For over 30 years National Youth Ballet has cultivated and nurtured talent in young people, to create the ballet of the future ensuring it is inclusive and relevant for everyone. NYB programmes have provided transformational opportunities for young people to participate in, create and perform classical and contemporary ballet with the aim to challenge perceptions about what ballet can be, who it is for and how to reach the widest audience. Collaborating with a range of creative partners, our mission is to create a meaningful participant journey for young people from the widest backgrounds into and beyond NYB.

NYB’s Beyond Ballet® is an unparalleled initiative that supports emerging creative artists from all areas of the theatre industry in the early stages of their professional careers. Each year we select a number of emerging choreographers and young industry professionals aged 18-25. 

Between 2022-24 our Beyond Ballet® programme is supporting five young choreographers who are each receive mentoring and online professional development talks as well as paid opportunities to work across different areas of our programmes, and three young artists working in backstage roles. Young choreographers Amy Groves, Ross Black and Hannah George are working alongside Beyond Ballet® lighting designer Ros Chase and Beyond Ballet® costume supervisor Elisa Mozzanica on our All In! inclusive ballet programme. Choreographers Rosie Mackley and Savannah Ffrench joined Amy Groves to create work with our Residential Performance Company. These young creatives worked alongside Beyond Ballet® Assistant Lighting Designer Ros Chase, Beri Valentine as Beyond Ballet® assistant stage manager and Polly Mitton as Beyond Ballet® Assistant Costume Supervisor. All artists will continue to receive support throughout the next year as they work towards a further performance in 2024.

We were so impressed by the quality of applications this year that we have created a Beyond Ballet® Network to support even more young, early careers professionals. Catherine Sleeman, Harry Wilson, Anna Smith and Joeley Gibson will be joining us as part of this wider Network, they will get the opportunity to engage with our 2022-23 cohort and take part in the online professional skills development activities.

In 2021-22 Bianca Mikahil, Alice O’Brien and Tierney Lawlor worked with NYB and received mentoring opportunities with the company, their time with the company culminating in opportunities for all three artists to create short pieces of choreography for the National Youth Ballet. 

There has never been a more crucial time to support and nurture the creative talent of the future. In addition to a creative opportunity, the Beyond Ballet® emerging artists gain invaluable practical skills through working alongside and talking to established industry professionals about their practice. Having improved skills as a freelancer, increased confidence and wider industry networks will in turn enhance future prospects and chances of further employment, creating new pathways on the NYB participant journey.

Beyond Ballet® programme 2022-23

Beyond Ballet® is supported by the Garrick Charitable Trust and Idlewild Trust.