Northern Ballet: Why we can’t tour any more
NewsThe company has confirmed our report from yesterday with some additional detail:
Northern Ballet has had to make the difficult decision to enter into negotiations to reassess the amount of live music that accompanies its touring productions from April 2024. The entire arts industry has been heavily impacted by rising costs across the board, with inflation, the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine causing drastic uplifts in the cost of everything from energy bills to set materials to the transportation costs associated with taking a production around the UK.
Due to these mitigating factors we have had to take certain steps – there have been redundancies within the company, and a reduction in touring over the past year – however, it has become clear that we can no longer continue with our traditional touring model and we will need to explore different options if we are to continue to bring world-class narrative ballets to audiences throughout the country. We fully believe in the power and importance of live music and where we can, it will remain an integral part of our productions, but with deep regret we cannot maintain it at every venue.
We are currently in discussion with the musicians, the Musician’s Union and Arts Council England to explore what a new touring model could look like for Northern Ballet. It remains our mission to create world-class new ballets, develop the next generation of talented new voices and share the joy of dance with audiences around the UK and we remain grateful to Arts Council England, Leeds City Council and our supporters for the funding and support that we receive.
Will the advertising for performances articulate very clearly and prominently whether there will be 100% live music, 100% live music but in pianoforte reduction, or something less than 100% live music? Audiences have the right to know, prior to making plans and purchases, whether they are paying for the real deal (and live music *does* make a difference: a good orchestra or accompanist is responsive to the spectacle on stage, and able to adapt in real time, ensuring that the performance is both unique and uniquely cohesive) or for a partial production.
“The war in Ukraine”…? – You mean Brexit. Who wrote this – the editorial of the Daily ‘Tory’graph?
Sorry for your plight. But it’s the ‘way of the world’ at the moment. Best of luck!
The elephant in the room is Brexit!
This is such a shame. It’s a disgrace that this is happening. I live near a city Northern Ballet tours to but I’m no longer going to go if there’s not live music. It’ll be soulless without it.
Much as this is a funding decision I can’t help but feel this reflects how music is often undervalued in ballet. Many ballet reviews fail to mention it; you often have to search pretty hard on ballet companies’ website to find out who’s conducting a ballet or even just a general mention of their orchestra; and so on. It shouldn’t be seen as something extra that you can get rid of if you’re short on money.
You are absolutely right! And in my view it’s mainly because of weak music directors who wouldn’t get any jobs other than with ballet companies!
They just don’t have the balls and no power to stand up against their “bosses” and fight for the music. Instead they must be grateful to have landed a well paid job and kiss ballet directors asses.
At the end of the day a music director belongs to the leading artistic team of a ballet company. There is absolutely no excuse for not have the orchestras visible on websites and posters and for not mentioning conductors. Obviously they just don’t care…