Ballet for all the Family with Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Grand Opera House.
Birmingham Royal Ballet will visit Belfast next week, with a programme that includes two performances of An Evening of Music and Dance and a family matinee of Peter and the Wolf, Tubby the Tuba and the pas de deux from The Nutcracker.
The music and dance programme will be compered by Northern Ireland broadcaster Noel Thompson and conducted by Paul Murphy, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s principal conductor who originates from Northern Ireland. Joining the company as a guest artist will be Belfast-born Melissa Hamilton, first Soloist with the Royal Ballet in London.
Alongside the performances, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Grand Opera House will hold several workshops with families living in East Belfast.
The ballet technique workshops aim to have social, physical and mental wellbeing benefits for its participants, while also allowing people to have the opportunity to engage with the arts. The engagement activity will include three strands: Breakdance Ballet, Ballet for Balance and Movement, and Ballet Training Classes.
Breakdance Ballet: Working at the Skainos Centre with the Vibe Academy, Birmingham Royal Ballet artists will work with young people to explore the similarities and differences of street dance and ballet.
The participants and their families will be invited to the Saturday matinee performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s danced production of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, and they will perform their own interpretation of the piece in the Baby Grand Studio to an invited audience of family and friends.
Ballet for Balance and Movement: Dance is recognised as a great way for older people to exercise, for its therapeutic benefits and for its impact on positive mental and physical health. Birmingham Royal Ballet will deliver two workshops to introduce older people to gentle exercise based on ballet techniques. Participants will also be invited to watch Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performance of Music and Dance on Saturday 9 November.
Ballet Training Classes: during their visit to Belfast, Birmingham Royal Ballet will hold repertoire classes for local ballet students. These inspiring classes will be held in the Baby Grand Studio at the Grand Opera House on Friday 8 November.
For more information, please visit: goh.co.uk.
