Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Founded in 1957, the company is based in Glasgow and is the resident ballet company at the Glasgow Theatre Royal.

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History

Founded by Peter Darrell and Elizabeth West as Western Theatre Ballet in Bristol in 1957, the Company moved to Glasgow in 1969 and was renamed Scottish Theatre Ballet, changing to Scottish Ballet in 1974. A year later its home theatre became the Theatre Royal, Glasgow when Scottish Opera bought it and transformed it as the first national opera house in Scotland. The Company performs across Scotland, the UK and abroad, with strong classical technique at the root of all of its work. Its broad repertory includes new version of the classics, seminal pieces from the 20th century modern ballet canon, signature pieces by living choreographers and new commissions. As a truly national company, Scottish Ballet performs at theatres in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness and in smaller venues throughout Scotland.

The Company's long history of touring internationally includes visits to China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Portugal, Ireland and the rest of the UK. Scottish Ballet's many recent awards include the 2004 TMA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in recognition of its modernisation programme and dynamic performances. Scottish Ballet's Artistic Director, Ashley Page was also awarded OBE for services to dance in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2006.

Its education initiatives and classes include work with people of all ages and abilities and its Associate Programme encourages young dancers to train for a career in the industry. As part of this commitment to broadening audiences, Scottish Ballet was the first dance company in the UK to offer live audio-description for the visually impaired; it maintains a programme of regular audio-described performances today.

Repertoire

The Company has a broad repertoire, encompassing classical ballet, contemporary dance and new versions of classic full-length ballets. From the esteemed work of Kevin Walls to world premières by Stephen Petronio, Scottish Ballet's repertoire covers an impressive range.

Current repertoire:

Coming up

Scottish Ballet returns to the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2011 with a double bill featuring Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth and a new work by Boston Ballet choreographer Jorma Elo.

In September 2011, the company will present Jorma Elo's new work and Ashley Page's Pennies from Heaven at Glasgow's Theatre Royal.

In October 2011, the company will tour the USA for the first time in 25 years. They will perform the Edinburgh International Festival programme to audiences in Los Angeles and Davis, California, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company will also perform this programme at Sadler's Wells in London.

Headquarters

In 2009, Scottish Ballet moved into its purpose-built home at the Tramway complex in Glasgow, creating a production and presentation facility of a scale and artistic mix unrivalled in the UK.

Designed by Malcolm Fraser Architects, the building features three full size dance studios, including the Peter Darrell Studio which is the largest dedicated dance rehearsal studio in Europe; a technical workshop; wardrobe facilities including shoe and costume stores, fitting rooms and dyeing rooms; a small practice studio; aa dedicated Education Studio for classes and workshops; a fitness suite with Gyrotonic equipment; office space, and a social space and Green Room.

Scottish Ballet's headquarters was built on a derelict site at Tramway. The gold roof has become a landmark of Glasgow's South Side, and the building has received awards including the Grand Prix and the Public Building awards at the Scottish Design Awards and a Silver Award in the Public Building category at the Roses Design Awards.

Dancers

principal dancers

  • Sophie Martin
  • Claire Robertson
  • Tomomi Sato
  • Tama Barry
  • Adam Blyde
  • Erik Cavallari

soloists

  • Martina Forioso
  • Diana Loosmore
  • Christopher Harrison
  • Eve Mutso
  • Luke Ahmet

coryphées

  • Vassilissa Levtonova
  • Quenby Hersh
  • Daniel Davidson
  • Kara McLaughlin
  • Sophie Laplane
  • William Smith
  • Luciana Ravizzi
  • Owen Thorne

artists

  • Amy Hadley
  • Constance Devernay
  • Nathalie Dupouy
  • Laura Kinross
  • Brenda Lee Grech
  • Bethany Kingsley-Garner
  • Katie Webb
  • Gabriel Barrenengoa
  • Jamiel Laurence
  • Lewis Landini
  • Andrew Peasgood
  • Teun van Roosmalen
  • Victor Zarallo

See also

References

External links
General information
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