Northern Ballet to reach new audiences through extended tour

Northern Ballet
Press Release
For Immediate Release
10 November 2014

Northern Ballet to reach new audiences through extended tour

Northern Ballet is delighted to announce it will introduce a new strand of touring from 2015, widening the Company’s already extensive reach to an impressive 500,000 people from 2015 – 2018 and furthering its commitment to developing new and existing audiences for dance. The new mid-scale tour will see the Company perform in Doncaster, Blackpool, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond, Bromley, Stoke and Aylesbury. With the addition of these venues, Northern Ballet will give in excess of 850 performances in more than 40 cities over the next three years, a significant increase on previous years.

While some of the Company will remain at its headquarters in Leeds taking part in new inspiring Choreographic Labs, working towards creating new choreography for narrative dance, the rest of the dancers will give two contrasting performances, showcasing Northern Ballet’s expertise in powerful storytelling and awe-inspiring dance. The Company will perform a special adaptation of David Nixon’s heartbreakingly tragic Madame Butterfly and Christopher Hampson’s Perpetuum Mobile. Audiences will be swept away by the passion, prowess and versatility of Northern Ballet’s dancers. In each of the venues the Company will also perform its latest children’s ballet, Elves and The Shoemaker.

David Nixon OBE Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director said: ‘This strand of work will allow us to expand the diversity of our programming. Over the coming years I will be inviting guest choreographers to create new one-act narrative ballets on Northern Ballet. This will be presented with a piece from our mixed repertoire programming giving both the dancers and audience a broader offering of work. I am excited to have the opportunity to engage more artists, choreographers, designers and composers to work with the Company. This will offer more opportunities to our dancers and an increased amount of new work previously not possible within our resources.’

Mark Skipper DL, Northern Ballet’s Chief Executive adds: ‘We are committed to reaching as many people across the UK as possible and remain dedicated to producing new and exciting work. Audiences in some of these venues have considerably limited opportunities to engage with dance. Providing these new opportunities for people to see us perform at their home theatres reflects our ambition to introduce new audiences to our extraordinary work and demonstrates the unrivalled value we offer. By performing in these nine venues we can reach an additional 54,000 people over the next three years.

As a northern based company we receive far less funding than companies based in London who tour considerably less. We have significantly increased our fundraising targets over the next three years from £2million to £3million. This increase reflects our desire to continue to develop artistically and will help us to produce a wider range of exciting new full-length and shorter works that we can now tour more widely. Our lean business model and expertise in touring means we are the only ballet company in the UK that can support the addition of a mid-scale tour such as this on top of our existing commitments. This expertise, bold fundraising aspirations, the creative drive of our Artistic Director and an increase in funding from Arts Council England for 2015-2018, have made this new tour possible.’

The programme in these additional touring venues will be the perfect introduction to Northern Ballet for new audiences and another opportunity for existing audiences to enjoy two special performances in one evening. The nine venues are often in close proximity to the other theatres at which the Company performs its full-length narrative work, mixed programmes and children’s ballets, giving greater opportunities to see all of Northern Ballet’s work.

For more details of Northern Ballet’s tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson

ENDS

Notes to Editors
Voted Best Company at the 2014 Taglioni European Ballet Awards, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets.

Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 32 weeks of the year. The Company of 46 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK and is the only large scale ballet company to do so. The Company tours widely with its ballets for children, the first two of which were adapted for TV by CBeebies, and also performs a mixed programme showcasing the versatility of its dancers.

Visit northernballet.com for more information on the Company and tour.

Listings information – Madame Butterfly and Perpetuum Mobile

Doncaster Cast
Thu 21 – Sat 23 May
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 01302 303 959
castindoncaster.com

Blackpool Grand Theatre
Tue 26 – Wed 27 May
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 01253 290 190
blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Liverpool Playhouse
Fri 29 – Sat 30 May
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 0151 709 4776
everymanplayhouse.com

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
Tue 2 – Wed 3 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 01902 429 212
grandtheatre.co.uk

Leicester Curve
Fri 5 – Sat 6 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 0116 242 3595
curveonline.co.uk

Richmond Theatre
Tue 9 – Wed 10 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 0844 871 7651
atgtickets.com/richmond-theatre

Bromley Churchill Theatre
Fri 12 – Sat 13 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 08448 717 620
atgtickets.com/ bromley

Stoke Regent Theatre
Tue 16 – Wed 17 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 0844 871 7649
atgtickets.com/regent-theatre

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Fri 19 – Sat 20 June
Performances 7.30pm
Box Office 0844 871 7607
atgtickets.com/aylesbury-waterside-theatre

Listings information – Elves and The Shoemaker

Doncaster Cast
Sat 23 May
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 01302 303 959
castindoncaster.com

Blackpool Grand Theatre
Wed 27 May
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 01253 743 346
blackpoolgrandtheatre.co.uk

Liverpool Playhouse
Sat 30 May
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 0151 709 4776
everymanplayhouse.com

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
Wed 3 June
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 01902 429 212
grandtheatre.co.uk

Leicester Curve Theatre
Sat 6 June
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 0116 242 3595
curveonline.co.uk

Richmond Theatre
Wed 10 June
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 0844 871 7651
atgtickets.com/richmond-theatre

Bromley Churchill Theatre
Sat 13 June
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 08448 817 620
atgtickets.com/ bromley

Stoke Regent Theatre
Wed 17 June
12.30pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 0844 871 7627
atgtickets.com/regent-theatre

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Sat 20 June
12.20pm & 2.15pm
Box Office 0844 871 7607
atgtickets.com/aylesbury-waterside-theatre