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News and features index



News items
What's happening at BRB

Features

 Gaylene Cummerfield
December 6, 2008
 David Bintley on 2008's Claras
November 14, 2008
 Welcome to the jungle
October 22, 2008
 David Bintley on the story of Sylvia
October 22, 2009
 David Bintley on his Sylvia reworking
October 22, 2008
 Robert Parker on Enigma Variations
October 22, 2008
 Wolfgang Stollwitzer interview
October 5, 2008
 The Beasts within
October 4, 2008
 Lei Zhao
September 6, 2008
 Kristen McGarrity
September 6, 2008
 Behind the scenes: Department for Learning
August 18, 2008
 New faces look back
July 14, 2008
 Birmingham Royal Ballet on Classic FM
July 8, 2008
 Notes on Petrushka (full version)
July 4, 2008
 The history of Le Baiser de la fée
July 4, 2008
 Notes on Card Game
July 4, 2008
 Jonathan Payn on BBC Radio York, Spring 2008
June 18, 2008
 Ambra Vallo on Giselle
June 13, 2008
 Desmond Kelly
June 6, 2008
 The Fairy's Kiss
May 13, 2008
 The history of Card Game
May 10, 2008
 Petrushka
May 9, 2008
 Stravinsky: the real deal
May 3, 2008
 Your personal profile
April 22, 2008
 Behind-the-scenes: wardrobe
April 2, 2008
 South-West tour notes
March 20, 2008
 2008-09 season
March 20, 2008
 North-East tour notes
March 19, 2008
 Anniek Soobroy
March 10, 2008
 Céline Gittens
March 7, 2008
 The light fantastic
February 12, 2008
 Dominic Antonucci
February 11, 2008
 Japan 2008 desktop wallpaper
January 11, 2008
 Behind the scenes: Diana Childs
December 7, 2007
 Fantasy and Reality
December 1, 2007
 An Entertainment of Genius
December 1, 2007
 Beauty and the Beast
November 19, 2007
 Stravinsky autumn 2008
September 19, 2007
 Angela Paul
October 9, 2007
 All that jazz
October 8, 2007
 Cardiff2008
October 5, 2007
 Enjoy Strictly dancing?
October 3, 2007
 New arrivals 2007
September 24, 2007
 Tyrone Singleton
September 21, 2007
 Edward II
August 10, 2007
 Strictly dancing
August 10, 2007
 Take Five costume rehearsals
June 22, 2007
 Mary Goodhew: the making of a dancer
June 12, 2007
 Michael O'Hare
June 1, 2007
 200708 Season
March 28, 2007
 Carl Davis interview
February 7, 2007
 Pas de deux - Stravinsky and Balanchine
January 29, 2007
 Ballet Hoo! aftershow interviews
October 7, 2006
 The Acrobat and the Ringmaster
April 20, 2006
 Transaction Charges
July 14, 2006

 
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Behind the scenes: Department for Learning



Part two



Of course, a number of other members of the Company have long been involved in the department's work, notably various Company dancers.

'I think that really began when the Hippodrome was refurbished,' says Pearl, 'and the dancers' schedules weren't quite as busy as they are today. So it was an opportunity to use them and to develop their skills as teachers.

'Many of them who have been through the training programmes will very much say that they've benefited from those experiences.'

And many of them already have. When interviewed earlier in 2008, Principal Dominic Antonucci credited his work with the Department as an integral part of his development.

'I never would have been able to teach the company, and I never would have had the kind of insight that I have now into our work had I not done the education work myself,' admits Dominic.

'In the last few years I've had to slow down my education work because I've started teaching class, and I've had fatherhood too so I've got more responsibilities,' he says, 'but also I wanted to step out of the way and give the younger people and the less experienced people an opportunity to do that kind of work.'

Likewise, a number of dancers with the Company took part in projects when they themselves were students. Speaking just last month, Laura-Jane Gibson praised the projects for allowing her to meet members of the Company long before she joined as a dancer in 2007. 'I've done summer schools here before, which was great at the time, and it also meant I already knew quite a lot of the Company members,' she said, 'so when I came here I felt at home straight away.'

Looking ahead, the focus for the department has become much more orientated towards access. 'During Ballet Hoo!, because it required such focus, we weren't able to do any of our regular outreach work in our touring venues, like Plymouth and Sunderland', says Pearl. 'So since then we've been trying to rebuilding those relationships.

'There is a constant juggle between providing projects where we work with a group over a sustained period which could be a week, six weeks or longer, and the one-off projects where we visit a school for a day.

'You're going to have more impact from the longer projects in some ways, because you can develop the relationships and develop the work that the students do. But then, it is important to be able to reach out to as many schools as possible so as many people as possible have an opportunity to work with Birmingham Royal Ballet.'

For now, however, Pearl feels happy with the position of the department and the future of their work.

'What Ballet Hoo! really left us with was an increased understanding of the effect and power of the work that the Company does, and how the passion of individuals can impact on such a massive scale.

'The Company is committed to giving young people opportunities to achieve in and through the arts, and we're enjoying closer relationships with Birmingham City Council and the Youth Service. Since April we've been talking and developing ideas with them about what we can do next. From September we'll start to work on staff development between the youth service staff and Birmingham Royal Ballet staff.

'Because to engage young people, we firmly believe that we first have to engage those gatekeepers, those people who work with young people, to get them engaged and involved and as passionate about the work as we are.

'It's great when the whole Company gets a buzz from the learning and outreach work that we do!'

ENDS

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Behind the scenes: Department for Learning

Part two



Of course, a number of other members of the Company have long been involved in the department's work, notably various Company dancers.

'I think that really began when the Hippodrome was refurbished,' says Pearl, 'and the dancers' schedules weren't quite as busy as they are today. So it was an opportunity to use them and to develop their skills as teachers.

'Many of them who have been through the training programmes will very much say that they've benefited from those experiences.'

And many of them already have. When interviewed earlier in 2008, Principal Dominic Antonucci credited his work with the Department as an integral part of his development.

'I never would have been able to teach the company, and I never would have had the kind of insight that I have now into our work had I not done the education work myself,' admits Dominic.

'In the last few years I've had to slow down my education work because I've started teaching class, and I've had fatherhood too so I've got more responsibilities,' he says, 'but also I wanted to step out of the way and give the younger people and the less experienced people an opportunity to do that kind of work.'

Likewise, a number of dancers with the Company took part in projects when they themselves were students. Speaking just last month, Laura-Jane Gibson praised the projects for allowing her to meet members of the Company long before she joined as a dancer in 2007. 'I've done summer schools here before, which was great at the time, and it also meant I already knew quite a lot of the Company members,' she said, 'so when I came here I felt at home straight away.'

Looking ahead, the focus for the department has become much more orientated towards access. 'During Ballet Hoo!, because it required such focus, we weren't able to do any of our regular outreach work in our touring venues, like Plymouth and Sunderland', says Pearl. 'So since then we've been trying to rebuilding those relationships.

'There is a constant juggle between providing projects where we work with a group over a sustained period which could be a week, six weeks or longer, and the one-off projects where we visit a school for a day.

'You're going to have more impact from the longer projects in some ways, because you can develop the relationships and develop the work that the students do. But then, it is important to be able to reach out to as many schools as possible so as many people as possible have an opportunity to work with Birmingham Royal Ballet.'

For now, however, Pearl feels happy with the position of the department and the future of their work.

'What Ballet Hoo! really left us with was an increased understanding of the effect and power of the work that the Company does, and how the passion of individuals can impact on such a massive scale.

'The Company is committed to giving young people opportunities to achieve in and through the arts, and we're enjoying closer relationships with Birmingham City Council and the Youth Service. Since April we've been talking and developing ideas with them about what we can do next. From September we'll start to work on staff development between the youth service staff and Birmingham Royal Ballet staff.

'Because to engage young people, we firmly believe that we first have to engage those gatekeepers, those people who work with young people, to get them engaged and involved and as passionate about the work as we are.

'It's great when the whole Company gets a buzz from the learning and outreach work that we do!'

ENDS