New works for Northern Ballet

Posted on September 19, 2016

In 2017, Northern Ballet will create three new full-length ballets – a record for the company. Alongside Kenneth Tindall’s Casanova, announced in May, the company will stage new adaptations of John Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

Kevin Poeung and Filippo di Vilio in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Photograph: Guy Farrow

Choreographed and directed by Daniel de Andrade, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of a friendship across the wire fence of a concentration camp in World War II. De Andrade, an associate of Northern Ballet, has previously created shorter works for the company, including Fatal Kiss and the children’s ballet Elves and the Shoemaker. He recently created the full-length Nijinsky – God of the Dance for Slovak National Theatre.

The ballet will have a new score by Gary Yershon, sets and costumes by Mark Bailey, lighting by Tim Mitchell, with dramatic coach Patricia Doyle also joining the team.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas will have its world premiere performances at Cast, Doncaster from May 25 to 27, before touring to Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond, Aylesbury, Stoke, Bromley, Leeds and Hull.

The Little Mermaid will be created by Northern Ballet’s artistic director, David Nixon. It will have its premiere at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton in September 2017, before touring to Norwich, Newcastle, Nottingham, Canterbury, Woking, Sheffield and Leeds. The full creative team will be announced later.

David Nixon said that 2017 would exemplify the company’s commitment to new work. “With an unprecedented three new full-length ballets in one year, I am delighted that we will be presenting audiences with such a diverse range of new productions.” With these three ballets, the company will visit 22 UK venues. For booking information, visit northernballet.com.

Pictured, top: Giuliano Contadini and Hannah Bateman in Casanova. Photograph: Guy Farrow

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.