Northern Ballet announces Autumn 2015 season

Northern Ballet has released details of its autumn 2015 season which includes two World Premières and will see the Company give 115 performances across 12 UK venues, maintaining its extensive reach as the widest touring ballet company in the UK.
21 May 2015......Rehearsal of Northern Ballet's production of Madame Butterfly at Cast in Doncaster ahead of openibng night. Picture Scott Merrylees SM1008/52a21 May 2015......Rehearsal of Northern Ballet's production of Madame Butterfly at Cast in Doncaster ahead of openibng night. Picture Scott Merrylees SM1008/52a
21 May 2015......Rehearsal of Northern Ballet's production of Madame Butterfly at Cast in Doncaster ahead of openibng night. Picture Scott Merrylees SM1008/52a

Northern Ballet, who recently won Best Company at the Taglioni European Ballet Awards, will commence its season with the World Première of Jonathan Watkins’ 1984.

The Company will also tour Wuthering Heights, Madame Butterfly with Perpetuum Mobile, Elves & the Shoemaker and The Nutcracker as well as premièring a new children’s ballet Tortoise & the Hare.

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Northern Ballet will open its autumn season in September with the World Première of Jonathan Watkins’ adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds.

A thought-provoking tale of love and betrayal, the production will also tour to Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield and will be performed at further venues, including Sadler’s Wells, London in spring 2016.

Later in September the Company will return to Hull for the first time in 18 months performing Madame Butterfly with Perpetuum Mobile. Showcasing the two faces of Northern Ballet the programme includes Madame Butterfly, a classical narrative ballet where audiences will be transported to Japan as Butterfly sacrifices everything for love. Northern Ballet will also perform Perpetuum Mobile, a contemporary work by Christopher Hampson demonstrating the physicality and versatility of the Company.

From October, the spirit and untamed beauty of the Yorkshire Moors will be brought to the stage where the turbulent love affair of Cathy and Heathcliff will come to a devastating climax in Wuthering Heights. Touring to Canterbury and Bradford, Wuthering Heights is set to an original score by Claude-Michel Schönberg, acclaimed composer of Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and Cleopatra.

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From September to November Northern Ballet will continue to tour its third ballet for children, Elves & the Shoemaker. The Company will also hold the World Première of new children’s ballet Tortoise & the Hare in Leeds in October. Choreographed by Northern Ballet dancers Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe, this is the second children’s ballet by the pair who created Ugly Duckling, later adapted into a BAFTA winning programme for CBeebies.

Approaching the festive season, Northern Ballet will revive its popular Christmas classic The Nutcracker, where audiences will share in Clara’s adventures as she is swept away by her Nutracker Prince into a winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes and the famous Sugar Plum Fairy. Set in the Regency period, the magical production will tour to Woking, Newcastle and Norwich in November before returning to Leeds Grand Theatre for the Company’s annual festive season at the venue.

For more details of Northern Ballet’s autumn 2015 tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson