PRESS RELEASES

FIRST PRODUCTION FOR 2010
CHARTER THEATRE, PRESTON 12th & 13th MARCH

GISELLE

Over 100 dancers between the ages of 8 – 18 years have been chosen from an auditon last November to which over 200 young hopefuls attended. These young dancers will perform in the ballet Giselle at the Charter Theatre on 12th and 13th March. These performances are going to show what fantastic local talent there is in the Preston region and they certainly won’t disappoint the audiences that come to watch.

The professional dancers who take to the stage with English Youth Ballet will be guest artist David Kierce from Nothern Ballet Theatre who will partner Julianne Rice Oxley, Emma Lister and Lorein Slaughter and Alex Newton and Matthew Powell. The story of Giselle is set on an English country estate with an ‘upstairs, downstairs flavour’ and is about a young girl Giselle who is betrayed by the unfaithful prince Albert. As it is a completely new ballet staged for English Youth Ballet in 2008 the costumes are magnificent and with pretty scenery and spectacular dancing this production brings the ballet into the 21st century with warmth, colour and drama.

“Janet Lewis’ English Youth Ballet has now been going for a decade, growing in popularity to such an extent that 8 productions are currently staged each year. The logistics behind such an enterprise are quite baffling – each show uses from 80 – 120 young dancers aged between 8 and 18 so it is not only the concept of providing opportunities for ballet students in the regions to dance in classical ballets but also the incredibly efficient organisation behind it all that deserves accolade’
Dance Europe magazine.

THEATRE BOX OFFICE 01772 258858

For further information on press release, photographs and sponsorship packs please phone or email Bridget Hearne, General Manager on 020 8992 6891 or 07771 905226 Email: Bridget Hearne or EYB Head Office on 01689 856747 or Email:misslewis@englishyouthballet.co.uk

English Youth Ballet was the winner of the Stage Award for Special Achievement in Regional Theatre in 2006 and Janet Lewis, director, was honoured with an MBE in the New Years Honours list in 2008.

“English Youth Ballet is a triumph”   
Dance Expression magazine

“to say the evening was impressive would be an understatement” 
Eastern Daily Press.

“vibrant costumes, enthusiastic casting and hours of rehearsing made this
a very enjoyable evening that ended with a fabulous finale, receiving an
explosion of applause”
Woking News & Mail

Production shots can be downloaded from the Gallery link. They are zip files and may take a little while to download.