Northern Ballet Theatre – News Blog
Wuthering Heights Resource Pack
June 1, 2009 at 11:36 am	(Learning & Access) (download, Learning & Access, learning and access, nbt, northern ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, pdf, resource pack, resources, Wuthering Heights)
A resource pack for teachers on Wuthering Heights has been produced and is available for download from the Learning & Access pages.
Click to download the PDF file directly. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Street Dreams – Blog Update W/C 13.10.08
October 13, 2008 at 3:04 pm	(Events, General Information, Learning & Access) (Bradford, Bradford College, Learning & Access, Street Dreams)
Blog Update W/C 13.10.08
With less than a week to their event in Centenary Square we talk to Bradford College Performing Arts Students Ashley Gobbi (AG) and Jade Smith (JS) about the "Street Dreams" project.
Less than a week to go! Is this a busy time for you all now?
JS: I would say it's not only busy but also challenging, especially for our Marketing and PR team as we have to try to persuade the media to cover our story, and work to their deadlines as well as our own.
AG: Yes, the Marketing and PR team has deadlines to meet and phone calls to make to various areas of the media. The performers are in rehearsals everyday working on the performance piece itself and the workshops that run alongside it as well. This project is all about the students involved and showcasing their talents, they need to wow the audience, but this doesn't come without hard work.
What have you been doing in terms of marketing and media?
JS: Well, the biggest task I have done was creating a press release. It was a real eye opener as I have never done anything like that before, so at first it was a big challenge but once I got the gist of it I started getting ideas and it became easier. I have also been out taking photos of people in the performance, coming up with ideas for flyers and posters, and contacting people in the media for coverage.
AG: Over this last week we've been sending out the press release and photo call notice to various media contacts and making follow up phone calls to make sure we're targeting the right people. We've put up posters around the college, handed out flyers and really tried to get people interested in coming down to join in. I've also had an interview with the Telegraph & Argus to help promote the event further and have also set up an interview with BCB Radio for later this week to talk more about the event.
How is the performance shaping up?
AG: Our dancers have done a fantastic job so far: they've really tried to include both the ballet and Bollywood dance styles. They've also created some fantastic workshops for the public to get involved in, and are continuing to work hard on getting this performance ready for Friday.
JS: I would say it looks very visually impacting now, as the dancers look like they have had a lot of practice, and the workshops have come on a lot from last week. Overall the dance has a good format, as its very exciting to watch.
Are you looking forward to the event on Friday?
JS: overall it will be nice to see if all of our hard work has paid off, as well as the dancers', and it will be interesting to see if many people turn up.
AG: Yes, this has been an amazing experience for all of the students involved. I just hope that the public come down to get involved on the day and make this a truly unforgettable experience!
Has this been a good project to work on?
AG: Absolutely, we've all learnt so much about working in the industry and have had fun in the process. We're all really grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with Northern Ballet Theatre and Kala Sangam. Now we just have to give the performance of our careers so far and make everybody involved proud of what we've achieved. Working with industry professionals on all areas of the project has been a real insight into what we all have to come in the not so distant future.
JS: It has been beneficial for me. I was concerned about being on the Marketing and PR team as I thought it would be too challenging for me, but once I got over the initial worry that it was going to be too hard, I found it interesting and was happy that I had helped create things like flyers and posters, and tried to develop an audience for the workshop. I now also appreciate the hard work that goes on backstage, and the fact that if there were no media or marketing teams, there'd be no audience!
The Street Dreams performance and workshops will take place from 12-2pm in Centenary Square, Bradford (or in the event of poor weather conditions at the Impressions Gallery on Centenary Square, Bradford) on Friday 17 October. Why not come along to watch the performance and take part in the workshops! The event is FREE, open to everyone and no previous experience is required.
Street Dreams in Bradford
October 3, 2008 at 1:31 pm	(Events, General Information, Learning & Access) (Bradford, Bradford College, Kala Sangam, Learning & Access, Street Dreams)
Ashley Gobbi is one of the Bradford College students taking part in the "Street Dreams" project. It involves students from the Performing Arts Course working with professionals from NBT and Kala Sangam to create and promote a performance and workshops in Bradford City Centre on 17 October.
Ashley, tell us a little bit about yourself:
I'm 20 years old and I am in my second year at Bradford College. I love it! Hopefully when I finish my course I'll be able to go out and work in the industry as an actress and one day be very successful. I have a keen interest in all areas of the performing arts business including working behind the scenes and strangely the business element too, which I find fascinating. I am currently working as stage manager for the department and would consider myself suited to that role.
When I was younger I always wanted to be a ballet dancer but unfortunately this was too expensive for my family and so I ended up as a successful competitive athlete and swimmer.
What is "Street Dreams" all about?
"Street Dreams" is a project designed to get more people to enjoy dance as an alternative form of exercise. It aims to change the general publics perceptions of ballet as an art form and to put across that it is not just about tutu's and tights.
More importantly for the students involved it is about showcasing their talents and hopefully making Bradford proud of it's city and it's young people who are working hard to be the faces of tomorrow.
What aspect of the project are you involved in and what have you been doing so far?
I am working on the Marketing and promotions team for the project. Although I would have loved to perform with the other students, I think we have been given the best role overall. Working alongside Amy and Ruth has been a fantastic experience so far as we have learnt a lot about an area of the industry we wouldn't normally look at in such detail. I wouldn't say it's been an easy task to take on, as I believe we have the hardest job to do. There's so much to think about and prepare for, before the project can take place. As artist's we don't necessarily think about these areas involved in the performance, but I definitely have a new found appreciation for the work that a marketing and promotions team do.
So what stage is the project at right now?
From a marketing perspective we've begun promoting the rehearsal/dummy run at the college and when that's over the real work will start as we start to contact everyone possible to come along to the event on the 17th and join in. Also we will be contacting all areas of the media interested in covering the project.
As for the performers they've been working hard to create a fantastic and enjoyable performance. They've also been working on the student-led workshops for the event almost everyday of the week. From what I have seen in rehearsals we have an exciting mix of dance with a quirky feel based on the themes from A Midsummer Nights Dream.
We will have further updates from Ashley over the coming days – watch this space!
Learning & Access in Beijing
September 10, 2008 at 1:39 pm	(Company News, General Information, Learning & Access) (china, Learning & Access, Paralympics)
Jo Dean reports again from Bejing where the Learning & Access Department are working as part of the British Council's Young Advocate Progamme – developing the Paralympic Spirit.
The week seems to be rushing by with everyday packed full of activities, and we have just one day of workshops left before the showcase tomorrow. Tuesday was our second day of workshops, and the group continued developing the sequences they had created on Monday. They also started creating more choreography based on the shapes and patterns found in flags from around the world. The group is working really well together and the young advocates have come up with some fantastic ideas for their pieces, moments of which have been really moving. A British party in the evening, complete with fish and chips, showcased the musical talents of some of the young advocates on the programme and got everyone up and dancing in a ceilidh.
Yesterday was our rest day, but it seemed to be as busy as ever! We started with a trip to the Great Wall, which was a lot steeper when walking up it than it looks from the bottom! Following that we saw the China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe at the Poly Theatre which impressed everyone, before returning to the Bird's Nest stadium to watch some of the athletics events of the paralympics.
Today the group is feeling the strain of the busy schedule but are really starting to refine their movement and polish their pieces. The performance yesterday seemed to inspire them and the professionalism and precision of movement that they saw in the Troupe is being brought into the rehearsal today. This afternoon we will be bringing together all of their work and structuring the piece for the showcase, before a shopping trip to Beijing to finish the day.
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