A night at the ballet

I was lucky enough to be treated by a friend to a night at the ballet, just after the New Year. We went to see Northern Ballet's 'Cinderella' at the Grand Theatre in Leeds - and it was wonderful. All the city's Christmas lights were still lit, so it was lovely walking through the city centre from the rail station to the theatre.

The theatre itself is full of history, built in 1878 in an elaborate mix of styles: gothic, Romanesque and Scottish baronial. The traditional Victorian interior has tiers - the Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle, Balcony (Gallery) and Upper Balcony, carefully organised to maintain the separation of rank for the class-conscious Victorians. There are still some boxes at the sides too. (One of my abiding childhood memories is the thrill of our family having a box at a performance in a theatre in Nottingham. I can't even recall what we saw, but I remember the box, vividly!) The Grand has, of course, been upgraded many times during its life and is now a comfortable venue with enough elegance to make you feel rather special.

We had excellent seats near the front in the Stalls, close enough to the stage to be able to see the expressions on the faces of the dancers, and with a glimpse down into the orchestra pit in front of and below the stage. Such anticipation waiting for that red curtain to draw back and reveal the performance...

These are all snaps taken on my phone, and I had to wait until the end when the theatre had emptied a bit. They do, however, give a glimpse of the theatre's breath-taking decoration. That's a massive chandelier at the centre of the ceiling rose, though my phone couldn't really deal with its brightness.

I couldn't of course, take any pictures during the ballet, so you'll have to believe me when I say it was absolutely gorgeous. I love that Northern Ballet performs with a live orchestra, the Sinfonia, and the costumes and staging were phenomenal. There are some photos on their website HERE. The company has existed since 1969, building from a small dance troupe of just 11 dancers to become one of the world's greatest ballet companies. In particular it benefitted hugely from the leadership, as Artistic Director, of the renowned Christopher Gable, from 1987 until his death in 1998.  The company now operates from a huge, brand new purpose-built studio and theatre space in Leeds, now under the direction of David Nixon.