Leeds-based Northern Ballet will make their first visit to the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre from 8–10 May with a triple bill Mixed Programme of ballets by Hans van Manen, Lar Lubovitch and Kenneth Tindall, showcasing the athleticism of Northern Ballet’s dancers in four performances.
The Mixed Programme will feature Concertante by Hans van Manen, who has created more than 100 short classical ballets during his 60-year career with Nederlands Dans Theatre and the Dutch National Ballet among many others. He worked with Northern Ballet when the Company first staged the classical piece, set to Frank Martin’s Petite Symphonie Concertante, in their 2013 Mixed Programme performed in Leeds.
The second piece will be Lar Lubovitch’s Concerto Six Twenty-Two with a performance that marks Northern Ballet’s first venture with one of America’s leading choreographers. The piece, choreographed in 1986 and set to Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, is an inventive portrayal of male dance duets in what has become one of Lubovitch’s most celebrated pieces.
The London première of Luminous Junc·ture will be the third piece of the Mixed Programme from Premier Dancer Kenneth Tindall, one of the UK’s rising choreographic stars. The contemporary piece, which debuted in Leeds in 2013, is Tindall’s second commission for Northern Ballet. It is set to music by Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds and Hans Zimmer, with costumes designed by Manchester-based fashion designer Emma Guilfoyle.
Speaking ahead of the Company’s landmark visit to Covent Garden, Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Nixon OBE, said: “It is a great thrill to be performing at the Linbury Studio Theatre for the first time and to have the opportunity to showcase the immense talent of our dancers to audiences in Covent Garden.
"Performing a masterwork such as Concertante is a real challenge and demonstrates the very high standard of the Company. We’re very excited to be working with Lar Lubovitch for the first time on Concerto Six Twenty-Two.
"Also I am delighted for Kenneth Tindall to have the opportunity to stage his Luminous Junc·ture at such a high profile venue; it’s very important that we encourage and nurture such talent in our dancers and I’m sure that audiences in London will be seeing a lot more by Kenneth as his star rises in the years to come.”
The company is working to develop its profile within the capital having recently appointed a new Director of Development, Crys Whitewoods, who is based in the city part-time.
Last year, Northern Ballet enjoyed a a sell-out season at Sadler’s Wells with the full-length narrative ballet The Great Gatsby.
Northern Ballet’s inaugural visit to the Linbury Studio Theatre will give audiences in London the opportunity to see the Company’s more diverse repertory in an intimate setting ahead of a planned two tours to London in 2015.