Joanna Lumley will host a memorial gala at Sadler’s Wells on Sunday 4 September to celebrate the legacy of National Youth Ballet's founder and Artistic Director Jill Tookey, who died in March.
Lumley has been a NYB patron since 1989, when she met Tookey at one of the company’s performances at Sadler’s Wells and has since narrated two of their ballets.
She will be joined on stage by returning alumni who now dance for leading companies including Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures.
The performance will include new commissions and performances from returning alumni including choreographer Andrew McNicol, West End performer Lucinda Lawrence and Birmingham Royal Ballet first artist Ruth Brill.
Over three decades, Jill Tookey inspired generations of young dancers and choreographers, many of whom have embarked upon successful professional careers after their time with NYB. She was appointed a CBE for services to dance in the 2016 New Year Honours.
The 2016 programme, which also includes performances at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley on Friday 27 and Saturday 27 August, will showcase highlights from National Youth Ballet’s 29-year history, including The Old Man of Lochnagar, a ballet based on the children’s book by HRH The Prince of Wales, choreographed by NYB alumnus Drew McOnie.