Luna
A world premiere inspired by Birmingham’s great women
La Fille mal gardée
An insight into Ashton’s classic production
In conversation with our communities and much more inside...
Patron
His Majesty King Charles III
President
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
Dear Friends, Supporters & Partners
Welcome to the BRB Magazine. I always love this time of year when we can look back together at the last season and look forward with excitement to what’s to come.
I’d like to begin by giving thanks to His Majesty King Charles III for his steadfast support of Birmingham Royal Ballet over the years, now becoming our Patron, a role previously held by Queen Elizabeth II. Lady Sarah Chatto graciously takes the role of President, having previously been our Vice President.
This in itself is exciting news, but all the more so in an award-winning season. Recently, I collected a National Dance Award for Black Sabbath – The Ballet. It was an honour to accept this prestigious award – it recognises all of us at Birmingham Royal Ballet, including our wonderful Royal Ballet Sinfonia and the Black Sabbath creative team, but it also recognises the great city of Birmingham.
Speaking of the Sinfonia, I’d like to say a fond au revoir to Koen Kessels, who leaves us as Music Director, and welcome to the role Paul Murphy, who has served more than 30 years with the Company, primarily as Principal Conductor.
In the season in which we made our debut at the Glastonbury Festival, our international reach has been much in evidence. The Company has toured to Orlando, New York, Luxembourg,
Rotterdam, Hamburg and Reykjavik, and my production of BRB’s Don Quixote has been performed by the National Ballet of Canada. I look forward to other such opportunities in 2025, including Black Sabbath – The Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC next June, not forgetting our long-awaited return to Japan in July with Sir David Bintley’s Cinderella and Sir Peter Wright’s The Sleeping Beauty. Watch this space for further exciting announcements.
Our commitment to excellence extends to BRB2, as our second company continues to reach parts of the UK that don’t otherwise have access to world-class ballet! It is now in its second year and I am thrilled to let you know that each one of the first cohort of BRB2’s talented young dancers has been offered a contract with the main Company, thus supporting the development of young dancers.
Finally, the creative team for Luna has been hard at work, and I am very happy at the way this third part of my Birmingham Trilogy is developing. See page 10 for further insights.
I look forward to welcoming you to the world premiere season of Luna at Birmingham Hippodrome from 3 to 5 October.
Best wishes
Carlos Acosta cbe,
Director
Caroline Miller, CEO, reflects on our hugely successful 2023-24 season.
It is incredible to look back at the last issue of this magazine and realise how much BRB has achieved in the past year. Our mission is ‘ballet everywhere’ – to reach out and move people with great ballet and music – and we’ve certainly been doing just that.
Black Sabbath – The Ballet was a bold new work for BRB and it has been a huge success. It sold the highest number of tickets per show for any of our productions and brought new audiences to BRB – an extraordinary 64% of ticket bookers at Birmingham Hippodrome were new to us. It also surprised and delighted many of our classical ballet fans, receiving fivestar reviews, and saw us adding extra
performances at all venues to meet demand.
We have since received additional funding from Arts Council England to support our European and USA tours of Black Sabbath – The Ballet in 2025. This has seen us tour to Rotterdam, Luxembourg and Hamburg this summer with standing ovations in all venues. International touring is so important to us, reinforcing BRB’s reputation as a world-class ballet company on a global stage. It brings new partnerships with promoters, venues and audiences, and presents a platform for our dancers to showcase their performance skills. But there have been challenges.
Birmingham City Council announced cuts to its entire arts portfolio, and this will have a devastating impact on the arts ecology of Birmingham. We will lose our annual support of £157,000 from April 2025 – this had already been heavily reduced from £1 million per year over the last decade. With overheads always increasing, this does present significant financial challenges to us. However, we remain committed to finding innovative creative solutions. We partnered with Birmingham Museums Trust this summer with a BRB residency at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, including many free activities. This showcased the incredible talents of our dancers and choreographers, our learning and education, and costume and wigs teams. It was important for us to declare our support publicly for our colleagues at Birmingham Museum as the art gallery of this cultural jewel of Birmingham reopens.
Classical ballet remains ever popular, with the spring tour of Sir Peter Wright’s The Sleeping Beauty being enjoyed by over 50,000 people. We also continue to innovate to increase our reach and impact as a publicly funded charity. Our second company, BRB2, returned with Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection this spring – this was seen by over 7,000 people, and received four and five star reviews. We’ve also taken ballet to unexpected places and spaces to reach new audiences for dance, many for the first time – from the breathtaking backdrop of Bristol Cathedral, to the urban vibe of Hockley Social Club, the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, as well as digitally through our Virtual Stage programme.
We have recently undertaken a Social Impact study, which has revealed some incredible outcomes and statistics about the impact of our work – some of which you will see throughout this magazine. This will help us tell our story better, demonstrating our contribution to the cultural sector and to society.
The report has helped us understand the impact of our community, engagement and participation projects. These range from celebrating 21 magnificent years of Freefall Dance Company in the autumn of 2023, with an expanded outreach programme into Special Educational Needs schools and a series of performances, to our new ‘listening projects’ which have seen us welcome diverse communities to BRB, opening our doors behind the scenes, and listening to how we can meet the needs of a broader range of communities better.
I’m thrilled that our work continues to be recognised by our peers and the dance industry, with several awards in recent months, including the Bob Lockyer Digital Dance Award for our digital innovation, and three National Dance Award nominations. Carlos and I have also been recognised in the top 100 Dance and Opera leaders in The Stage
So, thank you all – to our Supporters, partners and advocates. You are critical to our success, and for this we are truly grateful. I look forward to seeing you at a performance this autumn.
Caroline Miller obe, CEO
“We’ve also taken ballet to unexpected places and spaces to reach new audiences for dance, many for the first time.”
BRB is committed to introducing new audiences to ballet. On average in 2022/23, 52% of BRB ticket bookers at Birmingham Hippodrome hadn’t booked for our shows before. For Black Sabbath – The Ballet this rose to an astonishing 64%.
HHHH
“An ingenious, affectionate show roared home by the sold-out crowd”
Black Sabbath – The Ballet The Telegraph
“A headbanging triumph”
Black Sabbath – The Ballet The Times
We are grateful to dance critics and journalists for writing about us and bringing our work to the attention of the wider public.
“It continues to delight, continues to send you away with a smile on the face and warmth in the heart. ”
The Nutcracker Seeing Dance HHHHH
“A production not to be missed”
The Sleeping Beauty The Bristol Post
“This is an enjoyably impressive showcase, and proof that Acosta is serious about investing in young talent”
BRB2: Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection The Guardian
“A magical, captivating evening”
Tchaikovsky Classics Express & Star
2023-24 has been an extraordinary year, with the Company reaching new audiences at home and overseas. Here are just a few highlights:
11,502,340
From top: Black Sabbath – The Ballet in Rotterdam. Céline Gittens in Iceland. Ava May Llewellyn at Bristol Cathedral. © @ha55ellhoff. Tom Rogers hosting a Swan Lake event at Hockley Social Club. Mathias Dingman and Momoko Hirata in Canada guesting in Carlos’s Don Quixote. Rosanna Ely leading a workshop during our BRB at the Museum residency. © Verity Millington.
In 2023, BRB reached an incredible 11,502,340 people generating some 311,542 direct conversations on our social media platforms.
Yasiel Hodélin Bello, Soloist
I was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in a family of five people. I started dancing ballet at the age of seven in the vocational workshops of the National Ballet School, and at the age of ten I began to study at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School. I had excellent preparation there, thanks to the teachers – Ana Julia Bermúdez, Elena Cangas and Martha Iris Fernández, among others.
In 2021 I joined the National Ballet of Cuba, directed by Viensay Valdéz, and in my first evaluation there I was made Soloist. I worked with great teachers such as Svetlana Ballester, Consuelo Domínguez, Linnet Gonzales and Viensay Valdéz herself.
In 2022 I was promoted to Principal Dancer and performed in Don Quixote,
Act II of Swan Lake, La Esmeralda and Three Preludes by Ben Stevenson, amongst other ballets and pas de deux.
Ricardo Castellano is a Spanish dancer who is a Principal Dancer with Norwegian Ballet. He and I met at the Ballet Festival in Cuba and he spoke to Carlos about me because he thought Carlos might be looking for dancers for BRB. Carlos contacted me, then we met and we reached an agreement.
I finally arrived in the great city of Birmingham to join BRB in October 2023. My first performance with BRB was in the Arabian Dance and Waltz of the Flowers in Sir Peter Wright’s beautiful production of The Nutcracker My first performance in a leading role was in Southampton as Prince Florimund in Sir Peter’s stunning
“My motto? Work hard, stay focussed, aim high, make the best of every day.”
Yasiel
version of The Sleeping Beauty, with Céline Gittens as Princess Aurora.
Later, again with Céline, I danced the pas de deux from Swan Lake, in Tchaikovsky Classics at Symphony Hall on 28 March, and then the pas de deux from The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on 29 May.
As we write this, I am on my way to Iceland, where I will be dancing in Carlos’s Classical Selection on Wednesday 26 June. Among the pieces I will be dancing is the Diana and Actaeon pas de deux with Yu Kurihara.
I am really enjoying getting to know Birmingham and I love being part of this Company and working with Carlos, Dominic and the ballet staff, and the whole BRB team.
My motto? ‘Work hard, stay focussed, aim high, make the best of every day’.
giving big!
We are so grateful to everyone who donated during our Big Give Christmas Challenge to support the refurbishment and repair of The Sleeping Beauty costumes. Over £61,000 was raised (including Gift Aid) to help our talented costume team restore, refurbish and repair many key costumes in order to bring this production back to its original splendour.
Twenty one new tutus were created for the show, which included specialist fittings with our dancers. New costumes were made for Princess Aurora and Red Riding Hood and new headdresses were made for Bluebird, the Wolf, the White Cat and the Enchanted Princess. Extensive re-
beading and repairs were undertaken to the Carabosse and Lilac Fairy costumes, and 23 headdresses and seven masks were re-made or repaired. Generous donors also supported the costs of new tights and footwear for the tour. Over 50,000 people enjoyed the tour featuring these costumes this year across seven cities – so, thank you for playing your part.
Thank you for your generosity during our online campaign, and thank you to those who have pledged and to our champion funders –Charles Glanville, The Howard Victor Skan Charitable Trust and The Reed Foundation.
A warm welcome to all of the following who joined the Company in the past year:
Ariana Allen BRB2 Artist
Emma Crooks Music Assistant
Claire Dersley Head of Orchestra Operations
Paul Fisher-Bazan Stage Technician
Alisa Garkavenko BRB2 Artist
Anna Hainsworth Producer
Thomas Hazelby BRB2 Artist
Yasiel Hodélin Bello Soloist
Phoebe Jones LEAP Assistant
Yen Lee Pianist
Laëtitia Lo Sardo Répétiteur
Rachael Magson Director of Development
Alexandra Manuel BRB2 Artist
Paul Reeve Jackson Interim Director of LEAP
Helen Taylor Executive Assistant
Marcus Trombley Lighting Technician
Joana Valentinaviciute First Violin (Co-Leader)
Sophie Walker Digital Marketing Executive
Hannah Walker Costume Technician
Sophie Walters Apprentice (Dancer)
Robert Ward Digital Content Apprentice
Amelia Weston-Cooke Assistant Stage Manager
Anna Wolstenholme Principal Flute
A fond farewell to those who left the Company in the past year:
Nasrullah Abdur-Rahman BRB2 Artist
Thomas Ainsley Stage Technician
John Beadle Orchestra Director
Alexandra Belfort Costume Technician
Amy Elizabeth Castledine Costume Technician
Emily Danby Deputy Stage Manager
Emma Davidson Interim Director of Development
Katherine Field Participation Co-Ordinator
Shermain Goucol Touring Costume Manager
Anna Graham Production Costume Cutter & Maker
Rachel Hester BRB Dance Track Artist
Henry McNab Digital Marketing Executive
Marcella Meehan Events Manager
César Morales Principal
Matthew Needham Deputy Company Manager
Leah Norton Costume and Workroom Technician
Michael O’Hare Senior Ballet Master
Eric Pinto Cata Artist
Bethany Pirie Touring Costume Technician
Emma Price Artist
Abigail Reeve Producer
Alfie Shacklock BRB2 Artist
Tyrone Singleton Principal (leaves September 2024)
Lennert Steegen Artist
Jennifer Suggit Interim Director of Development
Naori Takahashi Principal Second Violin
Alan Taylor Double Bass
Emma Thompson Corporate Partnerships Manager
Hannah Walker Costume Technician
Anna Williams Chief Operating Officer
Ross Williams Company Pianist
Changes of role from the beginning of the new season:
Kit Holder moves full-time into the role of Artistic Co-ordinator to BRB2 and also extends this to cover the main Company.
Paul Murphy from Principal Conductor to Music Director
Yvette Knight from First Soloist to Principal Character Artist
A hearty hello to the following who will join us in August:
Oliver Barrow Assistant Company Manager
Leah Bradbury Costume Workroom and Technician Swing (starts September)
Charlotte Cohen BRB2 Artist
Noah Cosgriff BRB2 Artist
Isabelle Homer Costume Technician/Maker (starts October)
Marlo Kempsey-Fagg Apprentice (Dancer)
Ellyne Knol BRB2 Artist
Ixan Llorca Ferrer BRB2 Artist (starts September)
Leah Norton Touring Costume Technician (starts September)
Yvette Regeuiro Répétiteur
Andrea Riolo BRB2 Artist
Becky Thorton Assistant Company Manager
Katie Watkins Assistant Stage Manager
A round of applause for the following dancers who gain promotion:
Enrique Bejarano Vidal Artist to Soloist
Jack Easton BRB2 to BRB Artist
Reina Fuchigami First Artist to Soloist
Riku Ito Soloist to First Soloist
Frieda Kaden BRB2 to BRB Artist
Maïlène Katoch BRB2 to BRB Artist
Oscar Kempsey-Fagg BRB2 to BRB Artist
Mason King BRB2 to BRB Artist
Sofia Liñares First Artist to Soloist
Beatrice Parma First Soloist to Principal
Eilis Small Artist to First Artist
Sophie Walters Apprentice to BRB2 Artist
We give thanks to the following who leave the BRB Board:
Jeanetta Laurence
Ian Squires
We welcome the following new member of the BRB Board:
Sir Luke Rittner
A fond farewell to Koen Kessels who leaves us from the post of Music Director and many congratulations to Paul Murphy, Principal Conductor, who succeeds Koen.
Chairman Sir David Normington says:
‘We have been lucky to have had one of the world’s great ballet conductors as the guiding hand of our live music. Koen has ensured that the quality of our musical output is up with the best on offer and that the Royal Ballet Sinfonia remains one of the leading ballet orchestras in the world. He has rightly never let us forget that live music is one of the defining and distinctive features of BRB’.
Following his retirement as Director of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (with more than five decades of dedicated service) John Beadle was awarded the coveted Royal Ballet Governors Gold Medal to recognise his outstanding contribution to the Royal Ballet companies and to the development of orchestral playing in ballet. The surprise ceremony took place at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in April.
memoriam
Sadly, we report the death of Colin Sangster who gave 16 years of muchvalued service as a Dance Artist with our LEAP team. We also note with sadness the passing of two staunch Supporters: David Laing and Maurice Varney. They will all be greatly missed.
Soloist Karla Doorbar and First Artist Haoliang Feng married in December 2023. Congratulations to them on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Lina Joy Feng, in April 2024.
Our Senior Trusts & Foundations Manager, Rhianna Swancott, welcomed baby Caspar to her family nine months ago. We look forward to welcoming Rhianna back into our Development team in October following her maternity leave.
BRB Artist, Lynsey Sutherland brought baby Lowen Mills into the world on 5 October 2023. Here he is pictured with his Mum and Dad. We look forward to welcoming Lynsey back next season.
Our sunny receptionist, Karen, married her first love, John, on 8 June 2024. They first met at secondary school, then went their separate ways for many years. Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Savage!
At the time of writing, Assistant Director Dominic Antonucci (a keen amateur boxer) is in training for a three-round exhibition match at Birmingham’s Eastside Boxing gym, with former world champion Sam ‘The Savage’ Eggington. The match was arranged as a 50th birthday gift for Dom by longtime BRB supporter and TV presenter Gary Newbon mbe
We permanently employ 184 people and a further 20 people on casual contracts. In addition, we work with over 100 freelancers.
Ahead of its world premiere in October, Ruth Millington discusses Luna, the third part of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy.
“The story of the city’s women has long been overlooked but, thanks to BRB, is now taking centre stage.”
By the light of the full moon, between 1765 and 1813, the Lunar Society would meet monthly at Handsworth’s Soho House. Its members included Birmingham’s great industrialists and inventors: Matthew Boulton, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood and John Baskerville. But, behind these men, who were their wives, sisters, daughters and housekeepers? The story of the city’s women has long been overlooked but, thanks to BRB, it is now taking centre stage.
This autumn, Luna will premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome before travelling to Sadler’s Wells. A two-act, abstract ballet in six movements, it forms the final part of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy, following on from City of a Thousand Trades and Black Sabbath – The Ballet, which take audiences inside the workshop of the world, where tradesmen thrived and beats were born.
But Luna presents Birmingham in softer and more thoughtful terms. Devised by an all-female, international creative team, this radical new production leaves the city’s founding forefathers firmly in the wings. Instead, inspiration has been drawn from its pioneering and socially enterprising women, many of whom have been written into history by Louise Palfreyman, author of Once Upon a Time in Birmingham: Women Who Dared to Dream.
Replacing views of the city’s manmade, high-rise skyline with a silver
moon, Luna starts with the cycles of life on earth. In her Terra movement, choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma grounds her dancers – it references women’s strong connections to the natural world, with allusions to hundreds of ancient glacial boulders mysteriously sited in Birmingham’s parks. Dating back to the Ice Age, these giant rocks are reflected in the performers’ earthy-toned, patterned costumes, as designed by Imaan Ashraf.
Kuindersma’s opening scene also connects women with children who will perform as part of a new community cast, singing together much like the collective voice of a Greek chorus. Luna emphasises women’s roles as mothers and care-givers, who historically have assumed responsibility for their families, undertaking unpaid labour in the home.
After all, where would the Lunar men have been without their wives? Joseph Priestley, for instance, relied heavily on Mary to manage his household and look after their daughter, whilst he concentrated on his scientific research; yet, she was a highly intelligent, wellread companion, too. Although typically they were not able to access a full education during the late 18th-century, women were embedded in the Lunar men’s circle and were not without influence or agency. Watt’s second wife Ann Priestley shared her husband’s interests in chemistry, while essential to the success of Boulton and Watt was their banker Charlotte Matthews, who not only received money on their behalf,
but also analysed the markets and advised them on business.
Behind closed doors, Baskerville’s housekeeper Mrs Eaves was doing more than just dusting. She became his partner in printing, making meaningful contributions to one of the world’s most famous typefaces, which has taken his name, not hers.
One better-known name is Caroline Herschel – joining the Lunar men’s wider circle, she was the first professional female astronomer, and first woman to discover a comet. Luna, then, imagines such women looking to the stars and making their own way in the world. BRB’s Artistic team wanted to envision ‘what a female Lunar Society would have done’ and, as Acosta says, ‘create a ballet for the heroines we’ve had in the community of Birmingham’.
Through her Learning to Dream Big movement, Seeta Patel presents education as a great force for good. She has imagined a future for young girls who dream big, like Malala did, against a backdrop of animations drawn by local school children.
In the next movement, and under the spell of Thais Suárez, ordinary women become extraordinary. Taking flight through the image of a phoenix, her dancers explode into space, crossing symbolic thresholds on journeys into independence, leaving memories of their fathers behind for their own futures in the skies.
In the female partnering work of Arielle Smith, meanwhile, women can be seen relying on other women – this has always been the case in Birmingham. Skilled craftswoman May Morris, who has been overshadowed by her more famous father, lectured at Birmingham School of Art before founding the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907 as a means of protecting the rights of women jewellers, illustrators and designers who were forging creative careers in the city and beyond.
BRB has recruited 30 young people, aged 8-11 to perform as a children’s chorus in Luna.
Singing is a wonderful activity for wellbeing and for bringing people together. When we sing together, feelgood hormones are released, stress is reduced, all areas of the brain are stimulated and we breathe deeply. We feel connected to each other. We aim to help children discover the joy of singing together, how through
playful singing they can develop vocal skills, musicianship, teamwork and music ensemble skills and, more importantly, make friends and discover a hobby for life.
Rebecca Ledgard Director of Education, Ex Cathedra’s Education & Participation Programme
Drawn from across the city following a workshop audition process, the children have participated in sessions with BRB’s award-winning LEAP team (Learning, Education, Access and Participation), developing their movement practice and, with the brilliant team at Ex Cathedra, developing their singing and vocal skills.
Workshops have focussed on preparing the children for the production. They are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to perform on Birmingham Hippodrome’s stage amongst the professionals. The recruitment process was not about finding ‘the best’ singers and dancers, but about representing the future of the city through its children, as reflected through their presence and their voices.
Their future hopes for the world they will inherit are described in the libretto of Kate Whitley’s score for Luna
Caroline Davis Producer, Luna
“I am the sea, I have something to say I say I don’t want oil in my hair
Let me breathe coloured coral
Let me see my friend the
sky.”
Sabrina Mahfouz
Nor does Luna shy away from sharing the darker sides to the protagonists’ stories. Iratxe Ansa explores the ways in which women have endured mistreatment and overcome adversity. She has taken inspiration from largescale drawings by Birmingham’s Barbara Walker, who uncovers the unsung muses of art history, subverting traditional masterpieces to bring Black figures to the forefront, making metaphors through shadow and light.
Likewise, the stage has become a canvas for Lighting designer Emma Jones and Video designer Hayley Egan, who cast projections of the moon, passing through its different phases, as the production becomes ever more celestial in its final act.
This evocative storytelling device is enhanced by Kate Whitley’s specially composed score of symphonic sounds, with the voice of a female soprano soaring above that of the baritone, joined by a children’s choir.
Reinvigorating the two-act ballet, Luna weaves together women’s stories, based on a patchwork of influences and inspirations, and merging traditional elements with contemporary dance. Uniting its five distinct choreographic voices, in an act of alchemy, is Birmingham-based producer, Caroline Davis, who says, ‘I hope that women from the city can see some of their own lives, hopes, dreams, challenges and strengths reflected on the stage’.
Acosta adds that, ‘Since this is an abstract and complex ballet, it will hold up a mirror for the audience to form their own interpretations and meanings. We want Birmingham’s community to come and watch this new creation, which speaks about them’.
At the same time, this finale in his trilogy shares another story of the city where BRB is based: ‘We’re raising awareness about how important this city has been’.
While the Lunar Society’s male members ignited the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham’s women have played an equally significant role in its history. Rather than performing traditional roles – as love interests – Luna’s female performers stage the more artistic parts of their lives. Illuminated at last, the city’s heroines are crackling with their own energy and electricity, ideas and imaginations, as they unite with great power by the light of the moon.
Ruth Millington is a Birmingham-based art historian and author, specialising in researching and writing about great artists. In her book Muse, Ruth uncovered the reallife women depicted in some of the world’s best known portraits. ruthmillington.co.uk
Paul James, Chief Commercial Officer
Whose Mission Statement is this?
‘It is our mission to continue to authoritatively provide access to diverse services to stay relevant in tomorrow’s world.’
It was in fact created by the Mission Statement Generator, an online tool that combines nouns, verbs, and adjectives into prototypical mission statements and, in so doing, shows off brilliantly the very worst in meaningless ‘corporate-speak’.
(If you want to see a really clunky, obfuscating Mission Statement, Disney’s has to be among the worst.)1
In my time here at BRB, several people have expressed to me their scepticism about the place of ‘corporate’ practice in the arts. My response has always been that there should be no place for wasteful practice anywhere.
However, the idea that a clear, short, memorable phrase that helps everyone involved with an organisation understand something more about it than a general ‘We make great widgets’ has to be helpful. This is especially true when those working at all levels of the company come together to establish that ambition, rather than it being dreamed up by some cloistered ‘select committee’.
BRB’s Mission, which is ‘To reach out and move people with great ballet and music’ was established in just that way when Carlos became Director, with himself, BRB’s CEO Caroline Miller, dancers, musicians, business staff and
technicians all working together to reset our own ambition. It was Carlos however, who pushed us to get even more pithy, and to develop what is often known as a ‘driving principle’. It was that debate, which drew on BRB’s historic legacy as a touring company, which developed our rallying cry of ‘Ballet Everywhere’.
This is important, because these ideas (reaching out, moving people, taking ballet everywhere) lie at the heart of what BRB aspires to be today. We believe that everyone should
128,929
“We are all striving to reach out and move people with great ballet and music.”
During the 2023/24 season, nearly 130,000 tickets were sold for performances in UK theatres. With our international performances added then the total audiences were around 150,000.
have access to high-quality cultural experiences, and that ballet as an art form should, in itself, be no barrier to telling stories that reflect today’s society, as well as bringing joy, beauty and inspiration with stories from the past in a way that only ballet can.
More specifically, our goal is to continue to demonstrate that BRB is a welcoming, open organisation, one that finds ways to connect with our various communities, and that raises awareness of opportunities that are open to everyone and that invests time to listen and respond to their needs. The last of these is significant, because who are we to assume what any specific community or group wants from BRB? We can only really discover this by listening actively to them.
BRB’s new Community Engagement strategy is based on two principles, the first being to expand our connections with our strongest community partnerships developed over the last 30 years, and the second being to connect with particular communities who are yet to experience ballet or BRB’s other activities.
What makes BRB so special, particularly at home in Birmingham, is that it enjoys incredibly strong local support from almost every postcode in the city. Our success has always come from bringing new audiences to ballet2, but reaching these new audiences is becoming increasingly challenging. For instance, ‘bespoke’ feeds on social media don’t capture the attention in the way that local newspaper articles or radio interviews once did. Finding new ways to connect with local communities is essential for BRB’s future, as much as for the cultural life of the city.
In BRB’s current Arts Council England plan, we have identified our strongest community connections as being with schools, children and families, learning-disabled dancers, and partner theatres, alongside of course our supporters and audiences.
To understand better and respond to each of these community’s needs and interests, BRB began a two-stage listening programme this past winter. So far, we have talked to families with young children in Plymouth, Black Sabbath fans in Birmingham, hearingand sight-impaired communities in Salford, and new-to-ballet audiences in Peterborough.
There are many other communities that BRB is planning to work with next, including the Windrush community we have engaged so closely with for several years now, as well as faith groups, and our own neighbourhood LGBTQIA+ community.
Ballet isn’t just about Everywhere, it is about Everyone (Ballet for All, as Peter Brinson’s touring company put it). Whether it is through Dance Track, LEAP Ambassadors, Freefall, community partnerships, access programmes, or ticket offers and community group promotions, we are all striving to ‘reach out and move people with great ballet and music’.
1. Disney’s disappointing mission statement is ‘To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services, and consumer products’.
2. We know from marketing data that BRB has been successful in bringing new audiences to ballet. On average in 2002/23, 52% of BRB ticket bookers at Birmingham Hippodrome were new to us. For Black Sabbath – The Ballet that figure rose to 64%. Beyond the hard data, BRB wanted to understand the broader impact of its work, so with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation it commissioned a Social Impact survey, insights from which you will find highlighted throughout this magazine
Where you are based? London
A bit about you / your job I work in publishing as a Business Analyst.
Hobbies / interests
Ballet, books and good restaurants.
Your connection to BRB
I grew up in a ski resort in France, so there wasn’t a lot of ballet to be watched (or much culture of any kind…) but I went to see BRB’s The Nutcracker once when I was visiting my grandparents who live in Birmingham and I have been a massive fan ever since! BRB was a large part of why I chose to go to Uni in Birmingham!
Why did you become a Supporter of Birmingham Royal Ballet?
I became a Supporter because I absolutely love the Company and the performances and I wanted to see more! I wanted the chance to watch rehearsals and classes etc.
What has been your favourite moment with BRB?
I once attended a studio rehearsal being led by Sir Peter Wright with Alexander Campbell – that was pretty cool!
Which ballets would make up your dream season for BRB?
Romeo and Juliet for that gorgeous balcony pas de deux. I obviously haven’t seen it yet but every season needs new works and I am very excited for an allfemale creative team, so I am including Luna in my dream season. Unoriginal but I never get tired of The Nutcracker, as the music is fantastic and BRB’s production is the best around. A triple bill of Concerto, Two Pigeons and Elite Syncopations. Plus Hobson’s Choice because I haven’t seen it in ages!
Why is being a Supporter of BRB a rewarding experience?
I love being able to support an amazing ballet company that has been really important to me throughout my life. I enjoy that I get to be involved in the life of that ballet company by attending special events and hearing from the artistic staff and the dancers. And it is great to be able to invite friends along to drinks receptions and stage rehearsals in London, as it helps me in my plan to convince them to come to the ballet more often!
What would you say to someone who is thinking of supporting BRB? I’d definitely recommend becoming a supporter of BRB! It is so worthwhile to support such a world-class ballet company and really great to witness the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into each performance. Plus for me it has been 100% worth it just for the chance to meet Momoko Hirata at the Christmas party.
“BRB was a large part of why I chose to go to Uni in Birmingham!”
“Lise is an independent woman with a sense of humour, who initiates much of the action.”
‘Lise is to comic ballet what Giselle is to tragic ballet.’ With this observation the critic Eric Johns stressed that the heroine of Frederick Ashton’s ballet La Fille mal gardée was of no less importance than the heroine of the most widely known Romantic ballet. Many great ballerinas over the years have shown their wide range and excelled as both Lise and Giselle, and Ashton’s romantic comedy was justly described at the millennium by critic John Percival as ‘probably the most successful full-evening ballet of the whole 20th century’. It was an instant success at its premiere in 1960, a masterpiece of storytelling in dance that zips along without unnecessary padding.
Sunny and joyous are words often used to describe Fille, and they are equally apt for describing Lise. She is an enchanting character for ballerinas to recreate, requiring an unforced virtuoso technique, from a light, swift, musical dancer. The role involves the entire lexicon of classical ballet steps, from bold grands jetés to filigree fast footwork. The audience sees effortless fun while the ballerina experiences an exhausting, challenging role. Brenda Last, who danced Lise a record 101 times with The Royal Ballet’s touring company (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), recalled how she loved the role, technically as rich as any she danced. She admired the precision of the choreography that demanded you bend your torso one way while moving
“Probably the most successful full-evening ballet of the whole 20th century.”
John Percival
in another direction, one moment performing neat intricate steps, the next bold sweeping movements.
Lise is an independent woman with a sense of humour, who initiates much of the action. She may rebel against her mother’s sense of propriety, but she is clearly immensely fond of her. She is also a realist who understands marriage as is evident from her delicious mime scene dreaming of having three children.
In 1959 Frederick Ashton was encouraged to create a new version of La Fille mal gardée, one of the oldest ballets to survive in any form. The first version of the ballet, originally known as Le Ballet de la paille (The Ballet of Straw), had been created by Jean Dauberval at the Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux, 1 July 1789. Over the next two centuries it was recreated across Europe and it appears that it was in
London that it took the title La Fille mal gardée. Significantly, Fille was a ballet about recognisable ordinary people, not the gods and goddesses of earlier creations, nor ghostly spirits of the later Romantic era. If the characters reflected Dauberval’s contemporaries, and they now seem part of a distant rural arcadia, their behaviour is so true to nature that they become our contemporaries too.
When Ashton created his Fille he observed that he might have chosen to update the ballet. Lise could have been a young woman dreaming of being a film star, with Colas an American airman from a neighbouring camp, or a ‘beatnik young farmer’ distracting her ‘strumming his guitar over the fence’. But he knew that would neither have been to his taste, nor would it have given the ballet its popularity or longevity.
As he was being persuaded to create Fille, Ashton claims that he had been stimulated by reading Dorothy Wordsworth’s Journals and listening to Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony. He was delighted to have an excuse to celebrate an idealised rural Suffolk, having purchased Chandos Lodge in Eye, Suffolk, in 1956.
As his interest in the ballet grew, Ashton drew inspiration from a variety of sources. He spent a ‘long morning’ at the British Library, transcribing in French the libretto written by Dauberval, noting that ‘His characters are rounded and his action carries through to the end’. Dance historian Ivor Guest found various scores for Fille in the British Library, at Bordeaux, and at the Paris Opéra. The music for Ashton’s production is a patchwork of tunes arranged by John Lanchbery derived from the 1828 score concocted by Ferdinand Hérold, with tunes from
I’m so thrilled to be making my debut as Lise in La Fille mal gardée next season.
It’s a ballet that, growing up in Italy, I didn’t see much. But whilst studying ballet in London I was able to see it live a few times, and now since joining BRB, I’ve performed it in the corps de ballet with the Company. Lise has become one of the roles I dream of performing.
I’ve had the chance this season to take an Ashton masterclass from former BRB Principal, now Board member, Sandra Madgwick and I’m looking forward to tackling the full three acts.
I always enjoy the process of learning and working on Ashton’s choreography. When watching, it looks deceptively easy, and it’s only when you spend time getting the movement into your body that you can achieve that sense of freedom while being so in control.
“I’m going to have a lot of fun with this role.”
But above all, I’m excited to get into the story of Lise. Storytelling is my favourite part of learning a ballet. She is a strong-willed character with a cheeky side to her personality. The whole ballet is a romantic comedy, and I feel like you really have to commit to make it look as natural and believable as possible, without it looking forced. I really can’t wait to start rehearsing it. I’m looking forward to the shows, and am sure I’m going to have a lot of fun with this role!
Rossini, Donizetti and others added. It works in the style of pre-20th century ballets and as the original Lise, Nadia Nerina, recalled ‘If you listen to the music for Fille, Lise’s melodies are just like her: light, lyrical, warm, tender’.
Among the other influences on Ashton was his friendship with the former Imperial Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, who enthused about dancing Lise in the version she knew from her days at the Mariinsky, and pointed out that every dance furthers the narrative and adds depth to the characters. In Fille ‘There is not a dance in it that does not flow directly out of a natural situation’. She told Ashton about the captivating use of ribbons by Lise and Colas in the opening scene, and she admired how Ashton imparted ‘the flavour of bygone times into his individual version’ of this dance. She also taught him sections of the mime from the last act as she had performed it. Although Fille was not a ballet Ashton had ever seen on stage, he was aware that his idol Anna Pavlova had championed it, dancing as Lise both when setting out as an independent ballerina, and late in her career. But his unfamiliarity with productions enabled him to create a fresh work.
The production became a mixture of international material. From British theatrical traditions came the crossdressed Widow Simone with her ability to clog dance. Lise’s fast little steps at the start of the pas de deux were inspired by those presented by male Georgian dancers Ashton had watched at the Royal Albert Hall. The Bolshoi having given its first season at Covent Garden in 1956, Soviet ballet impacted the choreography with Lise’s grands jetés, and the one-handed lift at the end of the pas de deux. The use of ribbons by the corps de ballet was partly inspired by illustrations in 19th-century German ballet manuals, showing arrangements of dancers holding shawls and ribbons in a myriad of arrangements.
Cartoonist Osbert Lancaster was called on to design Fille, and he took inspiration from the brightly coloured French Épinal prints. When Nerina saw his designs for Lise’s costumes, she burst into tears. He had created stiff dresses ‘in brilliant reds and greens’ completely at odds with how she saw the character. Her Lise was feisty but gentle, more suited to wearing soft blues and pinks, which the designer accepted.
Ashton recognised that the South African ballerina Nadia Nerina with her strong technique was ideal for Lise and she danced both the premiere at Covent Garden and with the Touring Company in Bristol in 1962, but the second company quickly found its own delightful Lises. Among their number were Doreen Wells, Brenda Last, Lucette Aldous, Ann Jenner, Marion Tait, Margaret Barbieri, Galina Samsova, Sandra Madgwick and Miyako Yoshida. Happily this list continues to grow.
COME AND SEE! La Fille mal gardée
brb.org.uk/Fille
Birmingham Hippodrome 25 – 28 September
Theatre Royal Plymouth 10 – 12 October
Sadler’s Wells, London 25 & 26 October
Ashton Rediscovered Masterclass brb.org.uk/AshtonMasterclass
Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome
28 January 2025, 6 – 8pm On-sale date tbc
Ashton Classics brb.org.uk/AshtonClassics
Symphony Hall, Birmingham 15 February 2025, 7.30pm
A round up of some recent success stories – thanks to you, our Supporters!
We are pleased to announce the Oak Foundation has made an incredible five-year commitment to Birmingham Royal Ballet with a grant of £2.3m towards BRB2, our second company, and a series of new ballet works.
The first new work supported by this transformative grant is Luna, the third and final instalment of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy (Black Sabbath – The Ballet and City of a Thousand Trades). We are so grateful to the Foundation for its support.
Is your business looking for brilliant client entertaining, to meet your Corporate Social Responsibility commitments or give back to the local community? Then take a look at our new Corporate Membership and Events packages. With a range of benefits for your colleagues and clients, we look forward to exploring how we can work in partnership to deliver your business goals.
To find out more visit brb.org.uk/CorporateOpportunities
Thank you for responding to our annual Pointe Shoe Appeal! Over £13,500 was raised during The Sleeping Beauty tour. That’s 270 pairs of pointe shoes pirouetting their way to perfection in future performances by our incredible ballerinas. Thank you for keeping us on our toes!
We are delighted to have secured three years of support from the Idlewild Trust for our Constant Lambert Fellowship. This £21,000 grant will support the second year of our current fellow Yi Wei, and a further fellow for 2025-26 and 2026-27. The Fellowship supports an early career conductor to develop the unique set of skills needed to conduct an orchestra for ballet, benefitting BRB and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia during their time with us, and building a pool of talented conductors for the entire ballet sector.
We were delighted to accept a generous legacy from Mr John Weston of £10,000 earlier this year. John was a passionate lifelong ballet supporter who had made provision for BRB in his will. His long-time friend and executor joined us at the Opening Night of The Sleeping Beauty to present Chairman David Normington with this generous gift. These gifts are vital to BRB and ensuring the future of our incredible ballet company – thank you John.
Have you experienced our supporter talks yet?
Each Season we broadcast online talks which offer exclusive access behind the scenes. Tune in live to chat with Jonathan Payn and his guests, or catch up later by delving into our growing archive of online content in the Supporter Archive page of the website.
Most recently, Jonathan demonstrated how to apply stage make-up. We also visited the Shoe Room, where Jonathan was joined by Shoe Supervisor, and one of BRB’s longest-serving employees, Michael Clifford, alongside Artist Regan Hutsell for an exclusive insight into the important relationship between a dancer and their shoes!
In May we got to know our BRB2 dancers as they prepared to go on tour. Jonathan chatted to Jack Easton and Alisa Garkavenko about their burgeoning careers, and Kit Holder about the growing success of our second company.
Booking couldn’t be easier Friends and Dancers’ Circle Supporters can access all of our talks. Log into your BRB account and follow the link to the latest talk on the Supporter Events page. The day before the talk, our team will send you the Zoom link to join us. We look forward to welcoming you!
To book these exclusive events, please visit brb.org.uk/SupporterEvents or email events@brb.org.uk. Keep an eye out for more events as they are announced throughout the year!
In discussion with Carlos Acosta and Caroline Miller
Tue 3 September 2 – 4.30pm
Join us in person for our annual discussion with Director Carlos Acosta and CEO Caroline Miller. Find out more about the inner workings of BRB and ask the questions you have always wanted to ask!
Visit brb.org.uk/SupporterEvents to book and submit your questions in advance or email events@brb.org.uk.
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free); Gold and Silver Friends (free) and Bronze Friends (£10) .
Location: Studio 5, Birmingham Hippodrome.
Studio Rehearsals
La Fille mal gardée
Wed 4 September 5 – 6.30pm Thu 5 September 5 – 6.30pm sold out
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Exclusive Online Supporter Talk
La Fille mal gardée
Tue 10 September 4 – 5pm
Online: via Zoom
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Friends (free)
Studio Rehearsals
Luna
Wed 11 September 5 – 6.30pm sold out Thu 12 September 5 – 6.30pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Exclusive Online Supporter Talk
Luna
Thu 19 September 4 – 5pm
Online: via Zoom
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Friends (free)
Stage Rehearsal
La Fille mal gardée
Tue 24 September 7pm (tbc)
Open to: Free to all Dancers’ Circle and Friends with a performance ticket (or £15 without).
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Opening Night Reception
La Fille mal gardée
Wed 25 September from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Up Close and Technical
Luna
Tue 1 October from 6pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Stage Rehearsal
Luna
Wed 2 October 7pm (tbc)
Open to: Free to all Dancers’ Circle and Friends with a performance ticket (or £15 without).
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Opening Night Reception
Luna
Thu 3 October from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Studio Rehearsal
With Carlos Acosta
Tue 15 October 5 – 6.30pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Principal and Soloists only
Location: BRB Studios
Costume Undressed
Talk & Tour
Wed 16 October 10.30am – 12 noon
Open to: Gold and Silver Friends (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Opening Night Reception
Luna
Tue 22 October from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Opening Night Reception
La Fille mal gardée Fri 25 October from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Studio Rehearsal
The Nutcracker
Tue 12 November 5 – 6.30pm sold out
Wed 13 November 5 – 6.30pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Exclusive Online Supporter Talk
The Nutcracker
Thu 14 November 4 – 5pm
Online: via Zoom
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Friends (free)
Stage Rehearsal
The Nutcracker Fri 22 November 1pm (tbc)
Open to: Free to all Dancers’ Circle and Friends with a performance ticket (or £15).
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Opening Night Reception
The Nutcracker Fri 22 November from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Supporters’ Reception
The Nutcracker
Tue 26 November from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and invited guests (free)
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
Dancers’ Circle Christmas Party Thu 28 November 7 – 10pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: The Grand Hotel, Birmingham
Studio Rehearsal
Cinderella
Tue 21 January 5 – 6.30pm sold out
Wed 22 January 5 – 6.30pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: BRB Studios
Exclusive Online Supporter Talk
Cinderella Thu 23 January 4 – 5pm
Online: via Zoom
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Friends (free)
Ashton Rediscovered Masterclass
Tue 28 January 6 – 8pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Friends
Location: Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome
Season Launch
Thu 30 January time tbc
Open to: Dancers’ Circle and Gold and Silver Friends (free)
Opening Night Reception
Cinderella Sat 15 February from 6.15pm
Open to: Dancers’ Circle (free)
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
On behalf of the Development team, we thank you your support. We are always pleased to hear from you.
Rachael Magson
Director of Development
Email: RachaelMagson@brb.org.uk
Corporate Sponsors
Corporate Grants
Corporate Members
Corporate Donors
Leadership Gifts
Charles Holloway
Alan & Caroline Howard
Aud Jebsen
Lord Glendonbrook & Mr Martin Ritchie
Major Donors
Jayne Cadbury and Nigel Goodman
CL and JS Cadbury Trust
Peggy Czyzak-Dannenbaum
Charles Glanville and James Hogan
Mary Laing & the late David Laing
Sir Michael and Joan Perry
Dancers’ Circle – Principal
Julia and Anthony Glossop
Tony Newcombe
Su and Richard Simkin
Dancers’ Circle – Soloist
Susan and Frederick Furniss
Maureen and Roy Kirby
Chris and Jane Loughran
Chantelle Mackay
Marian Mulady
Sir David and Lady Win Normington
Nigel and Margaret Plumley
Gillian Shaw
Carla and Dilys Skinner
Mark and Amanda Smith
Michael and Sandra Squires
Keith Perry
Amanda and Emily Pillinger
Ellie Pinnells
Chris Relph
Sally Rowe
Carole Sallnow
Barbara Scott
Miles Scott and Lucille Roughley
Margaret Shand
Nick Makin and Brenda Sumner
Ron and Jackie Treverton Jones
Gold Friends
Jane Arthur
Jane van Ammel
Dr Anthony Cook and Miss Susan Elias
Jess Dunnicliff
Mrs Eileen Goodwin
Carolyn Harford
Penny Kirkwood
Ian Kirkwood
Richard Lewis
James and Karen Lowther
Anne Maguire
Geraldine Meehan
Helen Miles
Lyn Procter
David Spencer
Trusts and Foundations – Grants
£20,000+
Calleva Foundation
Dancers’ Circle – Artist
Jenny Batelyn and Rob Brett
Roger and Felicity Burman
Rachel Cavet
Brenda and Michael Chadwick
Dr Jim Clews
Guy and Judy Crofts
Irving and Olya David
Robyn Durie
Ian and Alison Fisher
Tessa Gillespie
Professor Caroline Gordon
P.S and C.A Gravestock
Wendy and Gordon Hardy
Jill and Malcolm Harris
Dr. Sandra Kendall
Tessa and Charles King-Farlow
Robert Kolaczynski
Shirley Leaver
Hilary Macaulay
Katie Newbon
Linda Nicholls
Rosie Parker RAD RTS
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Idlewild Trust
Jerwood Foundation
The Kirby Laing Foundation
Linbury Trust
Oak Foundation
Royal Opera House Benevolent Fund
Anonymous Donors and Supporters
A huge thank you to all our Friends, Supporters, BRB Promises Circle, Trusts and Foundations (>£20,000) and anonymous donors, and a special thank you to those who have left gifts in their wills.
For a full list of our supporters see brb.org.uk/MeetOurSupporters
