MBE. The blue plaque will highlight Senior's lasting influence on the world of dance and education, particularly in Leeds, where her work transformed the arts landscape.
Northern Ballet - Three Short Ballets
With Northern Ballet’s Three Short Ballets series, the audience is treated to an evening of dance that incorporates a broad range of styles. Arriving late to the theatre, I had no time to read the programme before the first half, meaning that I had no idea what to expect. I usually prefer to be a bit better-informed before a performance, but going in completely clueless has its benefits.
London City Ballet: Resurgence
It's time for Resurgence. Such an appropriate name for the new tour of the former resident dance company of Sadler’s Wells, London City Ballet, after a 30 year 'rest'. Famously patronised by Diana, Princess of Wales, the original company closed its doors in 1996.
Chatting With Strictly Come Dancing's Karen Hauer
Karen Hauer is Strictly Come Dancing's longest-standing professional, having spent 12 series on the iconic show. She has partnered with celebrities including Westlife's Nicky Byrne, The ‘Hairy Biker’ Dave Myers, Mark Wright, Jeremy Vine, Chris Ramsey, and Jamie Laing.
Eternity - The Most Spectacular Ice Show In The World
It’s easy to see why the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort’s Hot Ice show is described as ‘The Most Spectacular Ice Show in the World’. This year’s production Eternity combines sport and theatre and showcases the best in class talent with high-tech special effects, nail-biting stunts and mesmerising hand-made costume. As the light go down in the Ice Arena there’s an air of anticipation.
Rhythm of the dance...25th Anniversary Global tour 2024...
Rhythm of the Dance will undertake a Global tour in 2024 to celebrate its “25th Anniversary of touring the world” in 47 countries.
Reviving Her: A Powerful New Dance-Theatre Show About Young, Northern Female Empowerment And Identity
Multi-disciplinary performance company Northern Rascals are bringing their powerful new dance-theatre show, REVIVING HER, to Halifax’s Square Chapel Arts Centre this July. The company impressively combines theatre and dance to explore themes of safety, identity and empowerment in Northern women.
Newcastle Dance Company BalletLORENT Invites Audiences Into Its Home
A Newcastle dance company is inviting audiences right into its 'nerve centre' for a series of unforgettable and intimate performances in an unlikely location. balletLORENT is opening up its studio space in Newcastle's west end to the public, launching the city's newest performance venue with a show called The Becoming on Thursday 11-Saturday 13 July 2024.
The Beauty, The Beast And Northern Ballet
Choreographed by David Nixon CBE, Northern Ballet's Beauty and the Beast is a delightful re-imagining of the classic fairy tale story in a world suffused with vibrant colours and populated with fairies, goblins and sprites. A world where magic hides around every corner.
Verve Living Up To Its Name
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Verve is the Northern School of Contemporary Dance's post-graduate touring dance company. The company's dancers are all current NSCD MA students on the verge of their careers as professional artists, and their talent is formidable, as you'd expect from one of the country's leading dance schools.
Shifting Perspectives: A Symposium Of Inclusive Dance Practice In Leeds
A brand new dance company launches in Leeds, created to break down barriers and nurture a dance culture where everyone feels recognised. Unbound Dance Theatre launches with a special symposium event Shifting Perspectives at Yorkshire Dance Leeds on Friday 26 April.
Northern Ballet Announces Triple-Bill Of Short Works
Northern Ballet will open its autumn 2024 season with Three Short Ballets a triple-bill featuring two world premières and a Northern première. The trio of works will be performed in Leeds at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre from the 6-14 September and in London in early 2025.
Romeo and Juliet - A Wonderful Half Term Treat
Shakespeare’s greatest love story returns to the Lyceum stage with Northern Ballet’s wonderful production of Romeo and Juliet adapted by Christopher Gable and Italian choreographer, Massimo Moricone. This ballet must be one of Northern Ballet’s most well-known and critically acclaimed productions.
Ballet Excellence: Romeo & Juilet
Northern Ballet is prolific when it comes to creating new ballets, and apart from the seasonal Nutcracker, the classics feature relatively infrequently: Giselle in 2011 and a characteristically different adaptation of Swan Lake in 2016. Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet is an iconic ballet, much loved and performed around the world.
The Wait Is Over, And It Was Worth It São Paulo Dance Company
It has been a long wait to see the São Paulo Dance Company; the tour originally planned for 2020 was delayed until 2024 due to the pandemic, but now Bradford Alhambra finally has the chance to welcome the company on their first UK and Irish tour. How lucky we are that Bradford Alhambra is one of the 19 UK and Irish theatres that make up the Dance Consortium.
The Nutcracker, Northern Ballet, And A Controversy
A mini-picket on the door of Leeds Grand is not the usual reception we might expect as Northern Ballet's Nutcracker returns this winter. Like a true perennial, the ballet itself pops with colour, joy, vivacity, and downright goodness.
Yorke Dance Project Presents California Connections: Three Pioneering Women
Yorke Dance Project, the contemporary ballet company run by Yolande Yorke-Edgell, gave its world première of a new mixed bill called California Connections: Three Pioneering Women, at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds last night before embarking on a UK tour in autumn 2023 and spring 2024. California Connections: Three Pioneering Women is a warm…
Generations At The Northern Ballet
Northern Ballet’s new season, and their first curated by Artistic Director Federico Bonelli, begins with a triple-bill of breathtaking ballets by some of the world’s finest choreographers.
Strictly Ballroom On Tour
The last time I saw Kevin Clifton, of Strictly Come Dancing fame was when he starred in his spectacular show, Burn The Floor back in 2019 at Grand Opera House, York; the place was smoking after Burn The Floor Company’s exhilarating, energetic extravaganza. Kevin stunned us all at the time, when he clearly demonstrated that he could sing as well as dance.
Northern Ballet Presents Federico Bonelli’s First Season As Artistic Director
Northern Ballet, under the guidance of their new artistic director Federico Bonelli, has announced a thrilling new season of works, reinforcing their aim of presenting "stories that connect with people of all ages and backgrounds".
Strictly Ballroom Bradford Alhambra
Our winter love affair with ballroom dancing through the TV series Strictly Come Dancing seems destined to make this show a box office hit. Indeed, if this opening night audience is anything to go by, tickets are going to be at a premium, and the cast certainly deserve it. They turned up for a night in the spangled world of the dance floor and were not disappointed.
Royal Ballet Principal Guest Star with Northern Ballet In The Great Gatsby
Joining the Company in the role of Gatsby for performances in Leeds and London is Principal of The Royal Ballet, Ryoichi Hirano. Hirano joined The Royal Ballet as a Prix de Lausanne apprentice in 2001, developing through the ranks of the company to Principal in 2016. He has also performed as Guest Principal for Norwegian National Ballet and Scottish Ballet.
Ballet Black
Celebrating twenty years, Ballet Black are delighted to present two new works in 2022 – Black Sun and Say It Loud at York Theatre Royal on 11 October. Say It Loud is choreographed and directed by Ballet Black's Founder and Artistic Director, Cassa Pancho, and the BB Company artists.
Javier Torres To Retire From Northern Ballet After 12 Years
Premier Dancer Javier Torres will retire from Northern Ballet this May, after 12 years with the Company. His final performance will be in the titular role of Kenneth Tindall’s Casanova at Sadlers Wells on Saturday 14 May, marking the end of his 22-year career as a professional ballet dancer.
Graham Clark Chats To Emma Price From Birmingham Royal Ballet
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Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta promises entertainment for all ages when he brings an explosion of Spanish sunshine, spectacular dance and vivacious comedy to the Sunderland Empire. There are not that many ballet dancers from Newcastle.
Tahiti In Leeds
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Under the baton of Antony Hermus the Orchestra of Opera North has delivered an electrifying evening of Bernstein music at The Grand in Leeds. From the gloriously sad domestic drama of Trouble in Tahiti to the passion and relentless energy of the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, the orchestra is, frankly, superb.
Rambert At The Bradford Alhambra. A Lesson In Abstraction
From the startled gazelle-like opening sequence, via a prog-rock live-action video-style entertainment, to a silent movie - albeit with a tub-thumping sound track - Rambert's ramble into the Bradford's Alhambra has delivered three complex, physical and deeply abstract pieces of their art.
Phoenix Dance In Black Waters
Phoenix Dance Theatre burst onto the Leeds Playhouse stage last night with their latest exploration of the lives and history of people of colour. Anybody familiar with the works of Phoenix will have been completely unsurprised at the power and uncompromising nature of the work.
A Fairytale For Christmas - Cinderella
Northern Ballet’s Cinderella is like an exquisite box of chocolates, beautifully wrapped and almost too good to eat. Considering this company gets just a fraction of the financial goodies doled out to the Royal Ballet, you would never know watching this elegant fairy tale, almost perfect in every detail.
Cinderella: A Pitch For Frozen 3?
Prokofiev. That's what I'd expect in a ballet featuring sunflower filled Russian meadows, elegantly dressed soldiers, a coalition of princesses and a castle. But no. Northern Ballet have chosen Phillip Feeney to create the dreamy, Vaughn Williamsesque, texture-driven soundscape to their Christmas special. And what a wise choice it is.