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The last two years have been tough for everyone in the arts but they have been particularly hard for adult ballet students who long to perform in public. For Powerhouse Ballet which was founded just under 4 years ago, the lockdown was almost fatal. We had been riding high with our very successful workshop with Yorkshire choreographer Alex Hallas and were looking forward to learning the snowflakes scene from The Nutcracker when everything was put on hold.
I feared that it would be the end of Powerhouse Ballet and probably all the other amateur companies in the United Kingdom because we could no longer meet for class. But help came quite unexpectedly from Amsterdam when Maria Chugai of the Dutch National Ballet offered us an online class. That class was very successful and showed that it was possible to train over Zoom. I engaged all our regular teachers as well as Shannon Lilly, Beth Meadway and Krystal Lowe to give online classes. When restrictions were relaxed in 2020 we held classes in studios in Birmingham and Leeds. Though it was expensive and hard we never missed a monthly company class and, most importantly, we stayed together.
I feared that it would be the end of Powerhouse Ballet and probably all the other amateur companies in the United Kingdom because we could no longer meet for class. But help came quite unexpectedly from Amsterdam when Maria Chugai of the Dutch National Ballet offered us an online class. That class was very successful and showed that it was possible to train over Zoom. I engaged all our regular teachers as well as Shannon Lilly, Beth Meadway and Krystal Lowe to give online classes. When restrictions were relaxed in 2020 we held classes in studios in Birmingham and Leeds. Though it was expensive and hard we never missed a monthly company class and, most importantly, we stayed together.
Now that the country is emerging from lockdown Powerhouse Ballet can rebuild. My immediate aim is to stage a mixed bill which will include Terence Etheridge's Aria, Yvonne Charlton's Morning, Waltz of the Flowers and Snowflakes from The Nutcracker and part of the wilis' choreography from Act II of Giselle. Much of the preparation for this will be at a summer school in North Wales. In the longer term, we plan to set up an associates class and I have engaged the assistance of someone with considerable experience in that area to advise me.
That leaves the tricky matters of funding and governance. Over the last two years, it was easier for me to sponsor the company's activities and I will continue to do so but our plans will require more than I can afford. In the medium term, we will need to reintroduce a subscription, seek grants and sponsorship. Publications like this blog, the Stage Door and classes outside the North of England could generate revenue for Powerhouse Ballet. Eventually, we shall seek charitable status for which we shall need trustees, a business manager and a full-time artistic director.
Returning to the present, if you want to meet us with a view to joining us, register for our company class at Dance Studio Leeds on 26 Feb 2022 from 15:30 until 17:00.
That leaves the tricky matters of funding and governance. Over the last two years, it was easier for me to sponsor the company's activities and I will continue to do so but our plans will require more than I can afford. In the medium term, we will need to reintroduce a subscription, seek grants and sponsorship. Publications like this blog, the Stage Door and classes outside the North of England could generate revenue for Powerhouse Ballet. Eventually, we shall seek charitable status for which we shall need trustees, a business manager and a full-time artistic director.
Returning to the present, if you want to meet us with a view to joining us, register for our company class at Dance Studio Leeds on 26 Feb 2022 from 15:30 until 17:00.
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