Suzie Birchwood announced as new NYB Patron

We are delighted that Suzie Birchwood has agreed to join NYB as a Patron!

Suzie is a remarkable dance artist and activist who brings warmth, kindness and fun to everything that she does, and (in our view) lives and breathes NYB values. She’s already an active member of our NYB All In! Steering Group and has mentored young dancers, choreographers and leaders on our NYB All In! programme. We’re excited to work more with Suzie in the future to explore how we can make ballet more accessible across all our programmes.

“I am utterly overwhelmed and delighted to have been asked to be a Patron of the National Youth Ballet. It is such an honour and I’m so thrilled.

This organisation is part of my own history and my hope for the future of dance. I joined NYB when I was 16 and loved every rehearsal. It was during that time that I developed acute generalised dystonia, a life‑changing condition that led me to believe my dance career was over. I still remember sitting in the audience at Sadler’s Wells, watching the production I was meant to perform in, and sobbing because I believed I would never dance again.

Decades later, I found myself back in that same theatre, talking with the National Youth Ballet team about their mission to make ballet genuinely accessible for all. Their work, particularly through initiatives like the NYB All In! programme, nurtures talented disabled dancers and supports them into leadership roles, which is still far too rare in our industry.

To be a Patron of a small, under‑resourced but over‑performing company that is so committed to inclusive representation, diverse practice and real equity in dance feels like the most meaningful kind of full circle.”

More about Suzie
Suzie Birchwood is a creative access consultant, disabled dancer, choreographer, and inclusion specialist whose work is rooted in a single conviction: every body belongs. She has worked with some of the UK’s most forward-thinking dance organisations, including Stopgap Dance Company, Ballet Cymru, Scottish Ballet, Lila Dance, and the Marc Brew Company. She is also the host of The Pointe Podcast, exploring the intersection of dance and inclusion. You can follow Suzie on Instagram.

 —

Photo by Jules Renahan

🔊 Audio version available