PRINCIPAL dancers pirouetted into Pennywell to give pupils an insight into the world of ballet.
BalletLORENT’s new family production of Rapunzel is touring the UK, but in between shows Philippa White and Gavin Coward, who play Rapunzel and the Prince, are delivering creative dance workshops.
The session at Academy 360 gave students, aged between 12 and 15, the opportunity to work with professional dancers, allowing them to learn some choreography from the show and encouraging them to explore their physical creativity.
Helen Branton, dance teacher at Academy 360, said: “It’s fantastic for our talented students to have the experience of working with professional dancers.
“Workshops like this challenge and inspire the students to push themselves beyond their comfort zone.
“The school is keen to build strong links with arts organisations like balletLORENT that enhance the students’ learning experiences.”
BalletLORENT is delivering a programme of similar workshops to five- to 21-year-olds across Tyne and Wear and County Durham which will, for many, be an introduction to dance and theatre.
The sessions have primarily been programmed to take place across some of the region’s more deprived areas, fulfilling the company’s aim of providing high-quality dance experiences to a diverse audience.
The company’s artistic director, Liv Lorent, said: “We are committed to producing accessible work for the widest audience possible and these workshops allow us to reach communities that may, for a variety of reasons, not normally engage with dance.”
This new version of the Brothers Grimm classic fairy tale Rapunzel is written by Carol Ann Duffy and co-produced with Northern Stage in Newcastle, and is a Sadler’s Wells and New Writing North commission in association with Durham Book Festival.
l Rapunzel is at Northern Stage in Newcastle, from February 21 to 23, with performances at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets cost from £12.50 to £24. Call 230 5151 or visit www.northernstage.co.uk.
Twitter: @sunechokaty
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