- Birmingham Royal Ballet
-
Birmingham Royal Ballet 
General Information Name Birmingham Royal Ballet Previous Names - Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet
- Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet
- Royal Ballet Touring Group
Year Founded 1946 Founders Dame Ninette de Valois Founding Artistic Director John Field Director Laureate Sir Peter Wright Principal venue Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst Street
Birmingham
England, B5 4TB
UKWebsite brb.org.uk Senior Staff Chief Executive Christopher Barron Director David Bintley, CBE Company Manager Paul Grist Ballet Staff Marion Tait, Michael O'Hare, Dominic Antonucci, Wolfgang Stollwitzer Other Sister Company The Royal Ballet Orchestra Royal Ballet Sinfonia Official School Elmhurst School for Dance Formation - Principal Guest Artist
- Principal
- First Soloist
- Soloist
- First Artist
- Artist
Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the three major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet.[1]
Founded in 1947 as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company was established under the direction of John Field, and was formed to continue ballet performances at Sadler's Wells theatre, after its predecessor (today's Royal Ballet) moved to become the resident ballet company at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The company was later granted a Royal Charter, becoming the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and following relocation to Birmingham in 1990, the name was changed to Birmingham Royal Ballet, with the company becoming the resident ballet company at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre.
It is now independent of the Royal Ballet in London, although it retains strong links with the company and the Royal Ballet School. As a resident company, Birmingham Royal Ballet has extensive custom-built facilities, including a suite of dance studios, the Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries and a studio theatre known as the Patrick Centre. In 2002, the need for Birmingham Royal Ballet to have its own school led to a new association with Elmhurst School for Dance, which is now its official ballet school.
Contents
History
In 1926, the Irish-born dancer Ninette de Valois founded the Academy of Choreographic Art, a dance school for girls. Her intention was to form a repertory ballet company and school, leading her to collaborate with the English theatrical producer and theatre owner Lilian Baylis. Baylis owned the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres and in 1925 she engaged de Valois to stage dance performances at both venues.
Sadler's Wells reopened in 1931 and the Vic-Wells Ballet and Vic-Wells Ballet School were established in premises at the theatre. These would become the predecessors of today's Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School.
In 1939, the company lost its link with the Old Vic theatre and, in 1940, Sadler's Wells theatre was bombed during World War II. These events forced the company to begin touring the country, becoming known as the Sadler's Wells Ballet. The company did return to Sadler's Wells theatre, where it stayed until 1946, when the company was invited to become the resident ballet company of the newly re-opened Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The company relocated to the opera house the same year in 1946, with their first production at the venue being Ninette de Valois' staging of The Sleeping Beauty.
Following the relocation of the company the school was relocated to its own premises in 1947 and a sister company was established to continue performances at Sadler's Wells, called Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. This sister company would become the predecessor of today's Birmingham Royal Ballet. The first Artistic Director of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet was John Field, who was later made co-director of the Royal Ballet and also worked as artistic director of La Scala Theatre Ballet and English National Ballet.
In 1955, Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet temporarily lost its link with Sadler's Wells theatre and relocated to the Royal Opera House as a touring unit of the main company.
In 1956, a Royal Charter was granted for both companies and the school and they were subsequently renamed the Royal Ballet, Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School.
The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells theatre in 1970, whilst continuing to tour the country. The first indication that the company would leave London came in 1987, when the company was invited to become the resident ballet company at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre. Consequently, the company relocated to Birmingham in 1990, being given its current name Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Sir Peter Wright remained as the company's Artistic Director and held the post until his retirement in 1995, when the current Artistic Director, David Bintley was appointed. In 1997, Birmingham Royal Ballet was made independent of the Royal Ballet and ceased to be managed by the Royal Opera House.
As an independent ballet company, Birmingham Royal Ballet no longer has official links with the Royal Ballet or Royal Ballet School. To further establish its reputation as a separate entity, in 2002, it began a new relationship with the Elmhurst School for Dance, which is now its official associate school. Elmhurst is the oldest established vocational dance school in the United Kingdom, and was previously based in Camberley, Surrey. It relocated to premises in Edgbaston, Birmingham in 2004, becoming known as Elmhurst School for Dance, in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Works performed
Table of works performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Title Running Time (mins) Choreographer Composer Agon 28 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky All For A Kiss 5 Aonghus Hoole Igor Stravinsky Apollo 30 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky Arthur pt I 60,45 David Bintley John McCabe Arthur pt II 58,65 David Bintley John McCabe Avec Moi Ce Soir Glyn Scott Igor Stravinsky Le Baiser de la fée 45 Michael Corder Igor Stravinsky Beauty and the Beast 50,50 David Bintley Glenn Buhr Bright Young Things 30 Oliver Hindle George Gershwin Brouillards 37 John Cranko Claude Debussy Card Game 24 John Cranko Igor Stravinsky Carmina Burana 67 David Bintley Carl Orff Carnival of the Animals 25 David Justin, Toby Norman-Wright, Jonathan Payn, Nicole Tongue Camille Saint-Saëns Checkmate 46 Ninette de Valois Arthur Bliss Choros 30 David Bintley Aubrey Meyer Concert Fantasy 30 David Bintley Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Concerto 24 Kenneth MacMillan Dmitri Shostakovich Concerto Barocco 20 George Balanchine Johann Sebastian Bach Coppélia 35,28,38 Peter Wright after Marius Petipa & Enrico Cecchetti Léo Delibes Cyrano 53,33,41 David Bintley Carl Davis The Dance House 26 David Bintley Dmitri Shostakovich Danses Concertantes Kit Holder, Glyn Scott, Aonghus Hoole, Kosuke Yamamoto Igor Stravinsky Dante Sonata 17 Frederick Ashton Franz Liszt arr Constant Lambert Daphnis et Chloé 55 Frederick Ashton Maurice Ravel The Dream 54 Frederick Ashton Felix Mendelssohn Dumbarton Oaks 15 Michael Kopinski Igor Stravinsky Duo Concertant 17 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky Ebony Concerto Samara Downs Igor Stravinsky Edward II 60,55 David Bintley John McCabe Elite Syncopations 38 Kenneth MacMillan Scott Joplin et al. The End of Winter Kosuke Yamamoto Igor Stravinsky Enigma Variations 34 Frederick Ashton Edward Elgar Façade 20 Frederick Ashton William Walton Fancy Free 31 Jerome Robbins Leonard Bernstein Far from the Madding Crowd 50,40,40 David Bintley Paul Reade La Fille Mal Gardée 28,34,38 Frederick Ashton Ferdinand Hérold The Firebird 47 Mikhail Fokine Igor Stravinsky Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan 8 Frederick Ashton Johannes Brahms Five Tangos 27 Hans van Manen Ástor Piazzolla Four Seasons 45 Oliver Hindle, Shimon Kalichman, Mikaela Polley, Samira Saidi, Asier Uriagereka, Richard Whistler, Yuri Zhukov Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons 46 Oliver Hindle Antonio Vivaldi The Four Temperaments 32 George Balanchine Paul Hindemith Giselle 55,46 Marius Petipa after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot Adolphe Adam Grosse Fuge 27 Hans van Manen Ludwig van Beethoven Hobson's Choice 34,28,42 David Bintley Paul Reade In the Upper Room 40 Twyla Tharp Philip Glass Into the Ferment 25 Jonathan Payn James MacMillan Krishna 35 Nahid Siddiqui Hariprasad Chaurasia The Lady and the Fool 48 John Cranko Giuseppe Verdi arr Charles Mackerras Much A-Dance About Nothing Jenny Murphy Igor Stravinsky Nine Sinatra Songs 33 Twyla Tharp The Nutcracker 50,50 Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker Sweeties 35 David Bintley Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) Orpheus 30 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky The Orpheus Suite 45 David Bintley Colin Towns Paquita 28 Marius Petipa Ludwig Minkus Les Petits Riens 25 David Bintley Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Petrushka 38 Michel Fokine Igor Stravinsky Pictures at an Exhibition 35 Shimon Kalichman, Toby Norman-Wright, Annette Pain, Jonathan Payn, Mikaela Polley, Samira Saidi, Nicole Tongue, Richard Whistler, Asier Uriagereka, Yuri Zhukov Modest Mussorgsky arr Maurice Ravel Pineapple Poll 41 John Cranko Arthur Sullivan arr Charles Mackerras The Planets 53 Rosie Kay, David Bintley, Samara Downs, Lei Zhao, Michael Kopinski, Kit Holder, Jenny Murphy Gustav Holst Powder 33 Stanton Welch Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Prodigal Son 36 George Balanchine Sergey Prokofiev The Prospect Before Us 38 Ninette de Valois William Boyce arr Constant Lambert The Protecting Veil 43 David Bintley John Tavener Pulcinella 40 Kim Brandstrup Igor Stravinsky Raymonda Act III 34 Rudolf Nureyev Alexander Glazunov The Rite of Spring 35 Millicent Hodson after Vaslav Nijinsky Igor Stravinsky Romeo and Juliet 60,34,40 Kenneth MacMillan Sergey Prokofiev Sanctum 26 Lila York Maurice Ravel & Christopher Rouse Scènes de Ballet 22 Frederick Ashton Igor Stravinsky The Seasons 32 David Bintley Giuseppe Verdi Serenade 34 George Balanchine Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Shakespeare Suite 38 David Bintley Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn Slaughter on Tenth Avenue 25 George Balanchine Richard Rodgers The Sleeping Beauty 34,30,32,39 Marius Petipa, Peter Wright Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Small Worlds Kit Holder Igor Stravinsky Solitaire 27 Kenneth MacMillan Malcolm Arnold Song of the Earth 63 Kenneth MacMillan Gustav Mahler The Sons of Horus 30 David Bintley Peter McGowan 'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe 42 David Bintley Simon Jeffes Stravinsky Violin Concerto 20 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky Swan Lake 32,32,44,20 Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov & Peter Wright Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphonic Variations 21 Frederick Ashton César Franck Symphony in Three Movements 24 George Balanchine Igor Stravinsky Take Five 25 David Bintley The Dave Brubeck Quartet transcribed by Colin Towns Tombeaux 25 David Bintley William Walton Tweedledum and Tweedledee 5 Frederick Ashton Percy Grainger The Two Pigeons 27,33 Frederick Ashton André Messager Unravelled Nathanael Skelton Igor Stravinsky Voice of Spring 4 Frederick Ashton Johann Strauss II The Walk To The Paradise Garden 9 Frederick Ashton Frederick Delius Western Symphony 30 George Balanchine trad American melodies arr by Hershey Kay Dancers
Principals
Name Nationality Training Joined BRB Promoted to
PrincipalInformation Jamie Bond UK Royal Ballet School 2003 2009 The Royal Ballet, 2002–2003
Eurovision Young Dancers – Finalist (Great Britain), 2001
Young British Dancer of the Year – Winner, 2000Chi Cao 
ChinaBeijing Dance Academy
Royal Ballet School1995 2002 Varna International Ballet Competition — Gold Medal, 1998 Gaylene Cummerfield 
New ZealandAustralian Ballet School 2008 2009 Australian Ballet, 1998–2008
Royal New Zealand Ballet, 1997–1998
Genee International Ballet Competition – Bronze Medal, 1996
Asian Pacific Ballet Competition — Winner, 1996Matthew Lawrence New ZealandAustralian Ballet School 2008 N/A Promoted to Principal – Australian Ballet, 2004
Australian Ballet, 1996–2008Iain Mackay UK Royal Ballet School 1999 2003 Promoted to Soloist — Birmingham Royal Ballet, 2001 Carol-Anne Millar 
Canada
United KingdomRoyal Ballet School 1997 2009 National Dance Awards – Spotlight Award, Female (Classical), 2007
Promoted to First Soloist — Birmingham Royal Ballet, 2005
Promoted to Soloist — Birmingham Royal Ballet, 2001César Morales 
ChileMunicipal Theatre of Santiago
Houston Ballet Academy2008 N/A Principal Guest Artist – Vienna State Opera Ballet, 2006
English National Ballet, 2004–2006
Altazor Prize — Winner, 2002 & 2003
New York International Ballet Competition — Gold Medal, 2003
Prague International Ballet Competitions — Gold Medal, 2002
Ballet de Santiago, years unknownNatasha Oughtred United KingdomVanessa Hooper & Niall McMahon
Royal Ballet School2007 2009 Promoted to First Soloist — Birmingham Royal Ballet, 2008
Promoted to Soloist – The Royal Ballet, 2004
The Royal Ballet, 2000–2007
Genee International Ballet Competition – Gold Medal, 2000Robert Parker United KingdomRoyal Ballet School 1994 1999 National Dance Awards – Outstanding Male Artist, 2003
Laurence Olivier Awards – Nominee, 2001
National Dance Awards – Nominee, 2001Nao Sakuma 
JapanMichiko Komori Ballet School
Royal Ballet School1995 2002 National Dance Awards – Nominee, 2001
Jackson Ballet Competition — Special Jury Prize, 1998Ambra Vallo 
ItalyRoyal Ballet School of Flanders 1996 N/A Danza & Danza Magazine — Best Female Dancer Award, 2004
Positano Awards — Best Performance, 2002
English National Ballet, 1993–1996
Positano Awards — Most Talented Upcoming Dancer, 1991
Luxemburg International Grand Prix — Winner, Date Unknown
Rieti International Ballet Competition — Gold Medal, Date Unknown
Houlgate International Ballet Competition — Silver Medal, Date UnknownElisha Willis 
AustraliaAustralian Ballet School 2003 2004 Promoted to Soloist – Australian Ballet, 2001
Australian Ballet, 1991999-2003First Soloists
- Joseph Caley
- Victoria Marr
[2] - Jonathan Payn
- Jenna Roberts
- Lei Zhao
Soloists
- Mathias Dingman
- Samara Downs
- Laëtitia Lo Sardo
- Steven Monteith
- Angela Paul
- Tyrone Singleton
- Céline Gittens
First Artists
- James Barton
- Arancha Baselga
- Jonathan Caguioa
- Feargus Campbell
- Robert Gravenor
- Kit Holder
- Rory Mackay
- Valentin Olovyannikov
- Laura Purkiss
- Tom Rogers
Artists
- William Bracewell
- Laura Davenport
- Karla Doorbar
- Laura-Jane Gibson
- Jade Heusen
- Aonghus Hoole
- Yvette Knight
- Brandon Lawrence
- Delia Mathews
- Kristen McGarrity
- Nicki Moffatt
- Callie Roberts
- Nathanael Skelton
- Benjamin Soerel
- Oliver Till
- Lewis Turner
- Yijing Zhang
See also
- Elmhurst School for Dance, official ballet school of the company since 2002
- English National Ballet
- Royal Ballet School, formerly official ballet school of the company
- The Royal Ballet, sister company of the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Footnotes
- ^ Roy, Sanjoy (2009-04-0). "Step-by-step guide to dance: Birmingham Royal Ballet". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/apr/08/dance-birmingham-royal-ballet. Retrieved 2011-10-30. "See also: The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet – the other two of the big three UK ballet companies."
- ^ Cupcakes & Conversation with Victoria Marr. edit] External links
Dance Companies in the United Kingdom Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet · English National Ballet · London Children's Ballet · Northern Ballet · Royal Ballet · Scottish Ballet
Contemporary Candoco · DV8 Physical Theatre · Motionhouse · National Dance Company Wales · New Adventures · Phoenix Dance Theatre · Rambert Dance Company · Richard Alston Dance Company · Scottish Dance Theatre · Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company · Siobhan Davies Dance Company · Wayne McGregor Random Dance
Categories:- The Royal Ballet
- Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands
- National Dance Award winners
- 1947 establishments in England
- Performing groups established in 1946
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