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Northern Ballet 50th Anniversary Gala

Details announced for Anniversary Gala

We are delighted to announce details for our 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala which will be held at Leeds Grand Theatre for one night only on Saturday 4 January 2020.

The gala will see some of dance’s leading companies unite in a unique event celebrating our 50-year journey, featuring performances of excerpts from our own repertoire and works connected to our history.

The gala will include pieces from Northern Ballet productions that we have not performed for decades. These include excerpts from Didy Veldman’s Carmen, Michael Pink’s Dracula and Massimo Moricone’s Romeo & Juliet. The gala will also feature excerpts from some of our more recent popular productions including David Nixon OBE’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Kenneth Tindall’s Casanova. Northern Ballet alumni, including former Premier Dancers Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley, will also return to perform as part of the celebration.

Supporting us in this landmark moment in our history, we will be joined by dancers from The Royal BalletBirmingham Royal BalletEnglish National BalletScottish BalletThe Joffrey BalletPhoenix Dance Theatre and Central School of Ballet. Performances by the guest companies include The Royal Ballet’s Lauren Cuthbertson and Ryoichi Hirano in Jonathan Watkins’ 1984, English National Ballet’s Tamara Rojo CBE with Jeremy Kerridge in Gillian Lynne's A Simple Man and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Momoko Hirata and César Morales in David Nixon OBE’s Madame Butterfly.

David Nixon OBE, Artistic Director of Northern Ballet, said: ‘Our gala is a focal point for our anniversary celebrations. It is a moment for us to honour and celebrate Northern Ballet’s 50-year story so far; the productions, the people and the milestones that have been achieved. I wish to thank our guests for joining us from as far afield as the USA and I am looking forward to presenting a truly one-off evening of performance which includes some works which only our longest-standing supporters will have seen before.’

Tickets for the 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala are on sale now and selling fast. To book visit leedsgrandtheatre.com or call the Box Office on 0844 848 2700*.

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.
Gala information is correct at the time of posting but is subject to change without notice.
Photo Guy Farrow.