Birmingham Royal Ballet senior soloist Brandon Lawrence has become the latest patron of the organisation that trained him, bbodance.
The Bradford-born dancer was trained by bbodance teacher Andie Nydza and was one of the organisation's elite students before being accepted into the Birmingham Royal Ballet school.
Lawrence said, “I’m extremely proud to become a patron of bbodance. The organisation gave me numerous opportunities to learn and develop the skills that I needed to become the dancer I am today. I look forward to supporting bbodance just as it has supported me for many years.”
Lawrence is nominated in two categories at the 2018 National Dance Awards: best male dancer, and outstanding male classical performance for his role as Pan in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s presentation of Ruth Brill’s Arcadia. The winners will be announced on Monday 18 February 2019.
Former patrons of bbodance, which started life as the British Ballet Organisation, include Mark Baldwin OBE, former artistic director of the UK’s leading contemporary dance company Rambert, Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and Robert Parker, artistic director of elite Birmingham ballet school Elmhurst.