Annual Review 2015/16

Annual Review 2015/16

2015/16 was a wonderful year for Northern Ballet We toured 8 different ballets and 2 mixed programmes to 53 venues Our ballets were seen by more than 165,000 people and grossed more than 3 million at the Box Office 1.308 million people saw a Northern Ballet production on TV or BBC iplayer Our success was celebrated with a number of nominations: Nominated for Outstanding Company, Best Male Dancer (Tobias Batley), Emerging Artist (Kenneth Tindall) and Best Classical Choreography (Kenneth Tindall s The Architect) at the 2015 National Dance Awards 1984 nominated in the Dance Category at the Manchester Theatre Awards Nominated for a Children s BAFTA for the CBeebies adaptation of Elves & the Shoemaker (Pre-School Live Action)

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 3 Contents Productions... 4-11 Short Ballets for Small People... 12-13 Tell Tale Steps... 14 Collaborations... 15 Academy of Northern Ballet... 16-17 Learning... 18-19 Development... 20-21 Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre... 22-23 Our home... 24 Financial summary... 25 Find out more... 26 Front cover: Tobias Batley and Martha Leebolt in 1984. Photo Emma Kauldhar.

4 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 David Nixon s The Great Gatsby In 2015 The Great Gatsby s glittering UK run came to an end with final performances at Norwich Theatre Royal. This blockbuster ballet also made a trip overseas to China where the production wowed packed audiences in Shanghai and Beijing. Beautiful to behold Yorkshire Post A powerful piece of dance which grips you with all the fever of the original book Eastern Daily Press Excerpts from The Great Gatsby This Page: Tobias Batley and Martha Leebolt in The Great Gatsby. Photos by Bill Cooper. Opposite: Rachael Gillespie and Jeremy Curnier in Wuthering Heights. Photo Emma Kauldhar.

David Nixon s Wuthering Heights There was passion, drama and romance aplenty on this year s Wuthering Heights tour. Performances took place in Southampton, Milton Keynes and Canterbury, as well as Bradford, just miles from Emily Brontë s original setting. Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 5 Northern Ballet at its best Mail on Sunday Excerpts from Wuthering Heights

6 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Mixed Programmes This year we presented mixed programmes at the Royal Opera House s Linbury Studio Theatre and the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in our Leeds HQ. In London and Leeds the programme featured Christopher Hampson s Perpetuum Mobile, Demis Volpi s Little Monsters, Jonathan Watkins A Northern Trilogy and Kenneth Tindall s The Architect. In London the programme also included Mark Godden s Angels in the Architecture and Leeds audiences were treated to Daniel de Andrade s Fatal Kiss. A dazzling display of humour, wit and fine dancing Sunday Express Excerpts from our Mixed Programme This Page: Joseph Taylor and Dreda Blow in Little Monsters. Opposite: Tobias Batley in Madame Butterfly. Photos Emma Kauldhar.

David Nixon s Madame Butterfly with Perpetuum Mobile You don t have to be a ballet expert to enjoy this performance by Northern Ballet but I guarantee you will enjoy it Sheffield Star In 2015 we embarked on a new strand of touring to widen the Company s reach and further our commitment to bringing ballet to as many people and places as possible. The tour visited Doncaster, Blackpool, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond and Bromley and gave thousands of new audience members the opportunity to experience world-class ballet on their doorstep. Audiences were treated to both David Nixon s Madame Butterfly and Christopher Hampson s Perpetuum Mobile in one night. Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 7 Excerpts from Madame Butterfly

8 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Jonathan Watkins 1984 Big Brother was always watching this year as our new full length ballet, created by Jonathan Watkins, toured to Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Manchester. This acclaimed production garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, and was filmed by The Space in collaboration with BBC Arts. This was the first time in over 20 years that one of our full-length productions has been broadcast on TV. 1984 premièred on BBC Four in February before being made available to watch on iplayer it has been watched by more than 150,000 people. Excerpts from 1984

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 9 1984 Winner of The South Bank Sky Arts Dance Award, June 2016 The Guardian The Telegraph Financial Times The Independent This Page: Northern Ballet dancers in 1984. Photo Emma Kauldhar.

10 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 David Nixon s The Nutcracker We had our most sparkling Christmas ever as we revived The Nutcracker in Woking, Newcastle, Norwich and Leeds. This ever popular festive treat continued to provide the ultimate entertainment for all the family and resulted in our most successful Christmas Box Office sales of all time. A magical performance The Reviews Hub Excerpts from The Nutcracker

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 11 David Nixon s Swan Lake Audiences in Leeds and Sheffield had the chance to see Swan Lake like never before as we revived this reimagined classic. This timeless ballet was another smash-hit at the Box Office as our opening at Leeds Grand Theatre saw the best non-christmas sales in Northern Ballet s history. This is a very special Swan Lake York Press Excerpts from Swan Lake This Page: Martha Leebolt in Swan Lake. Opposite: Rachael Gillespie in The Nutcracker. Photos Emma Kauldhar.

12 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Short Ballets for Small People Our Short Ballets for Small People visited 42 venues and were seen by more than 38,000 people on stage. On average people paid just 6.30 per ticket. Excerpts from Elves & the Shoemaker Excerpts from Tortoise & the Hare Elves & the Shoemaker Our third ballet for children Elves & the Shoemaker, choreographed by Daniel de Andrade, continued to sprinkle its magic up and down the country with performances from Stirling to Southampton. Short, sweet and enchanting The Stage Tortoise & the Hare Following the success of Ugly Duckling, Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe teamed up again to create Tortoise & the Hare. It was ready, steady, go for this new family friendly ballet which premièred in Leeds at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre before two performances in community venues and a national tour. Delightfully performed The Stage To engage children and young people with Tortoise & the Hare we delivered 122 workshops in nurseries, children s centres, schools and private dance schools, with 5,886 children and their families taking part.

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 13 Northern Ballet and CBeebies We were delighted to continue to work with CBeebies as both Elves & the Shoemaker and Tortoise & the Hare were broadcast to the delight of families everywhere. First up was Elves & the Shoemaker which was broadcast in April 2015. Then during 2016 our dancers, Mr Bloom and the tiddlers were together once more for the filming of Tortoise & the Hare which was broadcast in March 2016. This meant more people were able to enjoy these magical performances from the comfort of their homes. This Page: Northern Ballet dancers in Tortoise & the Hare. Opposite: Kiara Flavin and Filippo di Vilio in Elves & the Shoemaker. Northern Ballet dancers in Tortoise & the Hare. Photos Brian Slater.

14 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Tell Tale Steps Northern Ballet held its inaugural Choreographic Laboratory, Tell Tale Steps this year. Taking place at our home on Quarry Hill, in partnership with The Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, Tell Tale Steps demonstrated our commitment to nurturing new choreographic talent. Four choreographers were selected and had the opportunity to work with Northern Ballet s dancers to explore narrative dance. The Laboratory culminated in a presentation of ideas and a panel discussion. 2015 Laboratory choreographers: Kenneth Tindall Ludovic Ondiviela Constant Vigier Andrew McNicol Tell Tale Steps also gave us the opportunity to live stream for the first time. Three different rehearsals were streamed, and in total 2,056 people have seen those recordings either live or on demand. About Tell Tale Steps 2015 Opposite top: Miki Akuta in Nicola Gervasi s In Absentia. Photo Lauren Godfrey. Opposite bottom: Hannah Bateman in Children of the Mantic Stain. Photo Justin Slee.

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 15 Ballet at the Gallery Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate Taking inspiration from an exhibition by Yorkshire artist Tom Wood, six of our dancers created short dance pieces in response to his portraits, which were performed live at Mercer Art Gallery. This sell-out event was our first collaboration with the innovative Mercer Art Gallery and described as one of the best artistic events Harrogate has seen in the last 25 years (Harrogate Advertiser). Collaborations Children of the Mantic Stain Linder Sterling and Kenneth Tindall A new ballet by visual artist Linder Sterling and Kenneth Tindall was premièred as part of the British Art Show 8. The piece featured eight Company dancers and has so far been performed in Leeds and Edinburgh, with performances in London and Norwich in summer 2016.

16 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 The Academy of Northern Ballet Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) The 2015/16 CAT programme graduates achieved places at vocational schools including Elmhurst School for Dance, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Pupils were given the opportunity to perform in the Company s performances of The Nutcracker at Leeds Grand Theatre and a new work Small Steps at the Leeds Annual Holocaust Memorial Day Remembrance Service. Professional Graduate Programme The Professional Graduate Programme continued to act as a finishing course for trained classical ballet dancers transitioning into a professional career. We were delighted that Harriet Marden joined Northern Ballet on completion of the programme. Open Classes The Academy s Open Classes welcomed over 600 people into the studios with students enjoying a range of weekly classes over three terms. Find out more about The Academy Opposite: Northern Ballet classes at The Academy of Northern Ballet. Photos Justin Slee.

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18 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Learning During the year, our Learning team continued to deliver a wide range of activities, engaging over 13,000 people of all ages and abilities in dance, through participatory activity and watching live dance. Working in schools 877 young people from schools and youth centres took part in our START education programme involving workshops in school and visiting the theatre to see ballet for the first time. Developing skills The children loved the workshops and were all thoroughly engaged, enjoying the opportunity to learn how to use and move their bodies in different ways Early Years Teacher, Long Meadow Primary School We worked with 134 teachers and nursery staff to develop their skills in delivering dance. 35 work placements, student placements and volunteering opportunities took place. Courses 40 children took part in our annual Easter Course. 41 children took part in our annual Summer Course, creating a dance film and achieving their Discover Arts Award. Children s Centre project 30 children from 3 local children s centres took part in our project, exploring the stories of Going on a Bear Hunt and Where the Wild Things Are through creative movement play. Photos Gavin Joynt, Lauren Godfrey, Tony O Connell and Jo Dean.

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 19 Diversity Work with Green Lane Primary School, Bradford led to a greater understanding of the barriers to accessing ballet for families from an Asian heritage. In Leeds, one of our community performances of Tortoise & the Hare attracted an audience that was 90% from an Asian background. Accessible performances 7 audio descriptions were delivered nationally with 74 visually impaired patrons accessing performances. 2 relaxed performances of our Short Ballets for Small People were held, enabling young people with autism or communication disorders to access live theatre in a supportive environment. Our young people were completely engaged by the performance and left pirouetting their way through City Park on the way home! For lots of the group it was their first time in a theatre and it was the first experience of watching ballet for everyone Project Coordinator, Dance United Yorkshire Ability 9 adults with learning disabilities attended weekly classes to train, create and perform. Expressions Disabled people from 9 northern dance groups performed in an accessible dance sharing at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, including participants from our In Motion project for young wheelchair users. Children s Hospice project 5 families took part in our START hospice project which enabled children with a life limiting condition and their families to visit the theatre and take part in photography and dance sessions. Find out more about Learning

20 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Development Building on the success of the previous 12 months, 2015/16 was another year of substantial growth for our Development team, generating more than 850,000 through generous donations from individuals, trusts and corporate organisations. Successes include: > The launch of the Future Builders individual giving programme, celebrated in June 2015 with the inaugural annual Future Builders Dinner > The Emerald Foundation continued their generous support, providing funding for our first mid-scale tour and our new production of 1984 > 2015/16 was the second year of a five year pledge by the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, generously supporting the work of the Company across our artistic and outreach activities > A successful partnership with Hammerson and the Victoria Quarter saw the first ever Northern Ballet Christmas Tree unveiled at Leeds Railway Station, promoting The Nutcracker and providing invaluable support for the Company > First Direct increased their ongoing support, sponsoring the national tour of Swan Lake, in addition to their longstanding Platinum partnership > The launch of our first Christmas Appeal, raising funds for our joint project with Martin s House Children s Hospice, bringing the wonder of dance to children with life-limiting illnesses > The John Ellerman Foundation pledged significant support for our second and third mid-scale tours in 2016 and 2017, helping to build secure income for our future Support us now Opposite top: Northern Ballet dancers in 1984. Opposite bottom: Giuliano Contadini, Martha Leebolt and Javier Torres in Swan Lake. Photos Emma Kauldhar.

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22 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre The Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre seats up to 230 people and is located in the heart of Leeds cultural quarter. In 2015/16, this unique venue offered audiences the opportunity to see performances from worldclass companies including Northern Ballet, Ballet Black, Royal New Zealand Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre. The theatre also hosted showcases from dance schools such as Flex Dance and Ballet Central and family performances including the world première of our Short Ballets for Small People this year Tortoise & the Hare. More than 12,000 people attended performances at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in 2015/16.

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 23 This Page: Phoenix Dance Theatre. Photo Richard Moran. Ballet Black. Photo Bill Cooper. Opposite: Royal New Zealand Ballet dancers in The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud. Photo Evan Li.

24 Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 Our Home The home of Northern Ballet offers unique, creative and flexible facilities for meetings, conferences and events. Northern Ballet welcomed clients and delegates from NHS England, Yorkshire Water, Your Consortium, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Disability Rights UK, The Royal Town Planning Institute and many more. In 2015/16 we welcomed a total of 3,931 delegates through the doors across a total of 97 meetings, conferences and events. Hire our venue

Northern Ballet Annual Review 2015/16 25 Financial Summary Download the 2015/16 Financial Statement Key facts Revenue generated from touring: 2,521,000 Donations received through fundraising: 862,000 External funding received: 3,701,000 Cost of artistic product and touring: 6,363,000 Opposite: Northern Ballet at night. Photo Karl Andre. Back Page: Dreda Blow and Joseph Taylor in Little Monsters. Photo Emma Kauldhar.

Artistic Director David Nixon OBE Chief Executive Mark Skipper DL Find us online northernballet.com 2016/17 will be another exciting year for Northern Ballet. Click here to see what s coming up Click here to join Northern Ballet s e-list Registered charity no. 259140. Company registration no. 947096. Northern Ballet Limited registered in England and Wales. Company limited by guarantee and share capital.