Ground Breaking Event Great Success
Yesterday’s ground breaking ceremony was a great success. Friends and Patrons of Northern Ballet Theatre, supporters of our building project as well as members of the Board, staff and dancers from NBT and Phoenix gathered together on Quarry Hill in central Leeds to witness the ground breaking ceremony.
As the sun shone down Andrew Carter, Leader of Leeds City Council got proceedings underway with the ceremonial shovel and both Andrew and Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire, gave speeches celebrating the partnerships coming together to make one of the most important cultural developments for Leeds a reality. Dancers David Ward and Rym Kechacha dressed in costumes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream enjoyed clambouring all over the JCB digger – I think everyone wanted to have a go at driving it but common sense prevailed. Mark Skipper spoke on behalf of everyone at NBT when he thanked all our partners and supporters who have given so generously to make our dream a reality. It does mean so much to us. You can add your support by donating through www.building-momentum.co.uk
Here’re some photos from the event taken by Lisa Stonehouse…
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- David & Rym complete their audition for “Diggers – The Musical”
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- Dancers, members of staff and the Board of Directors from NBT reflect on all the hard work that has taken place to get to this point
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- Andy Carver adds his thoughts to the proceedings
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- Supporters of the project gather on site for the ground breaking ceremony
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- NBT Friends and Patrons join us for the ceremony. We really value their support.
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- (Back) Rym Kechacha & David Ward; (Front, left to right) Chris Bailey – Leeds Met, Cllr Bernard Atha – NBT, Mark Skipper – NBT, Andrew Carter – Leeds City Council, Andy Carver – Arts Council England, Yorkshire, Ana Lujan Sanchez – Phoenix, Richard Wilson – Phoenix, Nigel Hall – Jacobs Architecture, Phil Harrison – Wates Construction
Warming Up On New Building
Sharon Watson, NBT's Dairector of Learning & Access leading a team from Wates Construction in a dance session.
Daragh Corcoran from BBC Radio Leeds interviewing NBT's Chief Executive, Mark Skipper.
To kick off the start of work on site of Northern Ballet Theatre’s new building with Phoenix Dance Theatre, NBT’s Director of Learning & Access Sharon Watson led a dance session for the team from Wates Construction. The whole thing was broadcast live on BBC Radio Leeds and as Sharon got the builders ready for their day on site, Radio Leeds’ Daragh Corcoran interviewed NBT’s Chief Executive Mark Skipper and Phil Harrison from Wates Construction.
You can listen again by clicking here, the interviews took place just after 8am.
For further information on the new building or to make a donation visit building-momentum.
Sharon Watson, NBT's Director of Learning & Access, leading the Wates Contruction Team in a dance session.
Breaking Ground on New Project
Artists Impression of New Building
We’re delighted to be able to share some exciting news about our new building project. The ground breaking ceremony to mark work starting on site takes place this afternoon with representatives from NBT and Phoenix Dance Theatre joined by Andrew Carter, the leader of Leeds City Council, Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire, as well as partners from Leeds Metropolitan University, architects the Strategic Design Alliance and Wates Construction. Dancers dressed as fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream will also attend the ceremony. Photographs from the ground breaking ceremony will be on-line tomorrow.
We’re having a double celebration today because the momentum capital fundraising campaign has broken the £1million mark. We are now working hard to raise the remaining £500,000 of the £1.5million target. Help us reach our goal by donating on-line at building momentum
New building for dance given green light by planners
Planners at Leeds City Council have given the green light to plans for a new centre of excellence for dance in Leeds. The new building will be home to Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre (Phoenix) and will be built on Quarry Hill next to the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance, the BBC and the Leeds College of Music. The designs by the Strategic Design Alliance, a partnership of Jacobs Architecture and Leeds City Council’s in-house architectural consultancy, were passed at a planning meeting earlier today.
The ambitious plans are for a six-storey building consisting of seven dance studios including a 200-seat studio theatre, office space, a health suite and a costume workshop. Alongside the two professional companies the building will eventually house a full-time classical dance school as well as Leeds Metropolitan University’s dance degree courses. The building will open in summer 2010.
In February NBT and Phoenix launched momentum, the campaign to raise the remaining £1.5million of the £12million building. To date the campaign has raised more than £800,000 from a number of trusts, foundations and individual donors. Mark Skipper, NBT’s Chief Executive is spearheading the momentum campaign: “The planning decision means that we have reached a key milestone in this project’s progress. With building work due to start on site in four months time we are now looking for a number of businesses and individual donors to step forward and help us meet our fundraising target and achieve our ambitions.” Anyone wishing to support the momentum campaign should visit www.building-momentum.co.uk or contact Melanie Aram at NBT at melanie.aram@northernballettheatre.co.uk
The new building has received wide support from across the region with Leeds City Council investing £6.7million, including a contribution from Yorkshire Forward, and Arts Council England, Yorkshire investing £3.5million through the National Lottery.
Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire said: “It’s great news that this exciting project has reached such a significant milestone. Two of the country’s leading dance companies will have a state-of-the-art new home in Leeds, bringing great dance to many more people in Yorkshire and beyond.”
