Northern Ballet students shine at Meadowhall

By Hannah Seaman

TALENTED students from an award winning ballet company had shoppers dancing in the aisles this weekend in Sheffield as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.

The eight dancers from the Northern Ballet Theatre’s classical training scheme put Meadowhall shoppers through their paces with a series of simple ballet exercises designed to improve fitness.

They also performed demonstrations which they had been rehearsing as part of their training at the company’s studios in Leeds.

The event was held to launch the company's performances of Swan Lake and a mixed programme at the city's Lyceum Theatre from Tuesday until Saturday.

Catherine Hall, Media and PR Officer for the company, said: “Dancing is very popular at the moment thanks to television programmes like Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice. So we wanted to offer people the chance to try something new today whilst being creative and expressive.”

She said that the company is trying to make ballet more accessible as a lot of people have never experienced it before or been to watch a performance.

She said: “We are proud to have survived for forty years and the fact that the company is attracting bigger audiences shows that people are becoming more interested in dance.”

Emma Chilton, 33, a shopper who tried out the exercises, said: “It was really good fun and surprisingly tiring. The dancers made it really easy to follow.”

The company currently have 48 students on their classical training scheme which is a five year programme designed to offer professional training to students in the north of England.

Youngsters aged between 12 and 16 audition for the scheme from all over Yorkshire and train around five times a week.

Hannah Kirkpatrick, Classical Training Officer, said: “We can offer them excellent training to a professional standard without them having to move away from home.”

Sophie Hall, 16, a student from the training scheme said: “I have been dancing since I was three-years-old and I just find it a perfect way to express myself. It helps me to relax and forget about the rest of the world.”

She hopes to move away to a vocational dance school later this year to complete her ballet training and then join a professional company.