An Enchanted Evening
On Such a Night by Gillian Lynne - Photo Bill Cooper
On Saturday 12 December Northern Ballet Theatre’s Anniversary Gala Performance took place in front of a packed out auditorium at the Grand Theatre in Leeds.
Stars of the ballet world joined NBT dancers on stage to celebrate the Company’s 40th birthday and together created a truly enchanting evening.
The evening featured artists from the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert Dance Company and Phoenix Dance Theatre. Dancers from Ballet Du Rhin, Zurich Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo travelled to the UK especially to perform at the Gala.
NBT performed the world première of a short dance created especially for the anniversary by Gillian Lynne, respected choreographer of Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and NBT’s own signature work A Simple Man.
NBT soloist Victoria Sibson performed Ossein, a short dance choreographed by Wayne McGregor, resident artist of the Royal Opera House and Artistic Director of Random Dance Company.
Powerhouse Rhumba by David Nixon - Photo Bill Cooper
Another highlight of the evening was David Nixon’s breathtaking new work Powerhouse Rhumba: “a sensational showcase” (The Times) which he created especially for the performance.
The Anniversary Gala was performed in aid of the momentum capital fundraising campaign for NBT and Phoenix Dance Theatre’s new purpose-built home in central Leeds. It was attended by over 14,000 people including NBT’s Patron, HRH The Earl of Wessex, and raised in the region of £60k.
HRH, The Earl of Wessex greets the performers at Northern Ballet Theatre's Gala Evening - Photo: Lisa Stonehouse
A Dancer in Macau, part 2 « Northern Ballet Theatre – News Blog said,
July 20, 2010 at 10:55 am
[...] busy but awesome Christmas season with the Alumni Christmas Carol and the highlight that was the Gala. I feel privileged to do this job and I am well aware I couldn’t do it if NBT didn’t [...]