2021

Easter Masterclass Series

Over Easter 2021, NYB presented a week of online masterclasses led by some of the leading voices of the UK ballet industry. The masterclasses  spanned learning new skills, honing technique, exploring repertoire, developing creativity and Q&A’s with each day’s guest artist.

The bespoke masterclasses were tailored for both junior (9-12 yrs) and senior (13-18 yrs) dancers, with over 50 participants taking part. The Juniors masterclasses were led by Nicky Henshall and Constance Devernay, and the Senior masterclasses led by Emma Price,Marcelino Sambé, Vanessa Vince Pang, Sarah Kundi, Ebony Molina and Drew McOnie.

“I really enjoyed the repertoire as it was very different to usual. Ballet class was also excellent and pitched at exactly the right standard.” Easter Masterclass Junior Participant

“I loved the opportunity to train with such a talented principal dancer, the fact that he could see everyone and gave individual feedback at times and he was really positive and encouraging” Easter Masterclass Senior Participant

Choreographic Challenge

NYB’s 2020 Choreographic Challenge invited young dancers to explore how it feels to re-engage with the world around them as we emerge from lockdown. Dancers were challenged to create a one and a half minute piece of choreography inspired by the theme of re-emergence. They selected one of four specially commissioned pieces of music by young composer Nicola Chang and responded creatively. Weekly interactive zoom workshops with industry professionals supported and developed participants skills in all areas of the creative process.

NYB Patron and judge Sir Matthew Bourne said –
“We were very impressed by the ingenuity of the the dancers, under these circumstances and applaud their creativity, talent and the sense of hope that these short stories represent. Representing the times we live in and how it effects us is a great route into choreography that these young people have taken on board. Bravo NYB and congratulations to all the excellent finalists”.

To view the winners films and the list of runners-up and commendations click here

Click the image above to watch a snapshot of the Choreographic Challenge entries.

Bouncing Back

On Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August 2020 NYB held its first online intensive weekend, Bouncing Back. 50 young dancers participated in a weekend of fun and engaging masterclasses designed to build resilience and confidence. Bouncing Back was led by NYB’s professional and experienced team including Denzil Bailey, Nick Evans, Carrie Johnson and Charlie Brittain.

“I love ballet so it was really nice to not only dance but listen to professionals and learn from them. I found it inspirational. It gave me a better understanding of resilience and also why I need to look after myself.” Bouncing Back Participant

“I thought the healthy body & mind talks were great.” Bouncing Back Participant’s parent

“I really enjoy it, it was fun, inspiring and informative. I would definitely like to participate in future NYB activities.” Bouncing Back participant

Watch a snapshot of the Bouncing Back weekend by clicking the image above.

In This Together

At the beginning of 2020 NYB had been planning a vibrant new approach to delivering a nationwide programme of workshops and masterclasses. Then the world has changed.  So, with the safety and welfare of our young dancers and professional artists being our absolute priority, we made the painful decision not to offer a face-to-face programme in 2020. We were, however, still highly active and continued to offer exciting opportunities for young dancers to develop their skills and experience.  Each week an NYB choreographer or alumnus presented a series of three to six short tutorials. Filmed from the artists’ homes, each video allowed followers to learn excerpts from the Company’s repertoire, explore creative tasks and develop performance skills. We also interviewed professional artists based in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In total we had over 30,000 views of the #NYBInThisTogether  content.

Wonderlands – Where dance is the only way to exist

The 2019 season saw an exciting first for National Youth Ballet, a programme filled with seven completely original works taking inspiration from different wordless worlds. The works were conceived, created, rehearsed, designed and translated onto stage  over a period of 2 weeks. All of this hard work was delivered by a dazzling company, including 105 performers aged 9-18, as well as nine participants from our unique Beyond Ballet programme in roles as diverse as choreography, lighting design, wardrobe, rehearsal assistant and administration.