insidethe magazine from Northern Ballet Theatre

YOKO ICHINONBT’s influentialBallet Mistress

MAKINGMOVESCathy Marstonchoreographer

momentumSupport NBT’snew home

Issue 4 Autumn 2008

issue 4

Welcome to a

new season of

performances and

another issue of

our fascinating

inside. Last year

was particularly

exciting for the

Company with the revival of

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the new

Nutcracker and the innovative

interpretation of Hamlet. Audience

support was great for the known and

happy titles but unfortunately Hamlet

proved less appealing. As a director I

have given this a lot of thought

because it is essential for the

Company’s artistic survival and growth

to experiment and work in a variety of

styles. Our creativity and depth as

artists can only mature and evolve

with a range of work. Yes, some people

found Hamlet disturbing but the world

is full of darkness and as artists we

need to move in this world to be more

able to beautifully capture the light.

It is disappointing to think that so few

of our audiences understood this

journey or chose to support it. I wish

a mechanism existed to discuss this

with you.

That said, there is much to celebrate.

The dancers are in great form,

producing extraordinary work and

performances. This summer the

Company has had the opportunity to

create a new work with the gifted

choreographer Cathy Marston. It has

been a marvellous journey and the

resultant A Tale of Two Cities is a

beautifully crafted and moving new

narrative work. It is a compliment to

the creative team and the Company.

It has been particularly exciting for me

as a director to step back and watch

the process and work as a ballet

master. To see a different approach

and to understand more succinctly the

beauty of narrative dance from the

outside in. It is my impression that an

audience limits its exposure to new

narratives because it expects the work

to relate too closely to the source and

is either turned off because they do

not like the title or are disappointed

because they expect a replica. A dance

narrative is inspired by the source but

offers a new perspective while

simultaneously offering an alternative

insid

e David NixonArtistic Director NBT

cover image:Georgina MayPhoto: Merlin Hendy

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3NBT news and eventsA new touring partner, staff

movements, forays into fashion and

all the latest from NBT.

5The reviews are inRead reviews of last season’s

productions.

6Yoko IchinoAn in-depth interview with our

wonderful Ballet Mistress covering

her illustrious career.

10Pull-out posterA handy guide to performances

and Friends’ events throughout

the season.

12Making movesA profile of Cathy Marston, the

choreographer of A Tale of Two Cities.

15Friends newsCelebrating 40 years of NBT and the

sky’s the limit for The Nutcracker.

16New building updateKeep up to date with the progress

of our momentum campaign and

the exciting building project.

17Growing togetherThe Learning & Access department

explain the success of the

Symbiosis project.

18Here come the boysDale and Joseph lead the way.

engagement because of the visual and

physical language. In watching A Tale of

Two Cities we can see at once the

essence of Dickens but also the

beauty and expression of movement

through space to music which tells its

own tale.

In this issue of inside there is an

interview with Yoko Ichino, NBT Ballet

Mistress, Curriculum Manager and my

wife. It was an honour to dance with

Yoko, who was not only a technical

wonder but also a dancer with brilliant

musicality and spiritual lightness of

execution. Even more wondrous is her

passion for the art form, her

generosity in passing on experience

and knowledge and her unique

comprehension of science and dance.

This year two of her students have

received places in full-time study. This

is impressive but it is much more so

when you consider the journey of

these two young men and what Yoko’s

method has allowed them to achieve.

Our fundraising team has been busy

cultivating support for our new

building. Thanks to support from

Leeds Metropolitan University we

have made good inroads into

momentum, the campaign to raise the

balance of funding of our £12million

building. In these days of economic

uncertainty we are grateful for your

support but we need it now more than

ever. momentum must be a success to

ensure very bright horizons for the

Company in a building that is not only

fit for purpose but also inspirational

for generations of dancers to come.

Many of you will have followed NBT’s

quest for a new building over the

years and as such I am sure you are

as pleased as I am that we are so

close to achieving our ambition.

This is the last inside while NBT is in its

30s. In 2009 we will reach 40 years

and to celebrate we are organising a

number of special events and a

commemorative performance

programme. It will be a very exciting

year but before this I hope you enjoy

the current season and I look forward

to seeing you soon.

Best wishes,

David Nixon

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inside: thenews

New tour partnerWe are delighted to announce

a new three-year partnership with

Leeds Metropolitan University

(Leeds Met) to support our UK tour.

It will enable us to continue to

deliver the highest quality dance

to audiences throughout the UK

and will provide Leeds Met

students with greater access to

ballet performances in the

theatre, to dance workshops at

the University and an

opportunity to work with us on

educational projects. You can

read further information about

the partnership in the next issue

of inside.

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The National Ballet of Slovenia has

invited Artistic Director David

Nixon to recreate his version of The

Nutcracker on the Company, which

will première on 7 November 2008.

The Estonian National Ballet has

invited David to recreate The Three

Musketeers, which will première in

April 2009. This spring David

returned to BalletMet, Ohio, to

oversee the revival of his Romeo

and Juliet for the Company’s 30th

anniversary celebrations. David was

identified as one of BalletMet’s 30

Pearls in recognition of his

contribution to the Company as a

former Artistic Director. David also

choreographed Steps to Bach for

Ballet Central and formally opened

the Latimer Dance Space in London.

A warm welcomeWe’re very pleased to welcome the

following people to the NBT

team… Steve Hughes, Company

Manager; Steve Wilkins, Chief Stage

Technician; Matt Millward, Chief

Electrician; Laura Sprake, Assistant

Electrician; Daniel Alcock, Flyman;

Olivia Dermot Walsh, Deputy Stage

Manager; Katie Turner, Assistant

Stage Manager; Heather Burtt,

Wardrobe Assistant; Janet Myers,

Corporate Fundraising Manager;

Stephanie Bell, Audience

Development Officer; Rebecca

Smith, Classical Training Assistant;

Chris Hobson, Company Pianist and

Sharon Marlow, Costume Supervisor

for A Tale of Two Cities.

Dancers who have joined the

Company are: Graham Kotowich

from the National Ballet School of

Canada; James Pickup from the

Ballet de l’Opera National de

Bordeaux; and Yoshihisa Arai from

the Royal Ballet School. We have

also welcomed three new

apprentices: Rym Kechacha who is

a graduate of the Central School of

Ballet, and Antoinette Brooks-Daw

and Brice Asnar who are graduates

of the Royal Ballet School.

PromotionsVictoria Sibson, Martin Bell and

Tobias Batley have been promoted

to Junior Soloists, Ashley Dixon to

Coryphée and, following their

apprenticeships, Thomas Aragones,

Rachael Gillespie, Ben Mitchell and

Jessica Morgan enter the Company

as 1st year dancers. Mikhaila Pye

has been promoted from Senior

Wardrobe Assistant to Deputy

Touring Wardrobe Manager and

Martin Smith has been promoted

from Assistant Electrician to

Deputy Chief Electrician.

We have said afond farewell to...Richard Godfrey, Chief Electrician;

Alexa Penny, Senior Assistant Stage

Manager; Paul Mansfield, Deputy

Chief Electrician; Chris Colling,

Sound/Electrician; Helen

Watkinson, Company Pianist; Amy

Hines, Wardrobe Assistant; Dawn

Atkinson, Marketing Officer;

Angela Stafford, Student Support

Administrator; Andy Barker, JADE

Fellow and Dancers Chantelle

Gotobed, Sarah Kundi and Kieran

Stoneley.

Hamlet and HRH NBT’s Patron, HRH The Earl of

Wessex, attended a performance

of Hamlet in February at Leeds

Grand Theatre. He went

backstage to congratulate the

dancers, musicians, artistic and

production teams after the

performance.

Artistic Director news

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A growing family Selina McGonagle, Director of

Learning & Access will be going on

maternity leave from October.

Annemarie Donoghue, Classical

Training Manager, will not return

from maternity leave but will

support our Classical Training

students on Saturday’s at West

Park. Congratulations to Junior

Soloist Ginnie Ray and NBT’s ex-

Chief Stage Technician Lee Rook

who got married in June.

Congratulations to our Stage

Manager Chun-Yen Chia and his

wife, ex-Principal Dancer, Chiaki

Nagao, who are expecting their

first baby in October.

Laverne MeyerWe were saddened to hear the

news of the death of Laverne

Meyer, the Company’s founding

Artistic Director, on Friday 25 April

aged 73. The Company dedicated

the final performance of Hamlet at

Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London to

Laverne. David Nixon said,“We are

extremely grateful to his

pioneering spirit and passion for

dance. His legacy lives on in the

Company you see now.”

Christopher Gable23 October is the tenth

anniversary of the death of

Christopher Gable, NBT’s Artistic

Director from 1987 to 1998. We are

marking the occasion by dedicating

the evening’s performance of A

Midsummer Night’s Dream at the

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford to

him. Our 40th anniversary revival

of A Simple Man will also be

dedicated to Christopher in

celebration of his life and his

contribution to NBT.

New BoardmembersWe have appointed four new

members to our Board of

Directors: Alan Harrison, Director

of Information Technology at

Yorkshire Water; Denise Jagger, a

partner at international law firm

Eversheds; Leeds Councillor John

Procter and Phil Swallow, Global

Managing Director of Quality and

Client Satisfaction at Accenture.

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inside: thenews

Breathing Space with Pyramid of ArtsThroughout July NBT collaborated with Pyramid of Arts on ‘Breathing Space’, a

unique project exploring the benefits of dance and physical movement with a

group of eight adults with profound and multiple disabilities.The project,

which ran at the Swarthmore Centre in Leeds, was an opportunity for the adults

and their carers to enjoy physical activity, live music and increase their mobility

and fitness during the ten creative dance sessions.The project was led by

Caroline Burn, NBT Dance Education Officer, and Alison Herbert, Arts Worker

from Pyramid of Arts, and was accompanied by NBT musician Bill Laurance.

Leeds MuseumThe new Leeds Museum throws

open its doors to the public after

months of renovations and

preparations this September.The

first temporary exhibition in the

museum is about dance in Leeds

and NBT will feature in a number of

ways. Dancer Lori Gilchrist tells her

dance journey on screen, Seara’s

costume from A Sleeping Beauty Tale

will be on display, as will footage

from NBT’s productions and some

material from our archive. A

weekend of performances in

Leeds’ Millennium Square marks

the occasion with NBT opening the

festivities by performing excerpts

from The Nutcracker on Saturday

13 September.

A group of Yorkshire’s finest dancers and musicians took part in

excellent!, a unique celebration of the achievements of this country’s

most talented young dancers and musicians who are supported by

the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ Music and

Dance Scheme. The performance took place at Sadler’s Wells

Theatre, London on 15 July.

14 dance students from NBT’s Centre for Advanced Training, run in

partnership with the Northern School of Contemporary Dance,

performed a new dance piece choreographed by Sharon Watson who

was previously Rehearsal Director for Phoenix Dance Theatre. They

performed to music composed by Andrew Stamatakis-Brown and

eight Yorkshire Young Musicians.

Our young dancers are excellent!

Followers of fashionFour of NBT’s dancers took part in a fashion shoot for the Manchester

Evening News ahead of performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at

the Palace Theatre in May.

Georgina May, Yi Song, Michela Paolacci and David Ward posed in

beautiful 1940s costumes from the production, designed by David

Nixon, at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, sometimes getting right down

to their stylish smalls!

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Learning & Accessreturn to China Building on the success of their

project with young able-bodied and

disabled people in Beijing, our

Learning & Access department has

been invited to return to China for

another project run in partnership

with the British Council.The Young

Advocates Programme – Developing

the Paralympic Spirit – is a five-day

forum taking place between 5-11

September. It will see 250 young

people from China, Hong Kong and

the UK coming together to promote

cultural awareness and learn new

skills.The project will link the 2008

Olympics in Beijing and the 2012

Olympics in London. NBT’s Dance

Education Officers Caroline Burn and

Sophie Alder will lead the project

with NBT musician Bill Laurance,

supported by Learning & Access

coordinator Jo Dean.

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New buildingdevelopmentsWe are making good progress

with the new building we are

creating in partnership with

Phoenix Dance Theatre, which will

be built at Quarry Hill in central

Leeds. We have appointed a

participating contractor, the

planning application has been

submitted, the public art

commission is out to tender and

we have made inroads into our

fundraising campaign, momentum.

Read more about the new

building on page 16.

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inside: reviewing NBT’s Spring/Summer tour 2008

Power and influenceHamlet premièred on February 2008 at the Grand Theatre

and Opera House, Leeds. It has been seen by 18,982

people at 37 performances across five venues.

“…the piece contains some of the most powerfully

imagined choreography Nixon has created.”

The Guardian, February 2008

“The set and costumes were perfection, brilliantly capturing

the dark ambience of Paris under the iron fist of Hitler…”

Yorkshire Evening Post, February 2008

“…Nixon has created perhaps one of the greatest male

roles in contemporary dance…”

Sunday Express, February 2008

“…this Hamlet has a theatrical power and energy that

make it thoroughly compelling.”

The Mail on Sunday, March 2008

Romantic comedy of errorsA Midsummer Night’s Dream premièred in 2003. In 2008 it

has been seen by 29,013 people at 38 performances

across five venues.

“Northern Ballet Theatre have created many remarkable

dance dreams in the past, but David Nixon’s Midsummer

Night’s Dream is surely the most special.”

Manchester Evening News, May 2008

The reviews are in...

top: Christopher Hinton-Lewisas Hamlet and Nathalie Légeras Gertrude in Hamlet.

Photo: Dee Conway

NBT’s Shakespeare season saw the World Première of David Nixon’s production of Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream remained in the repertoire.

“…this take on the Shakespearean romp is full of warmth

and humour, is elegant and athletic, intelligently

choreographed and produced – and perfectly executed.”

South Wales Echo, May 2008

Tragic loveRomeo & Juliet premièred in 1991. In 2008 it has been seen

by 5,388 people at seven performances in one venue.

“From tip to toe every dancer on the stage conveyed the

age-old text in a way which made words redundant.”

Rotherham Advertiser, May 2008

“...one of the most exciting moments of theatre I have ever

experienced.”

The Star (Sheffield), May 2008

6

“Her presence onstage isconsiderable...she seems litfrom within with a radiancethat captures the audience’sattention...and its heart..”On Yoko's performance in David Nixon's Romeo and Juliet,

Dance Magazine, September 1998

inside: the big interview

Some say behind every great man stands a great womanand in David Nixon’s case he wouldn’t disagree. When hedecided to leave BalletMet in Ohio, USA, and take up theposition of Artistic Director at NBT his wife, theinternationally renowned ballerina Yoko Ichino, gave himher full support and joined the Company as Ballet Mistressin 2001.

Brought together by their love for ballet, David and Yokomet in 1982 when they were on tour. Off stage theybecame Mr and Mrs Nixon, while onstage they danced theroles of the most famous ballet couples including Romeoand Juliet. As well as partnering Yoko, David has directlybenefited from her unique training methods, applying thisto everything he has learnt in his own illustrious career.

Yoko Ichino

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Now, as the driving artistic force at NBT, David and Yokospend more time together than many couples.“It’s greatworking with David,” says Yoko,“We’ve done so much anddanced together more times than I can remember. We’velived in Germany, Canada, the USA and now England anddanced on pretty much every continent”.

Born in Los Angeles, Yoko began dancing for healthreasons when she was just six and went on to study withthe renowned ballerina Mia Slavenska. She began herprofessional career in 1972 when she joined the JoffreyBallet II as an Apprentice. What followed was a career thatspanned three decades and is one many dancers can onlydream of.“I’ve danced with the best of them andperformed countless times for audiences across the world,

including Princes, Princesses and dignitaries. I rememberonce being flown on Concord straight from aperformance of Giselle in Berlin to Toronto to perform inDon Quixote the following day. I nearly missed my plane, Iwas that tired!

“I’ve always been focused. I just wanted to be the best Icould be and of course I loved what I was doing.“

Yoko has been partnered by some of ballet’s greatestincluding the world famous Rudolph Nuryev:“Dancingwith Rudi was great. I learnt how to control my nerves atan early stage in my career, otherwise I’d fall apart onstage. What was nerve-racking was that Rudi wouldn’trehearse so you just had to go on stage and do it!“

8

inside: the big interview

Yoko has performed with more than 22 dance companiesacross the world, performing all the famous roles, from theSugar Plum Fairy to Juliet, and Butterfly in David’s MadameButterfly, a role he created for his wife. Her passion for theart form is visible in everything she does. Ballet is a way oflife:“I can’t imagine what I’d be doing now if I hadn’t takenthe path I did. It’s an honour to be able to do somethingyou love every day.

“I was never conceited about my success, it’s not a goodquality and it doesn’t help you to remain balanced andfocused, something you have to be if you want to be agood dancer. I’ve seen glimpses of it in students in the pastand I’ve helped them to overcome it.”

Since her final performance in 1998, Yoko has continued todevelop her gift for teaching with dance companies acrossthe world including Ballet de Monte Carlo, Stuttgart Balletand Nederlands Dance Theatre to name but a few.

Now as Ballet Mistress at NBT and Curriculum Manager ofNBT’s Classical Training School Yoko is keen to develop herholistic approach to training:“I want to teach young dancersto look after their bodies and be confident with technique.I want our dancers to have self-belief and know what’s bestfor them as individuals, that’s a really important part of mysyllabus.”

David and Yoko left behind a successful school at BalletMetfor the dream of creating a full-time school at NBT.“Whenwe first came over I realised it wasn’t going to be easy.I want to create a school in the North that offers accessibletraining with equal opportunities for students from allbackgrounds, focusing on their individual welfare andmaking the most of their talents. It’s a real issue in thiscountry if you are based outside London, especially in termsof our school. Students in the North do not get the sameopportunities as those in London, that’s just the way it isand it’s really disappointing.”

Left to right: Yoko Ichinoin Components at theNational Ballet of Canada,Toronto.Photo: courtesy of theNational Ballet of Canada

Yoko Ichino and DavidNixon in Don Quixote withAmerican Ballet Theatreat the MetropolitanOpera House, New York.Photo: courtesy ofAmerican Ballet Theatre

Yoko Ichino and DavidNixon in Giselle, Berlin.Photo: Peter Kranich

9

For the students and Company dancers alike one of the mostimportant things about having Yoko as a teacher is thewealth of experience she brings. It is something that setsNBT’s training in the region apart.“David and I know what it’slike to be in their position, to want something so badly inwhat can be a really competitive industry, it’s not easy. I thinkbecause they know we’ve been through what they are goingthrough now and see what we’ve achieved they understandwhy we ask for certain things from them.You can push formore from them and they respond well.”

So how does such a busy lady unwind? “ We don’t get a lot oftime to relax, we work really long hours but when we do getdowntime I spend most of it doing regular things like thehousehold chores, reading or watching the TV, especially CSI!

“Working together is good fun! David always asks me where Iget my energy from but I can never answer him. I don’t knowwhere it comes from, I’m just passionate about ballet.”

“He and Ichino movedas one,and theirdancing seemed asnatural as breathing.”

On David and Yoko dancing

Romeo and Juliet, Dance

Magazine, September 1998

Your pull-out-and-keep guide to NBT’s Autumn / Winter 2008 tour

Sat 30 August – Sat 6 September (No performance on Sunday 1 September)Leeds, West Yorkshire PlayhouseWORLD PREMIÈREBox Office: 0113 213 7700

Tues 23 – Sat 27 September Nottingham, Theatre RoyalBox Office: 0115 989 5555

Tues 30 September – Sat 4 OctoberSheffield, Lyceum TheatreBox Office: 0114 249 6000

Friends eventSat 27 SeptemberDay at the TheatreNottingham, Theatre Royal

Tues 21 – Sat 25 OctoberBradford, Alhambra TheatreBox Office: 01274 432 000

Tues 28 October – Sat 1 NovemberCanterbury, Marlowe TheatreBox Office: 01227 787 787

Comedy, tragedy & beyond

inside: friends events

A tale of twocities

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Tues 4 – Sat 8 NovemberHull, New TheatreBox Office: 01482 226 655

Tues 11 – Sat 15 NovemberWoking, New Victoria Box Office: 0870 060 6645

Tues 25 – Sat 29 NovemberMilton Keynes TheatreBox Office: 0870 060 6652

Tues 2 – Sat 6 DecemberBath, Theatre RoyalBox Office: 01225 448 844

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Please note, booking fees may apply

Weds 17 – Weds 31 December(No performances on Mon 22, 29 & Thurs25 Dec)Leeds, Grand TheatreBox Office: 0870 848 2701

Friends eventsSat 8 November Day at the TheatreHull, New Theatre

Sat 20 DecemberClass, pre-performance talkand festive lunch Leeds, Grand Theatre

Sat 15 November,11.15am –1.45pmEvent with the Friends ofBirmingham Royal BalletSunderland EmpireClass and pre-performance talk,£7 (cheques payable toBirmingham Royal Ballet)Applications and cheques to:Sheila Hitchman, FriendsCoordinator, Birmingham RoyalBallet,Thorp Street, Birmingham,B5 4AU by 4 November.

Friends eventsSat 25 October Class, pre-performance talk and lunchBradford, Alhambra Theatre

Sat 1 NovemberDay at the TheatreCanterbury, Marlowe Theatre

making moves

For the first time since David Nixon tookover as Artistic Director seven years ago,NBT has invited a guest choreographer tocreate an entirely new full-length work forthe Company. The choreographer inquestion is Cathy Marston, one of the mostgifted dance makers working today.

Born in Newcastle, Cathy Marston trainedat the Royal Ballet School and was the firstAssociate Artist of the Royal Opera House.She has toured the UK with her owncompany, The Cathy Marston Project, andis currently Artistic Director ofSwitzerland’s Bern Ballet.

With NBT she has taken on the challengeof creating a dance version of CharlesDickens’ classic story, A Tale of Two Cities.Here we find out more…

inside: interview

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Main pic: Chiaki Nagao asButterfly in MadameButterfly.Photo: Linda Rich

Top: Photo: Brian Slater

Why did you want to choreograph A Tale of Two Cities?

It's been in the back of my mind as something I wanted

to do for a long time. I saw a black and white film

version of it as a child and it has always stayed with me.

I love the story and the great characters in it. A lot of my

work is concerned with duality – the idea of opposites

and shadow characters – and duality is a central theme

in this novel.

How do you work to develop the characters?

I often ask the dancers to come up with lists of words to

describe the characters or to define the situation or the

moment we’re working on. Sometimes the words can be

very dry and other times quite poetic. I might start with a

verb, by way of introducing the dancers to this way of

working. For example “open” or “whisper”, which are easy

enough to portray through movement. Then we abstract

them a little so you might open with your foot, or

whisper with the nape of your neck. Other times the

words might suggest qualities. When we were

developing Lorry's character, for example, the words that

came up were:“secure, contained, withheld, smooth, level,

moves

13

exact, unhurried”. We also tried to express the phrase

“deary me” through movement. Working on a scene

between the Marquis and Charles we tried to explore

what it is that Charles is feeling. There is a moment when

they both look at each other’s hands. Charles is feeling

almost revulsion at his own identity; he wants to deny

even the blood inside him because he feels it is wrong.

I prefer to find images like that – an abstracted physical

sense rather than acting out what is going on. When you

build up a lot of vocabulary you can see which things

stand out and motifs start to develop naturally. As soon as

you start to develop the characters with the dancers they

cease to be figures on a page and they develop more of a

three-dimensional personality. They become real people

rather than the symbolic people they are in the book.

How have you considered the casting of the dancers?

NBT is amazing in how it functions with between two and

four casts per production. Normally I would pick one cast

but because NBT performs so many times I am aware that

the piece has to work with almost everyone so it can’t be

about a specific dancer.

Photo: AdrianWeinbrecht

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left: Kenneth Tindall,Georgina May andMartin Bell in A Tale of Two Cities.Photo: HANSON

below: Cathy Marstonin rehearsals forA Tale of Two Cities.Photo: Merlin Hendy

That’s why I ask everyone to contribute to the development of

a particular character. I know everyone is going to perform so

many parts in this piece that I want them all to have some

ownership of it. It has to come from everyone. All of the work

belongs to everybody in the Company.

How is the choreography affected by your work with both

ballet and contemporary companies?

I think I really do mix both languages. Contemporary is a huge

word – it can mean anything really. I have a movement

language that has always been natural to me. It’s fairly balletic:

I use line, generally the feet are pointed but not always turned

out. There is quite a lot of floor work, which isn’t found in ballet

but then I like to include a lot of high lifts as well. A Tale of Two

Cities is more of a ballet than I would make on my own

company. I think David Nixon was surprised I was using pointe

shoes but I like pointe shoes!

Find out more at: www.northernballettheatre.co.uk/atotc.html

inside: interview

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Manchester Airports Group has renewedits support of NBT and to celebrate fourdancers went to the airport dressed ascharacters from The Nutcracker, much tothe amazement of people travellingthrough the airport. Manchester AirportsGroup has pledged £40k as part of its artssponsorship programme. Geoff Muirhead,Chief Executive, said:“We are extremelyproud of the partnership we have withNBT and we are honoured to be involvedwith one of the most prestigious artsorganisations not only in the Northwestbut in the UK.”

In 2009 we will perform a selection ofpast and present productions tocelebrate our 40th anniversary year. In thepast 40 years NBT has grown from a smallcompany of 12 dancers to one with 40dancers, and become one of the mostrespected companies in the UK.

2009 will open with a mixed programmeof the seminal work A Simple Man (GillianLynne), plus Angels in the Architecture (MarkGodden) and the Shades Scene from LaBayadere (Yoko Ichino after Marius Petipa).We will perform this mixed programme,our first mixed programme on a nationaltour since 2004, alongside a revival ofDavid Nixon’s Swan Lake,Wuthering Heightsand Massimo Moricone’s Romeo & Juliet.

In appreciation of KathWe were very sorry to hear of the death ofone of NBT’s longstanding Friends. KathSutheren had been a Friend of NBT formany years and enjoyed many NBTperformances and events, following theCompany all over the country even in herlater years. Mark Skipper, NBT’s ChiefExecutive says,“I met Kath on a number ofoccasions and I will remember her as ajoyful, warm person with great enthusiasmfor NBT and for ballet. She’ll be sadlymissed.” Kath’s support of NBT continueshowever as she was kind enough to leaveus a legacy. Mark adds,“We will make surethis money is put to good use and dancerswill feel the benefit of her kindness foryears to come.” If you would like to findout more about leaving a legacy to NBTplease contact our fundraising team atjon.ingham@northernballettheatre.co.uk.

Additional newsletterinside is a great way for us to keep youinformed of what’s going on at NBT andgive you a more in-depth insight into ourprojects and people.We would like tolaunch an additional Friends newsletterwhere you share your NBT news with us andthe other Friends of NBT.The content of thisnewsletter will be purely written by you, itmay be reviews of NBT performances,anecdotes, memories, or information aboutevents you are attending throughout theseason and would like to meet otherFriends at. In fact, it can be anything youwant to share with other Friends.Thenewsletter will be published initially twiceper year at the start of each season. Pleasesend anything you would like included inthe newsletter to Judith Baker, Friends andEvents Manager by January 2009 atjudith.baker@northernballettheatre.co.uk orwrite to Judith at the normal NBT address.

inside: Friends update

The autumn/winter 2009 tour will see thereturn of David Nixon’s Dracula and PeterPan as well as the festive favourite,A Christmas Carol.

Two special events are planned forDecember 2009 in our home city ofLeeds. We are inviting alumni back toperform alongside current companymembers, in a unique performance of A Christmas Carol on 5 December. On 12December, the artists of NBT will bejoined by special guests for ananniversary gala performance featuringexcerpts of NBT’s and other productions.A number of birthday parties are planned during the year at our regulartouring venues.

Celebrating 40 years of NBT

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Up,up and away

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momentum updatemomentum is our fundraising campaign forthe new building in partnership withPhoenix Dance Theatre in central Leeds. Atthe start of the campaign we had£1.5million to raise out of a total budget of£12million. To date we have secured inexcess of £840,000 towards the fundraisingtarget with Leeds Met as lead momentumdonor, but obviously there is a long way togo. We need your help to close the fundinggap. There are several ways of supporting us:

Buy a brick: £50

Ballet Barre: £150

Studio Mirror: £250

Name a Seat: £500

Gym Equipment: from £1000

Piano: from £2500

Lighting & Sound Equipment: from £5000

We welcome donations of any size and alldonors will be acknowledged in the newdance centre.

a new home

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In two years time Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance Theatre willmove in together. Our new purpose-built headquarters will be a major newcentre for dance in the North with students from Leeds Metropolitan Universityand eventually, students from our own full-time classical dance school workingalongside both companies. Here we update you on progress.

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inside:Friends update

“Our new building will be acentre of excellence for dance inthe North of England,a place thatwill complement the best dancespaces in the UK.”David Nixon, Artistic Director, NBT

Building progressWates has joined the project asParticipating Contractor and detaileddesigns are now at an advanced stage.Wates is working closely with theArchitects, the Strategic Design Alliance – a partnership of Jacobs Architecture andLeeds City Council’s in-house architecturalconsultancy – to ensure financial costingsremain robust and within budget. Theplanning application has been submittedwith the outcome anticipated inSeptember/October. Work is scheduled tostart on site in spring 2009 withoccupancy in summer 2010.

An exciting part of the plans for NBT’scapital project is the commissioning of apiece or pieces of public art to beincorporated within the building. All ArtsCouncil England funded Lottery projectsrequire an element of the budget to bespent on artwork and we are working withLeeds City Council’s public arts officer tosecure something special for the building.There is a broad brief for the public artcommission, it could be anything and useany medium, other than water. There arethree potential locations identified by thedesign team for the installation: the atriumentrance area, the glazing to the southfaçade, and the projecting balconies to thesouth façade. The artist is due to beappointed in October.

Keep up to date with thelatest developments in our momentum campaignand building project byvisiting www.building-momentum.co.uk

above: Image of the new building.Photo: The SDA, Leeds CityCouncil’s strategic design alliancewith Jacobs Architecture

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growing together

For the past two years NBT’s Learning &Access department has been working inpartnership with Beckfoot School in Bradfordand Leeds Met’s Innovation North on aunique project that utilises dance as a newapproach to teaching GCSE Science.

The project began with NBT working withteachers at Beckfoot School to develop newschemes of work, delivering Year 8 scienceobjectives through dance and Year 8 danceobjectives through science.This was followedby a three-day creative lab session forBeckfoot School staff and dance and sciencespecialists to discuss ideas for new ways ofteaching science through dance.

In May 2007 the project expanded and NBTbegan working with Year 9 pupils at BeckfootSchool. 20 pupils visited NBT for a week-longresidency using dance to explore theformation of the earth, galaxies and the big

bang theory.The pupilsworked with NBT

Symbiosis: an interaction between two different organisms livingin close physical association especially to the advantage of both.

inside:with learning & access

Dance Education Officer Sophie Alder tocreate an original dance piece that theyperformed for peers, family and friends atBeckfoot School on 5 July.The performancewas created in collaboration with composerGraham Coatman and performed againstanimated backdrops created by digital artistCarolyn Mendelssohn.

An interactive DVD,‘Learning Science throughDance and Learning Dance through Science’was produced as a teaching resource.TheDVD, created by all the partners andInnovation North, was launched in July at aconference at Beckfoot School, attended bymore than 65 teachers.The DVD is aimed atsecondary science and PE/dance teachersand students of dance and science. It coverspart of the GCSE Science curriculum, the Earthin the Universe. It demonstrates how scientificconcepts can be taughtthrough movementactivities and how

dance can be created from these concepts,encouraging teachers to explore methods forproducing dance material. The DVD includes aseparate audio CD of music and visualresources that teachers could build into theirown teaching practices. If you would like acopy of the resource please contact NBT’sLearning & Access department.

Selina McGonagle, Director of Learning &Access said,“Symbiosis has reallyhighlighted the importance ofoffering young people theopportunity to experiencedifferent ways of learningand exploring teachingmethods that can bringto life traditionalclassroom-basedsubjects in an excitingand innovative way.“

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inside: the classical training department

focus on the best option for theindividual student. The training allowsstudents to develop their individualskills beyond ballet technique underthe guidance of an expert teachingfaculty. Joseph explains,“I lovechoreography and I’ve beenencouraged to develop my passion.Yoko helps us to realise what the bestoption for us might be. I love classicaldance but I also love contemporaryand Yoko has helped me embracemy skills and become a betterdancer.”

Joseph and Dale both feel thatbeing able to live at homewhilst training has been areal plus.“Living at homemeans you have thesupport of your family andfriends and you’re able tohave something of a normallife, while doing somethingyou love and still being ateenager,” says Joseph.

“I didn’t feel ready to moveaway at 11 so NBT has beenperfect for me.”Dale.

For these young students training withYoko is a real advantage:“BecauseYoko’s been a professional herself itmakes the training a lot more realistic,you can see why she asks us to docertain things because she’s beenthere and done it so you trust herjudgement,” says Dale.

The move to full-time training is thestart of a new chapter for Dale andJoseph and is a significant milestonefor NBT’s Classical Training School. ForNBT, the graduation of two studentswith such great potential only makesthe Company even hungrier for a full-time school at which dance talentfrom the North can be nurtured tocreate the Keiko Amemoris andHironao Takahashis of the future.

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We introduce you to two of the shining stars of the ClassicalTraining department whose dedication and passion will provideinspiration for future generations of dancers.

Dale Rhodes and Joseph Poultongraduated from NBT’s ClassicalTraining programme this summer andhave taken their biggest ballet stepsyet as they pursue their professionaldancing dream. Joseph has joined theRambert School of Ballet andContemporary Dance and Dale hasjoined English National Ballet School.

Shining examples of what NBT’straining stands for – accessibility,determination and individualguidance beyond traditionaltechnique – Dale and Joseph haveboth come a long way already,although each taking very differentpaths. Dale’s love for dance began atjust three years old whereas Joseph’sinterest developed a little later fromwatching his sister in class.

The training NBT’s students receivediffers from more traditional teachingmethods and Yoko Ichino’s holisticapproach has left a lasting impressionon Dale who dreams of a classicaldance career:“I feel like I’ve come sucha long way in this last year. To preparefor auditions I’ve been having one-to-one teaching with Yoko, which hasbeen the highlight of my training.She’s taught me so much, not justtechnically but she’s changed my wayof thinking. I’m so much more focusednow and that’s really helped developmy technique. I know being a danceris what I want, I know how hard it isbut I’m so determined to get there.”

Yoko’s unique syllabus looks todevelop traditional teaching methods,not only focusing student’s minds onclassical technique but also preparingstudents mentally for full-time trainingand a career in dance. As well as balletclasses, students take contemporaryand jazz classes, study anatomy andlearn about a range of career optionsin the arts.

Students are taught how to take careof their bodies and their minds, with a

above: Dale Rhodesrehearses. Photo: DarrenGoldsmith

right: Joseph Poulton inthe dance studio.Photo: Darren Goldsmith

inside is published biannually by Northern Ballet Theatre

Northern Ballet TheatreWest Park CentreSpen LaneLeeds LS16 5BE Telephone +44 (0)113 274 5355Fax +44 (0)113 274 5381www.northernballettheatre.co.uk

BOARD OF DIRECTORSCouncillor Bernard Atha CBE (Chairman)Dr Jo ButterworthGraham DewhirstJudith Donovan CBEDavid ForbesJon HammondSusie HargreavesAlan HarrisonDenise JaggerJuliet JowittProfessor Simon LeeCouncillor John ProcterPhil Swallow

ARTISTIC DIRECTORDavid Nixon

CHIEF EXECUTIVEMark Skipper

MUSIC DIRECTORJohn Pryce-Jones

INSIDE EDITORIAL TEAMLaraine Penson Ruth Burke-KennedyCatherine Hall

Northern Ballet Theatre is a touring narrative dancecompany whose distinctive blend of classical danceand theatre is renowned for captivating newaudiences. For up to 30 weeks of the year NBT’scompany of 40 dancers tour a combination of newwork and acclaimed repertory pieces to all four UKcountries and overseas.This extensive touringschedule demonstrates NBT’s commitment toproviding opportunities for all people to have access toexcellence in dance performance and participation.

Designed by Andrassy Design01484 434844

Printed by Axis01484 722 732

Supported by:

Charity No: 259140VAT No: 146 6307 66Company Registration No: 947096Registered in England and WalesCompany limited by guarantee and share capital

Please note that information is correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

“We don’t want to leave NBT,we’re so sad it’s all nearly over,it’s just been so amazing.”

Joseph Poulton,

NBT Classical Training Graduate

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