Photo: Bill Cooper

HISTORY

In 1997 a renewed friendship between Bridget Hearne and Janet Lewis and the seed of an idea in conversation led to the eventual formation of English Youth Ballet (EYB) in 1998.

With Janet Lewis as Director and with years of experience behind her as a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher and as a producer and director of her own company, Lewis London Ballet, EYB was set up with its first production The Nutcracker at the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil, Somerset.

Introducing the choreographic skills and teaching ability of Ursula Hageli and Richard Slaughter together with their international reputation as principal dancers in the leading roles; Bridget Hearne in her capacity as co-ordinator with responsibility for publicity and marketing and Juliet Hayes as administrative officer, the project took off.

With no financial support it was to be a test project to judge its viability and student and audience enthusiasm for such an idea. The project would take a familiar classical production and in this case The Nutcracker and after an audition involving nearly 200 young dancers 100 were chosen. It was an overwhelming success.

This led to a firm policy that EYB would take large scale classical ballet productions to regional theatres across the whole country using local ballet talent from each area. It was felt that as most youth ballets were rehearsed and staged in London requiring young dancers and their families to travel vast distances to participate. EYB would do the reverse — professional choreographers would come to a particular region, rehearse in a local school and produce a ballet for 3/4 performances in their local theatre.

Since those early days not only have the number of EYB productions increased annually but personnel has moved on.  Ursula Hageli is now ballet mistress to The Royal Ballet and Juliet Hayes Theatre Manager for the Comedy Theatre in London.  Dominic Marshall was appointed in 2000 as principal choreographer and Assistant Artistic Director.  Bridget Hearne now General Manager and the principal dancers are currently Julianne Rice-Oxley, Emma Lister, Kasper Cornish and Matthew Allan with Paul Lewis from English National Ballet and Oliver Speers from the Toulouse Company in France as occasional guest artists. 

The company has expanded its repertoire to include The Sleeping Beauty boasting 278 costumes designed by Keith Bish and a new production of The Nutcracker was premiered in 2005.  In 2008 to celebrate its 10 year anniversary the company will stage Giselle. The company currently visits 8 regions of the UK each year.