Young dancers will help spread festive cheer as part of Northern Ballet’s critically acclaimed revival of A Christmas Carol
The City’s next generation of ballet dancers has been getting a festive flavour of what it will be like to perform as part of this magical production next month.
30 children aged between 7-12 years old from the Academy of Northern Ballet came together for a special rehearsal with the cast of Company dancers, ahead of taking to the stage as part of the ensemble for the three-week run in Leeds, the final stop in a new national winter tour.
The Academy students had the opportunity to learn from principal and lead dancers performing key roles – including Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future – for this beloved production, which combines traditional ballet with captivating theatre. Northern Ballet regularly works with local dance schools in each of its touring cities, and more than 120 children nationwide will have performed in ‘A Christmas Carol’ by the end of the tour.
Northern Ballet’s Academy is the only classical training institution in the UK to train in the same inspirational setting as professional company dancers, creating invaluable opportunities for mentoring and unique possibilities to work with, train alongside and gain an insight into life as a professional dancer. The Academy also hosts the only Classical Ballet Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme in the UK, enabling the most talented aspiring classical dancers across the north to receive professional training, whilst remaining at home with their family and friends.
The new tour is a full circle moment for Northern Ballet Soloist, Andrew Tomlinson, who dances the parts of Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Andrew played ‘Tiny Tim’ when Northern Ballet toured A Christmas Carol in 2009 and he was part of the CAT programme.
Andrew: “I was eleven years old when I played the part of Tiny Tim and it was an amazing experience, getting to see the cast rehearse and perform. Being involved from a young age was really inspiring and it’s amazing having gone from being in the show as a child and watching all the fun characters and costumes, to being in the main cast as an adult. It’s such a fantastic production and I can’t wait for people to see it.”
Also at the rehearsal were two dancers from Northern Ballet’s Ability programme – a weekly dance course for adults with additional learning support needs who want to develop their dance techniques and skills. Emily Kent and Louise Palin will take to the stage during the Leeds run, as part of the Company’s goal to champion inclusivity in classical ballet.
Choreographed by Massimo Moricone and directed by Christopher Gable CBE, ‘A Christmas Carol’ premiered in 1992 at the Theatre Royal, Bath, where it broke all previous box office records and became an instant hit with audiences. With colourful sets and costumes by Lez Brotherston OBE and Carl Davis’ festive score, blending classical music with well-known carols sung by the Company, audiences can expect to be transported to a traditional Victorian Christmas.
Visit northernballet.com to find out more and book tickets.
You can find out more about Northern Ballet’s CAT programme here and about open classes for both adults and children here.
Main image: Northern Ballet dancers in A Christmas Carol. Photograph by Emily Nuttall.
