Northern Ballet's artistic director Federico Bonelli announces his inaugural season

One of the ways in which Bonelli aims to achieve that is through encouraging and developing a new generation of choreographers. Launched this month, Sketches is a new choreographic development programme devised by Bonelli to offer artists at different stages in their careers access to mentoring from leading choreographers to experiment with ideas, movement and storytelling. “It is really about championing the choreographic voices of tomorrow,” he says. “I am not a choreographer and I see my role as creating the conditions for new voices to come through. We have six dancer-choreographers who are all dancers with the company and we are also working with Leeds-based artist Jamaal Burkmar who trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and has worked with Phoenix – he is more experienced than the others but this will be his first time working with ballet dancers.” The cohort will be working on new pieces under the mentorship of acclaimed choreographers Sharon Watson, Kenneth Tindall and Mthuthuzeli November.

Another opportunity to bring new voices to the fore comes with the triple-bill Generations, which includes a UK premiere and a world premiere, being presented by the company in September. Curated by Bonelli, it comprises three contemporary dance pieces made by choreographers at different stages in their careers. “The first is Adagio Hammerklavier, a contemporary classic by Dutch Master Hans van Manen and we will be performing it in its 50th anniversary year,” says Bonelli. “The second is piece is by Benjamin Ella who is a Royal Ballet soloist and a young, exciting talent who is taking his first steps as a choreographer. This is his first commission for a major ballet company and I am very proud to give him that opportunity. The third piece is by Tiler Peck who is choreographer and principal dancer with the New York Ballet and one of the most celebrated dancers in the world – she has been described as ‘the ballerina who can stop time’. I’ve been following her work as a choreographer; she is so innovative and dynamic. This commission is her first for a European ballet company – and it will be happening in Leeds.”

One of Northern Ballet’s classic pieces – Christopher Gable and Massimo Moricone’s multi-award winning 1991 ballet Romeo & Juliet – is being revived for spring 2024. “It is one of our most beautiful ballets and I’m very much looking forward to seeing our new generation of dancers performing it,” says Bonelli. A new contemporary dance piece in response to it has been commissioned from Olivier Award-winning South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November. “His piece is based on a South African novel which is in turn inspired by Romeo and Juliet,” says Bonelli. “There is a really lovely thread there to perform a new story from a new perspective.”

As part of their ongoing work in Yorkshire schools, the company is also launching a new inclusive dance project Rise & Shine, led by Northern Ballet community dance artists, encouraging children with special educational needs and disabilities to progress their movement skills. “It has really profound benefits in terms of creativity and confidence building,” says Bonelli. “We are very proud of the work we do in that area.” In January the launch of Northern Ballet Late will see the company inviting people into their building for a series of informal ballet evenings. “We want to open our doors to all the communities in Leeds,” says Bonelli. “People will be able to watch a performance of new work, meet our dancers, see behind the scenes, plus there will be a DJ and a late bar. It’s an after-hours party with a bunch of surprises.”