Supporters Magazine 2023

Making the music

Black Sabbath – The Ballet

Introducing BRB2 BRB’s junior company

Freefall Dance Company

Celebrating 21 remarkable years

Getting to know our communities and more...

WELCOME

Patron

The late Queen† President

The former Prince of Wales

Vice-President

The Lady Sarah Chatto

Founded by

Dame Ninette de Valois om, ch

Founding Director Laureate of Birmingham Royal Ballet

Sir Peter Wright cbe

Founder Choreographer

Sir Frederick Ashton om, ch, cbe

Founder Music Director

Constant Lambert

Prima Ballerina Assoluta

Dame Margot Fonteyn

Music Director Laureate

Barry Wordsworth

†HM Queen Elizabeth ll, 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

Dear Supporters

Hello again. Well, what a season 2022/23 turned out to be! It opened with probably our most ambitious mixed bill called Into The Music. This showcased our dancers’ versatility, and some wonderful music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. The bill included Jiří Kylián’s masterpiece Forgotten Land, the UK premiere of Uwe Scholz’s The Seventh Symphony, and the world premiere of Hotel, choreographed by Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright with new music by Mikael Karlsson. Hotel was our eighth Ballet Now presentation, postponed since 2020. This programme really fulfils my vision for the Company, and though it required a large investment, and perhaps didn’t achieve the audience numbers we wanted (always a tough sell for a less well-known programme), Into The Music was a huge critical success. Take a look at the quotes that run alongside this article.

Christmas 2022 was even more exciting, with the unveiling of the £1 million refurbishment of Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker. This was only possible with your help – you gave so generously

through The Big Give campaign – thank you so much for that. The sets glowed with bright colours, and the dancers and full orchestra raised the roof to over 37,500 people at the Birmingham Hippodrome. It was marvellous that Sir Peter Wright could attend the opening night of The Nutcracker at the age of 96, looking forward to the revival of his and Galina Samsova’s Swan Lake. Our heritage remains at the heart of BRB.

We also returned to the Royal Albert Hall after a two-year break, with Sir David Bintley’s adaptation of The Nutcracker for this spectacular venue. Sales broke all records – over 24,500 tickets sold across all four days!

In February we were back on the road with Swan Lake, which broke even more box office records. 53,250 people saw the show at six of the biggest theatres around Britain, including Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre for the first time since 2018. There were plenty of surprises too: I went on stage to promote Lachlan Monaghan and Max Maslen to Principal. The much-loved Zhang Yijing took to the stage for her final performance. We welcomed some brilliant Guest Artists too. Polina Semionova danced with Brandon Lawrence in Birmingham, and The Royal Ballet’s Vadim Muntagirov partnered Céline Gittens at Plymouth Theatre Royal.

We had a dramatic last-minute conductor stand-in; a flashmob of 150 amateur swans at Theatre Royal Plymouth, and a Swan Lake ‘Introduction to Ballet’ event at Hockley Social Club, Birmingham. Many of our younger dancers enjoyed their debuts, and quite a few ‘stars of the future’ caught the eyes of audiences

Carlos Acosta. © Drew Tommons

Director Carlos Acosta

and critics alike. You can watch a film of the Swan Lake tour at brb.org.uk/ SwanLakeRoundup.

2023 saw the launch of our new BRB2 junior company, touring to midscale theatres in Northampton, Peterborough, Nottingham, London and Wolverhampton. Darren Henley, the CEO of Arts Council England, came to Peterborough, and Shadow Minister for Culture, Barbara Keeley MP, attended The Linbury Theatre, as did the Chair and Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Dance Group. We are very grateful for the support of this new initiative by David and Mary Laing and the Kirby Laing Foundation, and by The Linbury Trust. I’d like to invite additional funders to support young artists and talent in 2024 and beyond –please do contact Georgia Davenport, Senior Individual Giving Manager (contact details on p.39).

We ended the season on a high, with a triple bill at Birmingham Hippodrome featuring ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café, Apollo and Interlinked. I was delighted that this programme achieved the best box office income for this time of year since 2011.

Just as our dancers left for their holidays, the LEAP team rounded off

the year with wonderful celebrations of the achievements of Dance Track children. 17 Dance Track students have gained places on Elmhurst Ballet School’s Young Dancers Programme, with a further seven students being accepted to the Junior Associate Programme of The Royal Ballet School. Five of our Year 3 Dance Track students have also been offered Year 7 places at Elmhurst Ballet School.

Nine of our 16-25-year-old LEAP Ambassadors completed their professional development programme at BRB with Katy Eldridge securing the position of LEAP Apprentice with the Company.

And, last but not least, it’s great that our engagement work with Birmingham’s wider communities has become a focus.

As always, I look forward to meeting many of you at our 2023-24 performances and events.

Best wishes,

Behind the Arras

“Birmingham’s dancers, always an attractive and individuated bunch, look as good and sharp as they have done for years!”

The Observer

“In China it might be the year of the Tiger but in Birmingham’s Chinatown it is the year of BRB with its best triple bill for many a year… technically outstanding.”

“ While the dancers shine at every level, the orchestra under Paul Murphy play brilliantly, giving an account of Tchaikovsky’s score that’s as supple as a swan’s neck.”

The Guardian

Swan Lake: Max Maslen as Prince Siegfried and Yaoqian Shang as Odette. © Bill Cooper. 2 Birmingham Royal Ballet

SHOUTING LOUDER!

Caroline Miller, CEO, reflects on our hugely successful 2022-23 season.

Dear Supporters

As Carlos remarks in his opening letter, 2022-23 was a very busy season for BRB. I’m delighted to say though, that alongside the remarkable artistic achievements of the year, the Company was also able to make huge progress toward delivering its business goals. These were:

Rebuilding audiences to pre-pandemic levels.

Providing world-class ballet to audiences around the UK. Developing our dancers, both technically and artistically. Presenting a varied and challenging repertoire of both classical and contemporary works.

Collectively, our audiences, supporters and employees recognise us as one of the great ballet companies of the world. ‘Shouting Louder’ has been our mantra since before the pandemic. Raising the Company’s profile nationally and internationally really does grow income from ticket sales, and increases the opportunity to fundraise effectively. These are essential if we are to stay commercially sustainable, able to expand our repertoire, and to offer our staff job security and regular pay rises.

We had a big win with the amazing press and public response to the announcement of our new production, Black Sabbath – The Ballet. This will be the final commission in our Ballet Now programme, supported by Oak Foundation. All shows sold out in Birmingham and London in less than three weeks, and we added extra shows in both cities. Plymouth is also selling very well, with limited tickets left at the time of writing. We have bookers from 23 different countries travelling

to Birmingham – from the USA to Australia, Romania to Iceland!

We learned a lot about creative problem solving during lockdown, and in 2022-23 we utilised these lessons to address the rapidly rising costs of touring. Despite our largest ever Spring tour audiences, the Swan Lake tour really drove home our very difficult business environment today. Inflation pushed up the cost of transport, hotels and materials at an alarming rate. The pandemic has also left a massive skills shortage within technical teams across the UK. Theatres just cannot secure enough skilled crew to run huge productions like ours. Venues also have their own challenges with inflation, especially the rising cost of heating.

The BRB Senior Leadership Team acted quickly to find creative ways to manage costs. The technical team reduced the number of people we take on the road, cut the number of lorries we use to tour, reducing our carbon footprint, and adapted sets to allow for reduced crew numbers. In Salford and Edinburgh we reduced our performances by one show to lower travel and hotel costs, but we maintained audience numbers, performing to packed theatres and sold-out shows, adding to the excitement for our performers and our audiences.

143,612

143,612 tickets were sold in the 2022/2023 Season, finally back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Quite simply the best mixed programme Birmingham Royal Ballet have presented for many, many years. More please!’” Seeing

At home, we faced the challenge of the cost-of-living crisis for our staff. To give much-needed pay rises to all BRB staff in 2022 and 2023 we have reduced costs in other areas. Our talented staff and artists are BRB’s key resource. I often talk about the difficult artistic and business choices we make in order to balance budgets. BRB has faced a decade of real-terms income cuts, with standstill funding from Arts Council England, and Birmingham City Council funding cut from £1 million to £150,000 for the last seven years. Every year it gets harder.

The whole Senior Leadership Team worked behind the scenes on our application to Arts Council England’s National Portfolio, to secure BRB’s funding for 2023 to 2026. It was a nerveracking process, but the Board and the whole company were thrilled and relieved to be successful in our bid. We were awarded £8.1 million per year for the next three years. It was a significant endorsement for BRB’s work that we secured standstill funding, when other ballet and opera companies received cuts.

One thing that did emerge as part of Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy, was a challenge to reinvigorate our engagement with the wider communities we serve at home and on tour (see page 24).

All in all, this has been an important year for BRB. I’m particularly proud that BRB, amongst all the British ballet companies, has proved its dedication to touring. We aren’t pulling back and cutting the number of venues we tour to. Instead we keep looking for creative ways to manage costs, and still we take great ballet around the UK.

As The Reviews Hub wrote of our summer Triple Bill, it was, ‘a reminder that ballet is alive and thriving in Birmingham’.

Finally, on behalf of all of us at BRB, I want to thank Anna Williams, BRB’s Chief Operating Officer, who has given over thirty years of service, and has been instrumental in the business management and survival of the Company. Anna leaves at the end of October. She will be very much missed for her passion for BRB, her professionalism and great knowledge.

Caroline Miller obe Chief Executive .

“Carlos Acosta is doing a great job of bringing to the UK works and choreographers, such as Scholz, who aren’t much seen here, and carving out a niche for his company that’s much more than a lesser, or ‘regional’, version of their Covent Garden cousin.

The Guardian

The Seventh Symphony: Mathias Dingman, Gabriel Anderson, Tzu-Chao Chou, Haoliang Feng and Eric Pinto Cata. © Johan Persson.

LOOKING TO A GREENER FUTURE

Sir David Normington gcb, bRb’s Chair, introduces our new digital magazine

Dear Supporters

This year, we are excited to deliver your supporter magazine in a more convenient and accessible digital format. We cannot exist in 2023 without a strong digital presence, and we are looking forward to finding new ways to engage with all of you. We’re excited about this change and we hope that you are too.

Delivering a digital magazine is also a big step in our commitment towards sustainability. You’ll still benefit from the same top-notch content you’ve come to expect from us, now enhanced by interactivity, and with access to an archive of past issues. You can enjoy the magazine whether you’re at home or on the go, as all the latest content is seamlessly accessible across multiple devices.

A reduced number of printed copies will still be available on request however, as our aim is for the magazine to be available to all of our supporters, whether online, or delivered to your door.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition of the magazine. We are delighted to share with you the projects, performances and events that will enable you make the most of your subscription this season, along with news stories to keep you up to date with all the work you’re supporting. Your continued generosity ensures that we can look after our dancers health and wellbeing, deliver our important learning and engagement work, and develop extraordinary new talent through our new Junior Company BRB2.

We will continue to keep you up to date with our latest endeavours, such as our forthcoming Big Give and Pointe Shoe appeals, via our monthly e-news, delivered directly into your inbox. You can also stay informed with the ways in which you can support us by visiting the supporter pages on our website: www.brb.org.uk/Join-and-Support.

We welcome your feedback on everything we do, and the Development team would be delighted to hear from you. If you have any queries at all, please don’t hesitate to contact Helen Barrett, Individual Giving Officer at HelenBarrett@brb.org.uk

Thank you once again for your generous support, we look forward to welcoming you to a performance or event soon.

Warm wishes

1,333

An average of 1,333 people at each performance of this summer’s Triple Bill made it the most successful Triple Bill for 15 years.

SUPPORTERS’ EVENTS CALENDAR

Welcome to your Events Calendar

We are delighted to share our upcoming events calendar, giving you the opportunity to watch our wonderful dancers in rehearsal and to hear from members of staff about the process of staging world-class ballets.

Online Events

Jonathan Payn, our Principal Character Artist & Assistant Répétiteur, continues to host a series of fascinating events online via Zoom. Join Jonathan in the comfort of your home as he speaks with guests and members of the Company.

Booking Requirements

To book any of the events, simply visit Birmingham Royal Ballet’s website (www.brb.org.uk/supporter-events), unless otherwise stated, or contact the Development team using the details below.

Contact Details

Events Team

Email: Events@brb.org.uk

Helen Barrett Individual Giving Officer

Email: HelenBarrett@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07966 007 694

Georgia Davenport Senior Individual Giving Manager

Email: GeorgiaDavenport@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07842 013 897

September

Saturday 23 September, 6.30 – 7.30pm & Interval

Opening Night Reception

Black Sabbath – The Ballet

Join Company staff as well as fellow supporters at our exclusive opening night reception ahead of Black Sabbath – The Ballet at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free). Please contact events@brb.org.uk to book your place. Please note: a ticket for the performance is not included. Location: Birmingham Hippodrome.

November

Thursday 9 November, 4 – 5pm

Online Supporters Talk

The Nutcracker

Sir Peter Wright’s world-famous production returns to the stage. Join us as we celebrate this classic Christmas tale.

Open to: Free for all Supporters

Location: Online via Zoom.

Thursday 16 November, 2 – 5pm*

Stage Rehearsal

The Nutcracker

An exclusive chance to watch the Company rehearse on stage ahead of The Nutcracker’s opening night in Birmingham – with pre-rehearsal and interval drinks receptions for Gold Friends and all members of the Dancers’ Circle.

Please note: although some dancers may be in costume, we cannot guarantee this will be a full-dress rehearsal.

Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free) and Friends (£10, or free if you have a ticket to the show). Please contact events@ brb.org.uk to book your place if you have a show ticket. Location: Birmingham Hippodrome. *Times subject to change.

Friday 17 November, 6:30 – 7:30pm & Interval

Opening Night Reception

The Nutcracker

Join Company staff as well as fellow supporters at our exclusive opening night reception for The Nutcracker

Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free). Please contact events@brb.org.uk to book your place. Please note: a ticket for the performance is not included.

Location: Birmingham Hippodrome.

Tuesday 21 November, 6.30 – 7.30pm & Interval Reception

The Nutcracker

Join Company staff as well as fellow supporters at our exclusive reception for The Nutcracker.

Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free). Please contact events@brb.org.uk to book your place. Please note: a ticket for the performance is not included.

Location: Birmingham Hippodrome.

Tuesday 28 November, 7 – 10pm

Dancers’ Circle Christmas Party

Celebrate the festive season and another year of world-class ballet with our dancers, staff and fellow supporters.

Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free).

Location: Loki Wine Bar, Edgbaston.

Coming Soon

Keep and eye on your inbox for further exciting upcoming events. We will be in touch as soon as details are confirmed:

Opening Night Reception

Black Sabbath – The Ballet

Plymouth

Opening Night Reception

Black Sabbath – The Ballet

London

Online Round Table

With Carlos Acosta and Caroline Miller

Supporters Afternoon Tea

MAKING THE MUSIC

From

‘iconic’ guitar riffs to a symphonic orchestration. A voyage of musical discovery, by composer

Christopher Austin.

The musical voyage of discovery that is Black Sabbath – The Ballet started for me in November 2021, with a phone call from Koen Kessels. ‘Chris! Carlos has come up with an amazing idea to make an evening-length ballet with the music of Black Sabbath. What do you think? Is it possible?’ The only way to answer that question was immediately to immerse myself in a great deal of Sabbath listening and therefore to understand what ‘possible’ really meant.

In other projects where I have created dance scores from music by, variously, The White Stripes, Alex North (his film score for A Streetcar Named Desire), and the symphonic music of Witold

Lutosławski, none of these ballets started from ‘tabula rasa’: the essential musical material of the scores had been selected already. With Black Sabbath, we were starting with Carlos’s brilliant idea, the catalogue of era-defining music – whose impact has remained constant for more than 50 years – and some (provisional) performance dates. I emerged from my ‘deep dive’ into the Sabbath world feeling not only awestruck by the brilliance of the songs which have become classics, but also excited by the range of feeling to be found in the music.

Everything you need for a ballet, in fact!

Christopher Austin with Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath founding member. © Mike Exeter

“ This is now the second most unexpected question I’ve been asked in my musical life – the most unexpected being, ‘Are you part of Sponge Bob?’ as I entered the BRB building on the first day of our Black Sabbath workshop rehearsals in April this year.

I first met Tony Iommi in June 2022. Carlos had long been in discussions with Tony and the band, and had secured their blessing for the project in principle. To take things forward naturally required that Tony, especially, was comfortable with the potential directions we might take with his music. It quickly became apparent that Tony was open to the idea that his music – through orchestration, adaptation and transformation for dance – could start to sing in a new way. Tony’s generosity in that meeting made it possible for Pontus Lidberg –our inspirational Lead Choreographer – and me to move towards a definitive repertoire of Sabbath material for the score.

Whereas the entire catalogue of Beatles songs has been fully and authoritatively notated (band parts and orchestrations) and is available to buy, the same cannot be said of the Sabbath legacy. Yes, there are take downs of the songs, but, as Tony himself pointed out at a Press event in April, ‘most of them are wrong anyway!’

I asked my long-time collaborator and editor, Joshua Hickin, to make the

transcriptions of the songs Pontus and I had chosen. Once these were complete, I made my way over to Tony’s studio in the Cotswolds in order to go through the transcriptions to make sure that they matched Tony’s expectations of accuracy and nuance. Josh’s work passed with flying colours. We now had our core musical text from which the music team could work. It was also at that meeting when I dared to play to Tony a treatment I had been working on for Solitude, particularly a sequence of chords that I was proud of. I was ready to be told that my approach might not work for him, but Tony’s positive response was all that I could have hoped for: that he felt comfortable with the new harmonic clothes for his music was not only gratifying but, most importantly, liberating.

From the beginning, Carlos wanted the Sabbath ballet to be a showcase for emerging as well as established creative talent and, as a result, I have been mentoring and collaborating with two outstanding composers – Marko Nyberg and Sun Keting – who have worked on Acts II and III respectively. In all the arranging and adaptation we have made of the Sabbath songs,

With thanks for all the generous support for Black Sabbath – The Ballet received from:

Oak Foundation Special Interest Programme

John S Cohen Foundation

The H Steven and P E Wood Charitable Trust

The John Feeney Charitable Trust

The Oakley Charitable Trust

The Owen Family Trust

Christopher Austin’s working manuscript score of Act III. © Chester Music Limited.

we have always sought to find a way from within the songs themselves, not to impose anything from the outside, and, above all, to honour their defiant individuality.

Tony Iommi has remarked more than once how, for most of its career, the idea of Black Sabbath working with an orchestra – as equals, and in a spirit of creative cooperation – seemed impossible. These days, cross-genre collaborations between musicians are commonplace, but, 50 years ago, when Sabbath was starting out, this wasn’t the case, with one pioneering exception. In 1969, the young Jon Lord (1941-2012) met up with Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) to discuss collaborating on a work to combine the brilliance of Lord’s composing for his band Deep Purple, with the full resources of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The relationship between Arnold – whose own cross-genre career in concert music, film music and ballet made him one of the most successful creative musicians in the world – and the band was one of mutual respect and admiration, and the legendary

performance of Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall was a true sensation. Famously, not everyone in the orchestra was enamoured with the project, but Arnold’s authority carried the orchestra with him, and the collaboration ended up making what Arnold called, ‘the right kind of history’.

One more indispensable key to unlocking the emotional world of Sabbath was hearing the testimonies of fans, collected at the band’s last ever gig in 2017. The fans – multi-generational and from all over the world – bear funny and moving witness to the enduring power of Sabbath’s songs. The music I composed for the first part of Act III goes back to the precise moment I heard two fans from Argentina speak about how ‘the band has always been there for us, and now we need to be there for them’. I have tried to embody the deep feeling of those words, which also find a mirror in Sharon Osbourne’s beautiful description of ‘the invisible thread’ which will always connect the band and, in turn, unites the band with all those who love its music – forever.

“With Black Sabbath, we were starting with Carlos’s brilliant idea, the catalogue of eradefining music –whose impact has remained constant for more than 50 years. ”

THE BIRMINGHAM TRILOGY

Journalist and dance critic, Deborah Weiss, quizzes Carlos Acosta about his passion for all things Birmingham.

“We can still dream the dream, make bold statements and, in spite of everything, I think it’s a good time for Birmingham.”

Interviewing Carlos Acosta, it’s immediately clear, is an exercise in trying to track down one of the most sought after interviewees in the world. The first time I speak to him, he has had to run for a train and the ensuing conversation is bordering on the comical. After 25 minutes of repeated signal loss, noise interruptions, announcements and his endeavours to find a better place to talk (this includes locking himself in the toilet) we decide to reconvene the following day. The one thing I can say with certainty is that his determination to do the right thing is evident in all areas of his life.

He brings an absolute dedication to his directorship. He recalls his first days, ‘it was just as the pandemic hit. Yes, it was a nightmare!’ he says despairingly. ‘You know, I’m a very positive guy but it was hard. I had so much anxiety. And not just me, but imagine if you’re in prime condition and you have no space to work for two years’.

But team work and perseverance has paid off. I want to hear about what has become known as The Birmingham Trilogy.

‘I wanted to make the world aware of how important the city of Birmingham is and the contribution it has made over centuries. It was called the city of a thousand trades for a good reason. It made everything from weapons, to jewellery to cars. These things used to be made here and shipped across the world. It was the city that helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution (1680-1791).’

The first ballet of the three that Acosta commissioned was Miguel Altunaga’s successful City of a Thousand Trades (2021). He tells me, ‘I wanted to commission ballets that are not necessarily related in terms of subjects. This is a traditional company that tells fairytales and I wanted to bring something more contemporary about the real Birmingham, since we are an

Carlos Acosta and Tony Iommi © Drew

ambassador for the city. It was also a statement on immigration, about the Windrush generation. This was a subject that really touched me, because I am Cuban and I have made England home. It’s not straightforward being an immigrant. It goes in stages – at the start you’re very depressed at losing the environment that you grew up in. You have to form new relationships and adapt to this climate. I’m trying to find ballets that people can relate to, that are based on themes that are universal’.

I’m curious to know how he views the current cultural and industrial scene. ‘I think we have moved on a lot in Birmingham, especially with the BBC partially moving here, HS2 and so on. That tells you that this city is at the top of the list in terms of interest outside London. It’s buzzing. There is a necessity to diversify within the cultural sector so that it’s less Londoncentric. These things help to educate new audiences and widen horizons. I think it’s fair to say that a world without art is unimaginable. We can still dream the dream, make bold statements and, in spite of everything, I think it’s a good time for Birmingham. We have the huge Shakespeare collection in the library, one of the very best city art galleries in the UK and the Commonwealth Games also generated a lot of interest’.

Inevitably, I want to know about Black Sabbath – The Ballet. He explains, ‘I knew for a while that I wanted to make a ballet about rock music. I once met Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin, guitarist and founder) on a plane on the way to Havana. The more I thought about it, I thought this could be a really good experience. We could build new audiences and it would be a crossover. Also, we have an orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and I was interested in exploring sounds that could be transposed into an orchestral format. It would be unique. It wasn’t ever going to be a jukebox kind of show, playing their greatest hits. But there needed to be the essence of whatever that band was. The version of the band when they created it, sparked and divided a

26,000

Over 26,000 people have booked to see Black Sabbath – The Ballet, which has sold out at every venue.

Shuailun Wu in City of a Thousand Trades. © Johan Persson. Birmingham Royal Ballet

lot of opinion and that’s a good thing because it’s curiosity – curiosity is a powerful tool. We wanted to capture the imagination of people who might not usually come and see BRB. The Board was very pleased that seven months before opening night, we had sold every possible ticket in Birmingham. It’s going to open a lot of doors internationally.’

He’s enthusiastic about the fact that it’s brought together two different worlds in an unlikely partnership. A match made in heaven? ‘Yeah, I like that. We are so excited because it’s very unconventional. It’s the two ends of a spectrum – the ballet goers who love Tchaikovsky and then the people that are so loyal to Heavy Metal that it’s an excuse to come and hear Paranoid played one more time. We don’t know on the opening night what we are going to get. A sing along?’.

He points out that he has consistently tried to balance the contemporary with the traditional. Black Sabbath – The Ballet is in three acts. The orchestration is by Chris Austin. Acosta says, ‘he’s very good at taking, say, something by the Beach Boys and turning it into a symphony.’ Austin is the lead composer but each act has a different composer, whom he mentors. Swedishborn choreographer, Pontus Lidberg leads the choreographers. They are responsible for making sure that the entire evening is cohesive.

The third ballet in the trilogy is Māh, meaning ‘moon’ in Persian. Carlos explains, ‘it’s a project that I wanted to be female led – Arielle Smith (UK), Iratxe Ansa (Spain), Wubkkje Kuindersma (Netherlands), Seeta Patel (UK) and Thais Suarez (Cuba). Choreographers who are established or less well-known and are from different parts of the world, who would react to the story of Malala Yousafzai and turn it into a piece. It’s not about her, it’s simply inspired by her experiences.’ He’s divided it into six sections exploring among other subjects: a sense of place, the right to

education and female empowerment. The choreographers will bring their own perspective from their respective countries. He says, ‘in my own

experience, I was influenced by my father, as she was by hers, in terms of education. My father was the one who put me into ballet. I fought against it but he persevered until I became a dancer. It’s a very interesting and diverse mix of women. Although each piece will have its own take, we will work together to make sure it feels like a complete work. They will have their own flavour, their own vocabulary, but I will assign the topics to the choreographers’.

The composer Kate Whitley, is familiar to BRB audiences. Acosta tells me, ‘she has composed for us before, a piece called Ignite. I wanted very much to bring in a female composer to curate the whole evening. It will be more ‘camerata’ with only 18 musicians. It’s going to be existing works. The choreographers may have a preference for composer. Within that will be a piece that Kate has already composed and she will rework it to accommodate 18 players’.

Finally he says, ‘we want to get into a space that feels more contemporary. If you were to say to someone, make a ballet about inclusion, it already takes you into the abstract. It gives you a flavour of what you’re watching, what the audience reacts to, which could have multiple meanings. Each choreographer hopefully will feel these topics resonate. We want to make a beautiful work of art, inspired by these topics and a sense of community’.

Birmingham Hippodrome 23 – 30 September returns only

Theatre Royal Plymouth

12 – 14 October returns only

Sadler’s Wells, London

18 – 21 October returns only

Deborah Weiss is Dance Editor of Bachtrack

JUBILATE

A new creation, celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, by Principal Dancer Céline Gittens.

The creation of Jubilate started with a search for music that would be fit for a King. I chose English composer Oliver Davis, and so the creative process began. I met Oliver at the Linbury where Kit Holder (Senior Soloist and Artistic Coordinator of BRB2) was premiering Stems for the 2019 International Draft Works. Oliver’s music was the most perfect match for Kit’s dynamic choreography and I immediately became an avid follower.

Oliver composed Jubilate especially for the coronation of King Charles III. Oliver had stated that this music ‘evokes Handel’s Zadok the Priest’ which was composed for the coronation of King George II and has been used for coronations for hundreds of years. I wanted this piece to emote as much joy as Oliver’s music indicates, and the movements that I was inspired to create were driven by the grandeur that this music holds. I wanted to reference certain images of the coronation ceremony such as holding

the orb and sceptre, and the presence of movements in canon represents the continuation of this ceremony throughout the decades.

I am ever so grateful to my cast and colleagues at Birmingham Royal Ballet for collaborating with me on this project. I am also very thankful to Elmhurst Ballet School for allowing us to film Jubilate in their studio theatre. It was wonderful to be selected to choreograph this piece to celebrate this historic ceremony and I am hopeful for many more future choreographic opportunities.

53,000

Dancers who appeared in Jubilate:

Gabriel Anderson

Haoliang Feng

Reina Fuchigami

Miles Gilliver

Brandon Lawrence

Matilde Rodrigues

Amelia Thompson

Lucy Waine

Over 53,000 people came to see Swan Lake, that’s 12% more than our 2019 Beauty and the Beast tour at the same time of year.

BRB2

The launch of BRB2 heralds a new era for reaching new audiences and for developing the ballet stars of the future, by Diane Parkes.

Frieda Kaden and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg in Rhapsody pas de deux. © Johan Persson

Birmingham Royal Ballet is discovering, nurturing and developing the dance stars of the future, through a new programme and junior company –BRB2.

Supported by BRB donors, the scheme was launched in February with BRB First Soloist Kit Holder as Artistic Coordinator. Seeking out some of the best young ballet graduates from schools around the world to join the two-year performance scheme, it offers opportunities for those dancers to develop their skills, both as part of the main company, and with work specifically chosen for BRB2.

‘BRB2 has the perfect formula to develop dancers,’ says BRB director Carlos Acosta. ‘Normally when you bring in new dancers to a company it takes longer for them to develop before they can move up in rank and dance the major roles. With BRB2 they will be covering large-scale productions like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, but on top of that they have a repertory tailormade for them so they develop more rapidly. It is a scheme that attracts a lot of talent because they have the best of both worlds’.

That talent has been evident this Spring, with BRB2 touring their first show, Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection, to critical and popular acclaim at venues in London, Northampton, Peterborough, Nottingham and Wolverhampton.

In this first year, seven of the Company were current BRB dancers and a further five were founding members of BRB2.

This year, when the first group moves into their second year, another seven have joined, so that BRB2 has a rolling core of 12 dancers.

While some of those graduates may be offered positions with BRB, Carlos says the programme also aims to equip the dancers for top-class companies elsewhere.

‘We have had a lot of interest in the new company from all across the world, and have brought in some very talented young dancers. They may not all stay with BRB after the programme, but when they are going for auditions elsewhere, when they mention BRB, people will know what that means in terms of classical training and everything else. We are developing them not just for us, but for the world, so it’s also a way of contributing to other companies.’

And Carlos, who grew up in Havana and became one of the world’s best-loved ballet Principals, knows only too well how important those opportunities can be. ‘I was given chances as a young dancer, so this is us going out there to give other people opportunities that normally they wouldn’t have. We are grateful to all the supporters of BRB who are helping us to offer these opportunities for these highly skilled young dancers’.

The BRB2 performers have already worked in the studio with renowned choreographer William Tuckett, and former Royal Ballet principals Lesley Collier and Zenaida Yanowsky. ‘These BRB2 dancers do virtually everything that the main company does,’ explains Kit. ‘They are in training with the

“

I was given chances as a young dancer, so this is us going out there to give other people opportunities that normally they wouldn’t have. We are grateful to all the supporters of BRB who are helping us to offer these opportunities for these highly skilled young dancers.”

Carlos Acosta

Including our Junior Company BRB2, Birmingham Rayal Ballet made 105 stage performances during the 2022-23 season. Birmingham Royal Ballet

company, and then twice a week we give them their own class so we can focus on some of the technical aspects of their specific repertoire. That’s a nice mix, because when they are in the main company in class they are seeing our top Principals doing amazing things and they can learn from them.’

Kit continues, ‘the other side to BRB2 is mentoring these dancers in other practicalities, such as touring away from their families, and in managing their workloads, because they are doing really high-intensity work. We have a fantastic healthcare department here, with the Jerwood Centre’s physiotherapists working on strength and conditioning, and massage therapy. We will be teaching these young dancers about looking after themselves and putting in place bespoke recovery strategies. All of this we can offer in a way that a lot of other dance companies can’t. We are well placed as an organisation to support those dancers holistically.’

The programme will impact the main BRB company and beyond, says Kit. ‘The technical and artistic excellence that we aspire to achieve and maintain is going to be propelled over time by these dancers feeding into the

COME AND SEE!

BRB2 – Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection 2024

brb.org.uk/WhatsOn

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Friday 10 May,7.30pm

Saturday 11 May, 2pm &7.30pm

Lighthouse Poole

Saturday 18 May, 2.30pm &7.45pm

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Saturday 25 May, 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Wednesday 29 May, 2.30pm & 7.30pm

New Theatre, Peterborough

Saturday 1 June, 2.30pm & 7pm

Company. They will go on to have really top-level careers and, over time, that reputation will build, and BRB will be recognised as a breeding ground for the world’s best professional dancers’.

Diane Parkes is a Birmingham-based arts journalist and dance critic

For information about how you can support BRB2, please contact Georgia Davenport, Senior Individual Giving Manager (contact details on p.39).

Welcome to BRB2’s newest members!

Nasrullah Abdur-Rahman

Boston Ballet School

Ariana Allen

The Royal Ballet School

Alisa Garkavenko

Princess Grace Academy

Thomas Hazelby

The Royal Ballet School

Rosa Lidia Nuesi

Acosta Danza

Alexandra Manuel

The Royal Ballet School

Alfie Shacklock

The Royal Ballet School

With thanks to all the generous support for BRB2 received from:

David and Mary Laing

The Kirby Laing Foundation

The Linbury Trust

REVIEWS OF BRB2

We are grateful to dance critics and journalists for writing about us and bringing our work to the attention of the wider public.

“This is an enjoyably impressive showcase, and proof that Acosta is serious about investing in young talent.”

“The confidence of the young dancers and their versatility in style and presence was a joy to see, as was the professional standard of the partnering.”

Seeing Dance

“For a new company of dancers, BRB2 has a lot to be proud of. This is an ambitious programme which stretches the performers in a really strong launch. The team have ensured a first tour which sets the bar very high.”

Birmingham What’s On

Guardian

Daily Telegraph

Dying Swans: Jack Easton and Regan Hutsell. © Johan Persson

Royal Ballet

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

Caroline Miller, CEO, gives details of an exciting performance of Juliano Nunes’s Interlinked at New York’s Fall for Dance this autumn.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the great ballet companies of the world. To ensure this is recognised, it’s vital that we are seen internationally, alongside other major ballet companies. BRB can also play a role in positioning the UK as outward facing, open to international partnerships, a vibrant centre of creativity. Lastly, we want to champion the City of Birmingham and act as ambassadors for the West Midlands.

We will do all of this when we return to New York this October, for the first time in over 20 years, as part of the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. Now in its 20th year, Fall for Dance showcases an international array of dance artists and companies with the aim of building new audiences, with tickets priced at just $20. BRB will perform Interlinked by Brazilian choreographer Juliano Nunes, with a specially composed score by Australian composer Luke Howard, in a triple bill alongside two other dance companies. Interlinked is one of our most successful recent commissions, and it reflects how BRB is pushing the boundaries of classical dance and bringing together creative teams of international artists. Interlinked was commissioned for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, making it extra special in that it is unique to BRB.

In anticipation of this, we brought a small group of BRB dancers to perform in June this year at a reception celebrating the 10th anniversary of the British Consulate’s participation in New York City Pride. BRB Artist Regan Hutsell and BRB2 dancer Jack Easton performed Carlos Acosta’s Dying Swans to great acclaim at the British Consul’s residence. BRB Principal dancers TzuChao Chou and Brandon Lawrence attended the party as ambassadors for the Company, with 80 leaders from across New York business, politics and culture. Tzu-Chao and Brandon later joined the British Government’s float in the New York Pride march, and they were interviewed for the Brits in the Big Apple podcast, an opportunity to promote our Fall for Dance performances.

As part of its tour to the USA, BRB will also be performing alongside The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, in Orlando, Florida.

BRB’s New York tour is supported generously by Alan and Caroline Howard.

COME AND SEE!

BRB performs Interlinked at New York City Center, 5 & 6 October www.nyCityCenter.org

If you want to see BRB in New York, tickets for Fall for Dance went on sale on 10 September. They do sell fast, but the BRB Development team can assist.

The Stinmetz Hall, Dr Phillips Center, Orlando Florida

Tuesday 3 October

DrPhillipsCenter.org

Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet in Interlinked. © Tristram Kenton.

Royal Ballet

SPOTLIGHT ON...

John Beadle, Orchestra Director, in conversation with Christopher Morley

Birmingham Royal Ballet is renowned not only for the quality of its productions and dancers, but also for the expertise of its orchestra. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is one of the hardestworking ensembles in the country, also playing for companies outside of its Birmingham home.

Overseeing all its activities is John Beadle, long a stabilising influence in the Birmingham Royal Ballet family, expercussionist in the orchestra, and its respected Orchestra Director. He tells me about his duties in that role, but not before we discuss his own background as a professional player, and how it all began.

‘At age 14 my parents took me to the Royal Festival Hall to see a concert by the New Philharmonia of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. I was so excited to see the percussionists playing at the very back of the orchestra raised up on the highest level. That was what triggered my feelings, and less than ten years later I was on that same platform playing the same piece with Simon Rattle conducting – another former timpanist and percussionist!’

I ask John about the differences between playing for a ‘straight’ symphonic concert, and a ballet performance. ‘For the player, the technique is the same, but for a “straight” concert you would normally work in a very concentrated rehearsal period, and then know exactly what was required by the time the concert day arrived. With ballet it’s similar, although with fewer rehearsals sometimes, and many more performances. Often the tempos must change for the dancers, and you have

to be very alert that this could happen at any moment, so you are firmly focussed on the conductor much of the time. Our conductors are extremely knowledgeable about the exact requirements of a particular dancer and can judge very successfully what to do if something unexpected happens on stage. Conducting for ballet still has a relatively low-profile status in courses around the world, with the emphasis remaining firmly on either symphonic or opera conducting.’

John continues, ‘looking to the future, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet have jointly developed The Constant Lambert Fellowship, a two-year programme that has been running very successfully since 2018. The Fellow (selected by competitive audition) is immersed fully in the speciality and spends 50% of the year with each company. They observe all aspects of a classical ballet company in rehearsal and performance, acting as cover conductor, in addition to having opportunities during the second year to conduct some full-scale performances in Birmingham. The Fellow are mentored by Music Director Koen Kessels at the Royal Opera House, and Principal Conductor Paul Murphy in Birmingham’.

John and I share memories of BRB’s performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with Nijinsky’s original choreography, celebrating its centenary in 2013. ‘A fantastic experience, and to get such a huge orchestra into a pit in itself was an achievement. When you perform this on the concert platform, you might get a couple of performances, but to have several in one week is amazing for the players and conductor’.

John now describes the functions of BRB’s Orchestra Director, ‘I am responsible for all matters musical, being the go-to person for anyone needing musical advice. Apart from supporting the orchestra and conductors at rehearsals and performances, my duties include budgeting, which is a huge job in these days of standstill funding and high inflation. In the Senior Leadership Team I work very closely with all the departments of the Company. Another big part of my job is to secure work for the orchestra away from BRB. This brings in much-needed income and keeps the orchestra busy. During the pandemic this work completely dropped off, but now we are returning to better days, with performances with The Royal Ballet and The Australian Ballet, and five performances at the Royal Opera House in July for Carlos Acosta at 50. Over the next two years, I expect to see more visiting companies from overseas requiring our services.’

John recalls some of his greatest experiences as a player, ‘the craziest was once being flown to Tokyo for the day by the RPO, to play the triangle in Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe. It was an afternoon performance, and I wasn’t there long enough even to use a hotel room!’.

A final note: ‘although I enjoyed my playing career, I felt I needed to be more involved in the day-to -day running of the Company, hence my move into management, with never a single regret!’.

Introducing Yi Wei, BRB’s new Constant Lambert Conducting Fellow

Named after the Founding Music Director of The Royal Ballet and BRB, The Constant Lambert Fellowship, generously supported by Paul Ridout, provides a tailormade programme for conducting for ballet, working between The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.

“We are delighted to welcome Yi Wei as our third Constant Lambert Fellow, following on from Thomas Jung and Charlotte Politi. Both Thomas and Charlotte now have very successful careers, in and out of the orchestra pit, and each will return to conduct for BRB in the forthcoming season. The concept of the Constant Lambert Fellowship sprang out of the success of the BBC Performing Arts Fellowship where Jonathan Lo worked closely with BRB for one year before becoming Music Director of Northern Ballet and now, The Australian Ballet. Yi Wei is a hugely talented young conductor and I feel sure that his tenure will also be a great success.”

Paul Murphy, BRB Principal Conductor

With thanks for all the generous support for the Constant Lambert Fellowship received from:

Amar-Franses and Foster-Jenkins Trust

City of Birmingham Orchestral Endowment Fund

The Garrick Charitable Trust

Carlos Acosta in Apollo © ROH 2023. Photographed by Tristram Kenton. Birmingham Royal Ballet

A FAMILY AFFAIR

BRB is on a mission to understand better the communities it serves. Here’s an overview of that work, by Executive Projects Producer, Jim Fletcher.

Throughout 2023 we have begun our three-year programme to help fulfil Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy, building on the wider community engagement work we had already started in 2022. Let’s Create challenges Birmingham Royal Ballet to expand the work we do across our communities (in Birmingham, throughout the West Midlands, and in the localities that we tour to), and to develop those community relationships over the next three years and well into the future.

Of course, we already have a thriving relationship across our communities at home and on tour through the sterling work of our talented and busy LEAP (Learning, Education, Access, Participation) team (see p.31) and the many programmes it offers.

So, what’s been happening in this latest portfolio of initiatives within the Birmingham and West Midlands community, and indeed beyond?

To give you a snapshot, here are just a few of the things we’ve done:

l Within the Afro-Caribbean community, in 2022 and 2023, BRB was represented in front of an audience of 400+ at annual Windrush dinners at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. This work continued on 22 June 2023, when Principal Dancer Céline Gittens performed The Dying Swan at the Windrush Gala at a packed Birmingham REP. The event marked 75 years since the arrival in the UK of the ship the HMT Empire Windrush with the first group of West Indians who answered the call to help the ‘mother country’ rebuild after World War II. BRB is also represented in the Birmingham Windrush Working Group, one of whose aims is to have a Windrush statue erected at Grand Central Station.

l To create a link into the communities that in modern times are most affected by HIV and AIDS, we created a moving and reflective service – for all faiths and none – at our beautiful local parish church, St Martin in the Bullring, for World AIDS Day, 1 December 2022. The service, attended by more than 200 people, included Principals Brandon Lawrence and Céline

Birmingham Royal Ballet has always had a keen awareness of the rich diversity of the people and groups that make up the community it serves, primarily in Birmingham and the West Midlands of course, but not forgetting the many towns and cities the Company tours to throughout the UK each year. Reaching new people, introducing many of them to the transformative power of dance for the very first time, has been a cornerstone of BRB’s core values since the Company arrived in Birmingham in 1990.

But even before that, as Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet (as the Company was

Gittens performing the grand pas deux from The Nutcracker. Focusing largely on the devastation that HIV/ AIDS is currently causing, especially in parts of Africa and how it affects children there, the interactive service took place immediately prior to the unveiling of the HIV Memorial statue opposite Birmingham Hippodrome in the heart of the Gay Village.

l We have made links with the local Chinese community through the organisation Southside District (‘the cultural heart of Birmingham’). We visited Chinese businesses one by one with a letter, written in Chinese inviting members of the community to BRB performances.

l For the past two years we have taken part in the Birmingham Pride parade, performed on the main stage at Pride, and proudly displayed rainbow flags outside our building, in support of the LGBTQI+ community, our neighbours in Southside.

l We launched and expanded our Equality Diversity and Inclusion group, providing BRB board and staff with a forum at which to discuss and understand better the positive actions we can take to become more inclusive, relevant and welcoming.

l We have marked some significant calendar events and festivals with social media posts such as Christmas, Diwali, Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah, as well as others such as Mental Health Week.

l This Summer the annual Ackstine Lecture at Birmingham’s only Progressive Synagogue was given by Jim Fletcher, looking at the development of ballet in the UK, and how the Jewish community was involved.

l Just around the corner is a campaign to engage the wider Pakistani, Afghan and Farsi communities, for example, centred on a new BRB production entitled Mãh (Persian for ‘Moon’), which is inspired by Malala Yousafzai, and responds to universal themes such as gender equality and a child’s right to education.

And the work continues as we find new ways of reaching into the community and listening to people who have previously expressed little interest in dance, or even know very little about BRB and our work.

previously known), the principle of engaging with people who are new to ballet was already well embedded in the Company’s DNA.

The philosophy that dance is well placed to engage everyone is informed by the belief that the urge to dance is a primordial force that resides deep within each of us. Isn’t it the case that our first responses are to the rhythm of the maternal heartbeat inside the womb? In some ways, we are all dancers!

The huge success of the Company’s community work is well documented though our award-winning LEAP

department and its programmes such as Dance Track, Freefall Dance Company, LEAP Ambassadors, Repertoire Training; plus myriad projects in schools and colleges, and in a wide variety of community settings. These have already given many thousands of people of all ages positive, life-enhancing experience of dance and of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Find out more about LEAP at brb.org.uk/get-involved

This work by BRB is supported by a strategy advised by Janina Mundy, Arts Marketing Specialist.

Birmingham Royal Ballet

FREEFALL DANCE COMPANY

BRB’s Georgia Davenport in conversation with Lee Fisher, the company’s founder, as this extraordinary troupe comes of age.

Last year in part one of this article, Lee Fisher described how Freefall came about, how significant it is for BRB, for the families and communities of those who take part, where donor support really makes a difference, and lastly, what activities were planned for its 21st year. Here in part two, now that year 21 is well under way, Lee tells us about his own background and a little more about the future of Freefall, built on that very strong past.

What’s your Dance background?

After I saw Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, I persuaded my parents to take me to my sister’s dance lessons. The physicality of dance helped my sport, but then my interest in dance took over, and at age 10 I went off to the Arts Educational School, followed by RBS at White Lodge.

I joined the Sadlers Wells company in 1988, experiencing a Golden Age. Desmond Kelly was still dancing, Marion Tait was in her heyday, and this busy, creative, active touring

Top: Freefall Dance Company. © Imogen Harvey; Left: Lee Fisher. © Greg Milner.

company felt like a big family. Later, working alongside Sir David Bintley for 25 years, creating roles for him, was amazing. Now it’s stimulating to see the direction and vision that Carlos is bringing. I retired from the stage in 2005.

How did you start working in education?

Director of Education in 2005, Anne Gallagher, had a strong vision that as our work in Birmingham expanded, the outreach and education work should be delivered by dancers. At the same time the University of Birmingham’s Masters in Applied Dance in Education in the Community was opened to Company dancers. I became Soloist and Dancer in Education. I appreciated the immediacy of it, and you could make such a powerful impact. I looked at dance and disability, and increasingly I found myself in special school environments, enjoying the unusual aesthetics.

What was it about Fox Hollies School that planted the seed for Freefall?

Fox Hollies is a special school with a very strong performing arts ethos. When delivering workshops I was blown away by the gorgeous movement that was coming back. Freefall evolved there, out of projects such as Café Atlantic, based on ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café. The guys deserved a platform of their own –they had something incredibly special to offer. I also wondered what ballet training could look like for this group of dancers. Provision was limited, especially after school-leaving age. Could we create the right platform to share their talents and creativity?

Why has it lasted so long?

The output is worth watching, so people come back, and I think Freefall gives the dancers a space, a sense of collective belonging, and a sense of individual identity as dancers. It does create unique opportunities – not least due to BRB’s commitment to inclusion,

and the families’ commitment to bringing their young people, come rain or shine. The families recognise what it brings to their young dancers and to their communities, and also that it challenges stereotypical views in the wider community.

What has been its influence in special schools and the disability community?

We want to maximise the extent to which Freefallers are role models, within their peer group and within their communities. Freefallers go into special schools, and that provides professional development for the teachers.

What has its influence been in the dance community?

Through the years we’ve done a number of dance teacher practitioner development sessions, empowering other practitioners to work within ballet, and with people with disabilities, making ballet accessible to as many different people as possible.

We’ve also built a body of work over the 21 years – a range of repertoire pieces, a whole eclectic mix of music, and different ideas led by the Freefallers’ creativity.

I’m also really proud of the films we’ve made, right back to 2012. We were thinking that film could be a great way to showcase Freefall to wider audiences. The film sponsored by Mencap that we made in 2012 as part of our We Dance Festival, far exceeded 1 million views – and we followed that with several other films that found their way to international film festivals.

And we have had a long-term relationship with the University of Birmingham, working with their trainee P.E. teachers in their final year of development. P.E. teachers within the national curriculum are expected to teach dance and our approach was to teach them skills, but also to provoke thinking around teaching dancing in the most inclusive way possible.

“When delivering workshops, I was blown away by the gorgeous movement that was coming back. Freefall evolved there… The guys deserved a platform of their own – they had something incredibly special to offer.”

Along the way we’ve grabbed the opportunity to perform, from the Bullring, to Birmingham Airport, to Belfast, in surprising places where Freefall can surprise audiences.

For the next 21 years, what do you think its legacy will be?

Firstly there are the individuals who gain a strong sense of identity as a performing artist, as a dancer. Then there’s the inspiration that is provided along the way – people coming back to Freefall talk about it as being influential on them as a dance practitioner. Then there are the repertoire and films that have been created. But broadly and simply, there’s the impact that it’s had ‘in the moment’ on many, many people, through performances or workshops or films.

What is next for the Company?

I want to continue our work in screen dance – dance for the camera – and perhaps engage some big name choreographers.

I would like to build a formal talent pipeline that will feed into the company, as well as providing appropriate exit routes for dancers at retirement age. We’d structure the training and performance opportunities at primary, secondary

and further education, and feed this into a Freefall main company for dancers with a learning disability, making high-quality entertaining dance theatre productions.

How will Freefall celebrate 21 years later this year?

There will be an exhibition in Birmingham Hippodrome of our archive of images, programmes and films. We have commissioned a film to pull together some of the footage.

And we’re doing a workshop tour of three special schools and two community settings in Birmingham. Freefallers will go into these venues in teaching pairs, working with groups to create a piece based on ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café, coming back, full circle, to the first BRB education project the founder members were involved with. The whole process will be tracked by a documentary film maker.

We’ve also commissioned research into the broader impact that Freefall has had. We believe this will strengthen the case for support of dance and theatre for people with a learning disability. All activities will culminate in a festival in the Patrick Studio at Birmingham Hippodrome in the week commencing 13 November. We’re really excited to celebrate what’s gone before and to set out our exciting ambitions for the future.

With thanks for all the generous support for Freefall Dance Company received from:

Eveson Trust

The Blakebank Trust

The Linbury Trust

The Loppylugs and Barbara Morrison Charitable Trust

William A Cadbury Charitable Trust

Hortons’ Estate Ltd.

And all other supporters of Freefall.

Thank you to all supporters who support the various elements of our LEAP work.

“It’s astonishing to look back and consider everything that Freefall Dance Company has achieved over the past 21 years. I am very proud that Birmingham Royal Ballet gives Freefall dancers so many golden opportunities to perform and express their talent and creativity. I’m very much looking forward to Freefall’s 21st anniversary celebrations, taking place in the Patrick Studio at Birmingham Hippodrome in November. I hope to see some of you there and here’s to Freefall’s next 21 years!”

Carlos Acosta Director, BRB

“Freefall is inspirational and such a find for our daughter who absolutely loves it!”

Corine Freefall parent

“I love it ❤ I feel really proud and can’t wait to work with my last school ☺ ”

Eleanor Freefall member

“It’s what Mondays are all about!”

Jo Freefall parent

“It’s my life x”

Joe Freefall member

“On behalf of Hortons’ Estate Ltd, we express our steadfast support for the Freefall Dance Company, an integral part of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. For 21 years, Freefall has effectively highlighted the immeasurable potential of adults with severe learning difficulties.

Experiencing the Freefallers perform, it becomes immediately evident that they are not just dancers but inspirational pillars of our community. They embody resilience and serve as beacons of hope, proving that with dedication, everyone can rise above challenges and become heroes in their own right.

Their innovative approaches, such as the introduction of VR dance experiences and their academic partnerships, underscore their commitment to progress and inclusivity. Hortons’ Estate Ltd is honoured to be affiliated with such a transformative organisation.”

Henry Horton, Non-Executive Director Hortons Social Purpose Committee Chair, Hortons’ Estate Limited

“Freefall has been essential to help Chris’s autism and he so loves to perform and of course teach!!!

Jenny Freefall parent

“Tara has a passion for Freefall and it is something that she can own and be part of.”

Ray Freefall parent

“Nicky and Shaun have a passion for Freefall. They look forward to coming, doing any extra work and going to workshops in Fox Hollies. It’s a big part of their life.”

Joy Freefall parent

“From a very early age Chris had an ambition to be ‘on stage’ and Freefall has enabled him to fulfil that dream!”

Wendy Freefall parent

As a big thank you for our continued loyalty and contribution towards carbon off-setting, Advantage Utilities has planted ten trees in Haiti in the Company’s name. This will sequester an estimated 3 tonnes of CO2 – that’s equivalent to 7,329 miles in a standard car.

Members of Freefall Dance Company. © Paul Telfer

“I‘m very proud to be in Freefall, it makes me happy. I love performing.”

Chris B Freefall member

“It’s always here (pointing to chest) – it’s always in my life.”

Tom Freefall member

“To me, Freefall is a like a best friend. It’s basically a place where you’re allowed to be yourself without being judged.”

Samantha Alumna Freefall member and trainee dance artist

“Freefall performances are always one of the highlights of my year: they burst with joy, creativity and expression. The care, craft and dedication shown over the years from Lee and the team is matched only by that of the company members; and it’s wonderful to watch some of them now taking their next steps into independent dance careers and pathways.”

Chris Sudworth Creative Director, Birmingham Hippodrome

“I feel so inspired after watching the dancers.”

Student, Hazel Oak School

“The power of dance never ceases to amaze me. It dignifies our students with the opportunity to display their creative talents and demonstrate their abilities to cognitively embed long sequences of dance – skills which lie beyond many neurotypical learners.”

Teresa Fadden Deputy Headteacher, Fox Hollies School

“Well, what is there to say? It was absolutely fantastic! Seeing our young people interact with the ‘Freefallers’ was great! I think it was the connectivity and potential of those interactions that was, (for me anyway) really powerful. Thank you.”

Mel Keating Assistant Headteacher, Uffculme School

“The Freefall day was an amazing opportunity to work with others who love dance. The day offered an insightful and unique experience of a company that are creative and undoubtedly infectious.”

Lauren Newman University of Birmingham PGCE Dip Ed student

“Dancing alongside and performing with Freefall was one of the highlights of my professional career. The honesty in their movement, performance and artistry is incredibly inspiring. I am a huge fan of them all and Lee Fisher who leads them magnificently.”

Iain Mackay Former BRB Principal

“Freefall have given me great pleasure over the years, their dedication and professionalism week in, week out never fails to amaze me. A wonderful group of creative artists.”

Yvette Knight BRB First Soloist and Freefall Dance Leader

Having watched Freefall develop over the years I can see the progression in their technique, dramatic ability, professionalism and confidence. They are a credit to themselves, their families and all the Freefall staff, and are great role models for other young people. I would encourage everyone to see and experience a Freefall performance.”

Pearl Chesterman Director of LEAP, BRB

BEYOND THE BARRE

BRB’s Paul James offers a snapshot of the work of our incredible LEAP (Learning Education Access and Participation) team.

It was a big day at Birmingham Royal Ballet. The tension in Studio 3 was palpable; there was a buzz of excited voices, even a few tears. Earlier that day, a certain Carlos Acosta had been meeting the press on his first day as the Company’s new Director, but he too was anxious to get back to Studio 3 on time, because today was the day the 2020-21 generation Dance Trackers were getting their first set of ballet shoes!

For over 30 years, Birmingham Royal Ballet has been exciting and challenging audiences with its brilliant ballet on stage, but beyond the barre, it has been changing lives through dance for just as long, thanks to the unique work of its LEAP (Learning, Engagement, Access and Participation) team.

LEAP’s ability to reach out and inspire people with little or no knowledge of ballet or to support young dancers with the very first steps of their dance careers, is already embedded in BRB’s Mission: ‘To reach out and move people with great ballet and music… and to release the creative potential in people of all ages and backgrounds’.

Further, its ambition is written into the Company’s National Portfolio Organisation plan for the next three years. As an Arts Council England NPO, BRB is committed not only to produce and tour world-class ballet, but to further strengthen our work in opening up creative and career opportunities within Birmingham’s world-class cultural sector for everyone, irrespective of age, background or ability.

2,359

This year 2359 children were auditioned for Dance Track, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s talent identification scheme.

Top: Rory Mackay leading a Dance Track workshop. © Paul Telfer.

Ballet

LEAP’s work currently embraces four major areas.

FREEFALL DANCE COMPANY

The story of this amazing company for dancers with learning disabilities is explored in detail elsewhere in this magazine.

DANCE TRACK

Our talent identification programme for Year 1 students has reached over 3,200 children and young people across the city. Dance Track was founded in 1997 by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s former Head of Education, Jane Hackett, as part of the Company’s initiative to introduce ballet as an accessible art form. It aimed to open its doors to children from the city’s diverse communities, with a particular focus on students from the city’s least well-served areas. The impact of Dance Track has been well documented, not least during 2021’s Dance Track 25 celebrations, where both the Royal and Elmhurst Ballet Schools identified how the programme was positively driving diversity in their year-7 student intakes.

PARTICIPATION

Through creative performance projects for school-aged children, learning is central to our work with the next generation of both dancers and ballet fans. The new Ballet Unwrapped initiative brings hands-on learning based on the latest pedagogy principles, to support primary teachers to deliver the dance curriculum using a BRB ballet classic like The Nutcracker.

Probably the most wide-ranging area of work, A&P includes running the very popular Touch Tours and Audio Described performances for the visually impaired, to Repertoire Training classes where BRB dancers teach repertoire from BRB’s productions to ballet grade students alongside our touring programme.

ACCESS

Access in all its forms is about breaking down barriers and this is where partnerships are key. Working with

universities (most recently leading university postgraduate students and lecturers on a crash course to dance their own version of Carmina burana, and working with visual arts students from Birmingham City and De Montfort Universities to create installations based on Romeo and Juliet across the city) has been a traditional access point for younger people. In 2022, we expanded this effort to work directly with key community groups, to help young people who have perhaps never experienced live theatre, let alone ballet, to come and see our shows.

Top: Dance Repertoire class. © Lachlan Monaghan; above: Ambassadors © Hannah MacGregor.

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Henry McNab, Digital Marketing Executive

I create content as part of the Digital team and assist with other digital aspects, such as web stories and emails. Beyond the core elements of my role, I have had the distinct pleasure of leading on BRB’s involvement in Birmingham Pride and, as a result of this work, have since helped set up BRB’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion group which is a great honour and a matter very close and personal to me.

What’s the best aspect of your job?

reaching out, be it through the LEAP team, digitally or other avenues. BRB is truly cementing its reputation as Birmingham’s ballet company, and I’m very proud to be even a small part of that.

Who would play the role of you in the film Henry McNab and why?

When did you join BRB?

I joined in June 2022 – and how time has flown! Before joining BRB I had limited experience of the Company, mainly having heard about BRB’s incredible performances from my partner and friends. But of course, I’d seen BRB’s spectacular performances of The Nutcracker.

Despite this, the role was a golden opportunity, and it was a great match for me, having been brought up being on, or around stage in various forms… I have absolutely no rhythm though, so, I’ll leave the dancing to the professionals!

Tell us about working life here

I started out as a Digital Marketing Apprentice with Creative Alliance. In that time I gained more knowledge than I thought possible about Digital Marketing and I have formed an unequivocal appreciation for the world of ballet, and the people who make it happen.

Day-to-day, I’m the person on the other end of BRB’s social media channels, answering questions, replying to comments and messages. Additionally,

I have been heartened by the warm welcome I received at BRB, and I have been presented with so many opportunities for growth, learning and advancing my career: from creating content for some of the world’s most renowned ballets, to having the honour of working for one of the three founding Royal Ballet companies. In summary, I most enjoy the fact that every day in the role presents an opportunity to learn, grow and challenge myself.

Was there anything about BRB that surprised you?

I was pleasantly surprised by the plucky spirit of the Company and by its involvement in the local community, from events like World AIDS Day to our involvement in the 75th Anniversary of Windrush. The Company is constantly

262,182

This is a difficult question, because I can think of nothing worse than having to re-live life’s awkward moments on a big screen! But, if I had to choose, it would have to be either Jim Parsons or Neil Patrick Harris. Jim Parsons is an obvious choice as I grew up watching The Big Bang Theory. You could definitely draw some similarities between myself and Jim Parsons’s character of Sheldon in the show –so, I think that Parsons would play a convincing Henry. Alternatively, Neil Patrick Harris would probably be able to play a slightly romanticised version of me – which might make me cringe less! Plus, if I age as well as him then I’ll be thrilled!

We are reaching over 262,000 accounts over core social media platforms. This includes 68,478 followers on Instagram (an increase of 12,800 on last year), 151,386 Facebook followers, and 59,883 video views on TikTok.

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Elaine Garlick, Head of Costume, in conversation with Georgia Davenport.

How long have you been at BRB?

Nine years – possibly ten! I came from the Royal Opera House. I supervised new productions there, including some BRB productions such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. At BRB, all of the responsibility for costumes came in-house and we started to produce at base – with lots of freelance costume makers. Now with control over time and money, the whole Costume Team gets involved in the production from the beginning.

What is it like to work in a ballet company Costume department?

Well, ballet is a very specific art form. You need to have particular knowledge and skills – a tutu maker, a dyer, a printer, an embroiderer – from headdresses to jewellery and everything in between, knowing every weight and the specific material required. For every tutu there is a specific recipe!

How do you develop costumes for new productions?

Designers discuss their design with costume makers. Then you look at techniques involved, for example, does it need to be waterproof? You talk through the choreography, as one of the first things that needs to be considered is the footwear – is there pointe work, does it need heels? You have to prototype – you wouldn’t make 30 snowflakes unless you’ve got one right! Lots of prototypes for Black Sabbath will never make it onto the stage, but you’ve got to start somewhere. What you hope for may not work, for example if something doesn’t allow for a quick change, so you adapt as you go along. Normally on a new piece, the second

time you run it you have a list of things that people weren’t happy with – it was uncomfortable, or didn’t look right when danced in, or the colour looks odd when it’s lit.

Do you ever tell choreographers and designers ‘no’?

No – anything is possible with time and money! The key thing really is that there is a deadline. BRB’s costume making is not an industrial process –there’s no mass production, they’re all made to requirement. Costumes are not designed for specific dancers, but the design is part of the ballet’s concept. In ballet it’s about the steps and music, not about the individual. For Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty there are three changes – Act One is pink, and there is silver and gold at the end, and the Awakening and Vision scenes, so there are three different costumes needed for one role. There are five different ladies performing Aurora, so if we made a costume for each dancer that would be 20 costumes, so some sharing of costumes is needed. But some things we would consider, for example, if the design included a cloak, you would do one for shorter dancers and one for taller dancers. The cast changes for the second performance on a matinee to evening day, but there aren’t two complete sets of costumes for all roles.

How do you manage the costumes for productions in the rep?

For productions like The Sleeping Beauty, costumes are kept in storage –this production hasn’t been done for perhaps seven years. We’ll bring out the original costumes, which are 40 years old. These have been added to over the years, as bodies have changed – for example, the men have become taller. Even so, some of the costumes won’t physically fit, so will need to be remade. We also deal with deterioration and decay of the costumes. Productions in the rep are also hired out, so the costumes can’t always be regularly checked. The problem with not refreshing the costumes, is that they’re being patched and patched. The costume team focuses on repairing damage from the night before, plus cleaning and pressing, to get it ready for the next performance. The costumes are a key part of the story-telling, and ensuring they are fit for purpose and are looking brilliant is essential to delivering a brilliant show.

What have your favourite ballets been to work on?

I have no favourites, I enjoy working with different design teams and creating something from an idea, getting inside someone’s head. Occasionally a designer is explicit with what they want, but more often it’s a collaboration. You start to pattern up and offer fabrics, then the costume maker comes in and says, ‘if you want it to do that, we could do this’, and then things start to evolve. There haven’t been any disasters, but of course there have been crises along the way.

We do everything we can to make the costumes spectacular, then you get onto stage, deal with technicalities, add lighting, then orchestra… It becomes complete. It’s wonderful.

brb.org.uk/WhatsOn

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 8 – 10 February 2024

Birmingham Hippodrome 21 February – 2 March 2024

The Lowry, Salford 7 – 9 March 2024

Sunderland Empire 14 – 16 March 2024

Theatre Royal Plymouth 20 – 23 March 2024

Bristol Hippodrome 18 – 20 April 2024

Top. Elaine fitting a Sleeping Beauty tutu. © Lachlan Monaghan. Above: Delia Matthews as Aurora. © Bill Cooper. Costume design by Philip Prowse. Birmingham Royal Ballet35

THE BIG GIVE 2023

Sir Peter Wright’s beautiful production of The Sleeping Beauty is a jewel in the crown of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s repertoire and has been enjoyed by millions of people since it was first created 40 years ago. It is also – for a great many people – a first experience of the magic of classical ballet.

However, age and wear and tear over the years means that many of the production’s costumes are in now in great need of repair.

Our 2023 Christmas Big Give campaign will give you the opportunity of supporting the return of these costumes to their colourful glory. The campaign will open on 13 November 2023, and we invite you to join us in supporting this timeless classic so its magic can continue to inspire, dazzle and delight audiences well into the future.

We hope you’ll be able to support this year’s Big Give. More information about how you can take part will be available in October. Keep an eye on your inbox!

WELCOME,CONGRATULATIONS AND FAREWELL

From autumn 2022 to now, we wish a warm welcome to:

Nasrullah Abdur-Rahman BRB2 | Artist

Thomas Ainsley Stage Technician

Ariana Allen BRB2 | Artist

Helen Barrett Individual Giving Officer

Patrycia Crawford-Jones Wig Maker

Georgia Davenport Individual Giving Manager

Emma Davidson Interim Development Director

Katie Eldridge LEAP Apprentice

Melissa Evans Senior Marketing Executive

Alisa Garkavenko BRB2 | Artist

Yasiel Hodelin Bello Soloist

Thomas Hazelby BRB2 | Artist

Isabelle Homer Costume Technician/Maker

Ava May Llewellyn Artist

Alexandra Manuel BRB2 | Artist

Matthew Needham Deputy Company Manager

Rosa Lidia Nuesi BRB2 | Artist

Judith Patrickson Interim Finance Director

Christopher Rodriguez Director of Finance and Resources

Daniella Rodriguez Interim Trusts and Foundations Manager

Alfie Shacklock BRB2 | Artist

Joana Valentinaviciute Co-Leader, Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Sophie Walters Apprentice

Naori Takahashi Principal Second Violin, Royal Ballet

Sinfonia

Helen Taylor Personal Assistant to the CEO

Yu Wei Constant Lambert Conducting Fellow

Anna Wolstenholme Principal Flute, Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Promotions and changes of role:

Max Maslen from First Soloist to Principal

Lachlan Monaghan from First Soloist to Principal

Gabriel Anderson from Artist to First Artist

Rosanna Ely from Artist to First Artist

Sofia Liñares from Artist to First Artist

Lucy Waine from Artist to First Artist

Olivia Chang Clarke from Apprentice to Artist

Jim Fletcher from freelance Special Projects Producer to Executive Projects Producer

Patricia Tierney from Benesh Choreologist | Video Archivist to Répétiteur | Benesh Choreologist

We bid a fond farewell to:

Jocelyn Adlington Systems and Management Accountant

Alexandra Burman Artist

Ella Cockerton Individual Giving Officer

Laura Day Assistant Répétiteur & Principal Character Artist

Matthew Drury Company Pianist

Matt Freeman Development Director

Joanne Gibbons Project Accountant

Katie Green Costume Technician

Brandon Lawrence Principal

Samantha Liquorish Assistant Stage Manager

Hope McGoldrick Company Events Manager

Madison Penney BRB2 | Artist

Carmen Piqueras Répétiteur

Charlotte Politi Constant Lambert Conducting Fellow

Rachel Snead Deputy Stage Manager

Alys Shee First Artist

Jennifer Suggitt Interim Development Director

Luke Kell Assistant Company Manager

Yijing Zhang Soloist

We wish Anna Williams every possible future happiness and success with grateful thanks for her more than 30 years of dedicated service to BRB.

In Memoriam

We said goodbye to many colleagues, friends and family members in the course of the past year. We take this moment to remember and honour them.

THANK YOU

Principal Supporters

Aud Jebsen

Lord Glendonbrook and Mr Martin Ritchie

Alan and Caroline Howard

David and Mary Laing

Oak Foundation Special Interest Programme

The Royal Opera House Benevolent Fund

Dancers’ Circle – Artist

Jenny Batelen and Rob Brett

Roger and Felicity Burman

Amanda Carter

Rachel Cavet

Brenda and Michael Chadwick

Dr Jim Clews

Guy and Judy Crofts

Irving and Olya David

Robyn Durie

Ian and Alison Fisher

Susan and Frederick Furniss

Tessa Gillespie

Professor Caroline Gordon

P.S. and C.A. Gravestock

Major Supporters

Ballet at Athelhampton

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Peggy Czyzak-Dannenbaum

Jayne Cadbury and Nigel Goodman

Charles Glanville and James Hogan

Mr and Mrs Natsis

Sir Michael and Joan Perry

Wendy and Gordon Hardy

Jill and Malcolm Harris

Tom Hotchkiss

Dr Sandra Kendall

Tessa and Charles King-Farlow

Shirley Leaver

Hilary Macaulay

Shaaron and Andrew Morgan

Katie Newbon

Linda Nicholls

Sir David and Lady Win Normington

Rosie Parker RAD RTS

Keith Perry

Amanda and Emily Pillinger

Chris Relph

Ross Roberts

Carole Sallnow

Barbara Scott

Miles Scott and Lucille Roughley

Margaret Shand

Carla and Dilys Skinner

Mark and Amanda Smith

Dancers’ Circle – Principal

Julia and Anthony Glossop

Richard and Sue Johnston

Tony Newcombe

Su and Richard Simkin

Dancers’ Circle – Soloist

Jill and Andrew Chapman

CMP Wealth Management

Richard and Jennie Cunis

Roy and Maureen Kirby

Chantelle Mackay

Marian Mulady

Sally Rowe

Gillian Shaw

Michael and Sandra Squires

John Weston

Nick Makin and Brenda Sumner

Ron and Jackie Treverton-Jones

Helen Webb

Gold Friends

Jane Arthur

Dr Anthony Cook and Miss Susan Elias

Jess Dunnicliff

Mrs Eileen Goodwin

Carolyn Harford

Penny Kirkwood

Ian Kirkwood

Richard Lewis

Anne Maguire

Geraldine Meehan

Helen Miles

Lyn Procter

Glen Sanderson

David Spencer

Jane Wildgoose and our many individual supporters who prefer to remain anonymous.

Trusts and Foundations

The Alan Woodfield Charitable Trust

The Albert And Elizabeth Clark Charitable Trust

The Alison Hillman Charitable Trust

Amar-Franses and Foster-Jenkins Trust

The Arts Society Birmingham

The Aspinwall Educational Trust

Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust

Baron Davenport’s Charity

Bayfield Charitable Trust

The Bernard Piggott Charitable Trust

BHSF Medical Charity and Welfare Trust

Birmingham Common Good Trust

The Blakebank Trust

The Boshier-Hinton Foundation

The Brian Shaw Memorial Trust

The Calleva Foundation

The Cecil King Memorial Foundation

The Charles Brotherton Trust

The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust

The Chatwin Trust

City of Birmingham Orchestral Endowment Fund

CL and JS Cadbury Trust

Clare King Charitable Trust

The Clore Duffield Foundation

The John S Cohen Foundation

The David and Helen Lowe Charitable Trust

David Solomons Charitable Trust

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

DramaLink Theatre Company

Dumbreck Charity

The DWF Charitable Foundation

The Edgar E. Lawley Foundation

The Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust

The Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust

Ensix Charitable Trust

Eric W Vincent Trust Fund

Eveson Charitable Trust

The Garrick Charitable Trust

The Geoff Hill Charitable Trust

George Fentham Birmingham Charity

The George Henry Collins Charity

GJW Turner Trust

The Grantham Yorke Trust

The Grey Court Trust

The Grimmitt Trust

The H Steven & P E Wood Charitable Trust

The Hawthorne Charitable Trust

The Helen Rachael Mackaness Charitable Trust

Henry James Sayer Charity

Howard Victor Skan Charitable Trust

The Idlewild Trust

IMI Critical Engineering Charitable Appeals Committee

The James Frederick & Ethel Anne Measures

Charity

The John Avins Trust

John Feeney Charitable Trust

The John Sumner Trust

The John Thaw Foundation

The Keith Coombs Trust

Langdale Trust

Limoges Charitable Trust

London Ballet Circle

The Loppylugs and Barbara Morrison Charitable Trust

The Lord Austin Trust

M K Rose Charitable Trust

The Marchus Trust

The Marsh Charitable Trust

The Michael Marsh Charitable Trust

The Misses C M Pearson & M V Williams Charitable Trust

The Noel Coward Foundation

The Norton Foundation

The Oakley Charitable Trust

The Owen Family Trust

The Patricia Routledge Foundation

The Peter and Teresa Harris Charitable Trust

Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire

Quayle Charitable Trust

Richard Cadbury Charitable Trust

Richard Kilcuppe’s Charity

The Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust

Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners Charitable Foundation Limited

The Roughley Charitable Trust

RPS Drummond Fund

The RTR Foundation/Baily Thomas Charitable Fund

The S and D Lloyd Charity

Sabina Sutherland Charitable Trust

The Saintbury Trust

Scops Arts Trust

Souter Charitable Trust

St Jude’s Trust

St Thomas’ Dole Charity

Stanley Picker Trust

The Sterry Family Foundation

The Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust

The Thistle Trust

Thriplow Charitable Trust

The Uncle Bill Trust

The Vandervell Foundation

W E Dunn Charitable Trust

William A Cadbury Charitable Trust

The Wilmcote Charitrust

and those trusts and foundations that prefer to remain anonymous.

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Emma Davidson

Interim Director of Development

Email: EmmaDavidson@brb.org.uk

Rhianna Swancott (Maternity Leave)

Senior Trusts & Foundations Manager

Georgia Davenport

Senior Individual Giving Manager

Email: GeorgiaDavenport@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07842 013 897

Emma Thompson

Corporate Partnerships Manager

Email: EmmaThompson@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07719 021 193

Corporate Supporters

Corporate Members

Daniella Rodriguez

Interim Trusts & Foundations Manager

Email: DaniellaRodriguez@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07842 013 895

Helen Barrett

Individual Giving Officer

Email: HelenBarrett@brb.org.uk

Phone: 07966 007 694

PERFORMANCE DIARY 2023–24

Black Sabbath – The Ballet

Carlos Acosta is turning up the volume on Birmingham’s musical legacy.

Birmingham Hippodrome

23 – 30 September

Theatre Royal Plymouth

12 – 14 October

Sadler’s Wells, London

18 – 21 October

The Nutcracker

Join Clara on her Christmas Eve adventure to an enchanting winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, a magical Christmas tree and the Sugar Plum Fairy. After its £1m refurbishment, something only possible with your support, this incredible ballet has never looked more vibrant.

Birmingham Hippodrome

17 November – 9 December

The Sleeping Beauty

BRB’s treasured production of the world’s best-loved ballet. The greatest of all romantic ballets returns in ‘one of the world’s finest productions’ (The Observer).

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

8 – 10 February

Birmingham Hippodrome

21 February – 2 March

The Lowry, Salford

7 – 9 March

Sunderland Empire

14 – 16 March

Theatre Royal Plymouth

20 – 23 March

Bristol Hippodrome

18 – 20 April

BRB2: Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection

A brilliant gala celebration of classical ballet. From sensational, heart-stopping moments to comic masterpieces, there’s instantly recognisable music and dance that will bring the house down.

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

10 & 11 May

Lighthouse, Poole

18 May

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

25 May

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

29 May

New Theatre, Peterborough

1 June

Please check our website for full details and onsale dates: brb.org.uk/whats-on

Sir Peter Wright’s

The Sleeping Beauty

Mayflower, Southampton 8 – 10 February

Birmingham Hippodrome 21 February – 2 March

The Lowry, Salford 7 – 9 March

Sunderland Empire 14 – 16 March

Theatre Royal Plymouth 20 – 23 March

Bristol Hippodrome 18 – 20 April

brb.org.uk/WhatsOn

Director Carlos Acosta