Scottish Ballet


Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1969, the company is based in Glasgow, the resident ballet company at the Glasgow Theatre Royal and from 2009 in their purpose-built ballet centre in Tramway Arts Centre, Glasgow.

History

Scottish Ballet is Scotland's national dance company. Its primary aim is to provide programmes of world-class dance performance and educational activity at all scales. Scottish Ballet presents a wide range of dance to audiences across Scotland, the UK and abroad – and employs 36 professional dancers, 41 staff and a part-time freelance orchestra of up to 70 musicians.
Founded by Peter Darrell and Elizabeth West as the Western Theatre Ballet in Bristol in 1957, the company moved to Glasgow in 1969 and was renamed Scottish Theatre Ballet, changing to Scottish Ballet in 1974. A year later its home theatre became the Theatre Royal, Glasgow when Scottish Opera bought it and transformed it as the first national opera house in Scotland. The Company performs across Scotland, the UK and abroad, with strong classical technique at the root of all of its work. Its broad repertory includes new versions of the classics, seminal pieces from the 20th century modern ballet canon, signature pieces by living choreographers and new commissions. As a national company, Scottish Ballet performs at theatres in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness and in smaller venues throughout Scotland. The company's long history of touring internationally includes visits to China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Portugal, Ireland and the rest of the UK. Scottish Ballet's many recent awards include the 2004 TMA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in recognition of its modernisation programme and dynamic performances. Scottish Ballet's current artistic director Christopher Hampson joined the company in 2012.
file:Scottish Ballet's 50th anniversary year .jpg|thumb|Scottish Ballet's 50th anniversary year
The company provides dance classes and a variety of education initiatives, including work with children and adults of all ages and abilities, and the Associate Programme which encourages aspiring young dancers to train for a career in the industry. Scottish Ballet also has close links with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, partnering the BA Modern Ballet and M.Mus. degree courses.
Scottish Ballet was the first dance company in Europe to offer live audio description for the visually impaired, and maintains a programme of regular audio described performances throughout Scotland.
Scottish Ballet won the Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company in the 2023 National Dance Awards.

Repertoire

Scottish Ballet presents a broad repertoire, ranging from new versions of the classics, 20th century modern ballet repertoire, work by living choreographers and new commissions.
Current repertoire:
  • Dangerous Liaisons by Richard Alston
  • Apollo by George Balanchine
  • Episodes by George Balanchine
  • The Four Temperaments by George Balanchine
  • Rubies by George Balanchine
  • Five Rückert Songs by Peter Darrel
  • White Man Sleeps by Siobhan Davies
  • Suite From Artifact by William Forsythe
  • Twilight by Hans van Manen
  • Two Pieces for HET by Hans van Manen
  • Acrid Avid Jam by Ashley Page
  • Cheating, Lying, Stealing by Ashley Page
  • Cinderella by Ashley Page
  • Nightswimming into day by Ashley Page
  • The Nutcracker by Ashley Page
  • The Pump Room by Ashley Page
  • Refurbished Behaviour by Ashley Page
  • Soft Underbelly by Ashley Page
  • Walking in the Heat by Ashley Page
  • The Snow Queen by Ashley Page
  • 32 Cryptograms by Ashley Page
  • MiddleSexGorge by Stephen Petronio
  • Agon by George Balanchine
  • Afternoon of a Faun by Jerome Robbins
  • In Light and Shadow by Krzysztof Pastor
  • “Highland Fling” by Sir Matthew Bourne
  • “The Crucible” by Helen Pickett
  • “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
  • Room of Cooks by Ashley Page
  • The Nutcracker – Diverts by Ashley Page
  • Façade by Frederick Ashton
  • Sirocco by Diana Loosmore
  • Othello by Peter Darrell
  • The Sleeping Beauty by Ashley Page
  • Ride The Beast by Stephen Petronio
  • Fearful Symmetries by Ashley Page
  • For M.G. – The Movie by Trisha Brown
  • Chasing Ghosts by Diana Loosmore
  • Romeo and Juliet by Krzysztof Pastor
  • Traume by Gregory Dean
  • Lull by Diana Loosmore
  • Pennies from Heaven by Ashley Page
  • Carmen by Richard Alston
  • Workwithinwork by William Forsythe
  • Petrushka by Ian Spink
  • Scènes de Ballet by Frederick Ashton
  • Still Life by Val Caniparoli
  • From Where by Paul Liburd
  • Alice by Ashley Page
  • Song of the Earth by Kenneth MacMillan
  • New Work by Jorma Elo

    Headquarters

In June 2009 Scottish Ballet moved to new, purpose-built premises in Glasgow's Southside, next to the Tramway Theatre, which had been designed by Malcolm Fraser Architects.

Dancers

Principals

  • Jessica Fyfe
  • Marge Hendrick
  • Roseanna Leney
  • Evan Loudon
  • Bruno Micchiardi

    Soloists

  • Javier Andreu
  • Thomas Edwards
  • Grace Horler
  • Yuri Marques
  • Rimbaud Patron
  • Melissa Polson
  • Gina Scott
  • Claire Souet

    First Artists

  • Rishan Benjamin
  • Alice Kawalek
  • Harvey Littlefield
  • Amy McEntee
  • Madeline Squire
  • Kayla-Maree Tarantolo
  • Eado Turgeman
  • Anna Williams

    Artists

  • Andrea Azzari
  • Antonia Cramb
  • Hannah Cubitt
  • Harvey Evans
  • Urtzi Ganzedo
  • James Garrington
  • James Hobley
  • Mackenzie Jacob
  • Ishan Mahabir-Stokes
  • Danila Marzilli
  • Jamie Reid
  • Mayu Takata
  • Urara Takata
  • Benjamin Thomas
  • Claire Tjoe-Fat
  • Elizabeth Williams
  • Seira Winning
  • Fulvio Zamagna

    Notable former dancers

  • Leigh Alderson
  • Daria Klimentová
  • Noriko Ohara