Applied Ballet is All In!
National Youth Ballet is delighted to have been awarded an Arts Council England project grant to further our All In! activity. Working in partnership with inclusive dance expert Parable Dance and national dance agency South East Dance, this collaboration focuses on a very specific need within ballet – for choreographers and teachers to learn the vital skills of inclusive practice to make ballet more accessible and offers young dancers from NYB and Parable Dance the opportunity to work creatively in the studio together.
In December 2022 we piloted our first R&D workshops joined by Beyond Ballet® choreographers and rehearsal directors, Parable dancers and South East-based local ballet teachers to explore inclusive practice with expert practitioners who all brought lived experience of disability including Vicky Malin (freelance artist and ex Candoco dancer), Joe Powell-Main (freelance artist and ex Ballet Cymru dancer), Zach Opere-Onguende (Chickenshed Theatre) and Millie Kingsnorth (Parable Dance).
In April 2023 we tested our model in a creative workshop led by Beyond Ballet® choreographers, Ross Black and Hannah George with NYB and Parable dancers to apply our learning about inclusive practice and explore inclusive skills development for dancers.
NYB Creative Director Jo Meredith and Parable Dance Co-Founder and Artistic Director Natasha Britton will now build on the learning from our workshops and work with the Beyond Ballet® choreographers to create an inclusive performance with NYB and Parable dancers. We are thrilled to be based in the beautiful studios of The Dance Space and are excited to share our work with a local and digital audience on Friday 1 September 2023.
Disabled and neurodivergent dancers are currently under-served by ballet. All-In! shows our shared commitment to make ballet a more inclusive and accessible dance form, to build a more inclusive talent pipeline, and to push the boundaries around the perception of ballet.
‘I enjoyed dancing with different people and seeing ballet in a different way’ NYB Dancer
‘I liked the dancing, it was great.’ Parable Dancer
Photos (c) Jules Renehan
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For more information please contact info@nationalyouthballet.org
