!['.$row['PostTitle'].' header image](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1555656220-46e30749d330?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MXwxNzUzNDF8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxiYWxsZXR8ZW58MXwwfHw&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080)
Scottish ballet is a ballet company based in Glasgow, which travels around the world performing. It was founded by peter Darrell in 1969. There are many shows that they perform, some recent ballets being The Snow Queen and The Crucible, and they were supposed to be performing Swan Lake at the moment, but that has been cancelled due to Covid-19. In 2019, the company celebrated 50 years of the company, and hope to see many more.
When Peter Darrell founded the company in 1969 he had actually already set up a ballet company around a decade before, in Bristol with Elizabeth West. Despite already having this company he accepted an invitation to relocate to Glasgow in 1969. Giving Scotland its very own ballet company! At the beginning, Scottish Ballet was known as Scottish Theatre Ballet. It has been exceptional ever since.
Scottish Ballet’s mission is ‘to inspire on stage and beyond’. They are always exploring new styles for their choreography, but their roots and passion will always lie in classical technique. They hope to bring joy to anyone who watches their ballets, whatever age or background, and are always striving for excellence. They will continue this mission as long as possible, and will continue to nurture their dancers and inspire.
Scottish Ballet is the national dance company for Scotland, and has an incredible associate programme. The associate programme goes from p6 and p7, being Junior Associates, S1 and S2, being Mid Associates and S3, S4 and S5, being Senior Associates. I am currently a Mid Associate, and am definitely auditioning again this year in the hope of getting into the Senior Associates. A typical day for a Mid Associate would be two classes on a Saturday, 1:45-3:15pm and then 3:30–5:00pm. We either have 2 ballet classes or, every second week, we have a ballet class and a contemporary class. I really enjoy these classes.
In Contemporary we usually do a mixture of learning the form of dancing contemporary and conditioning. We sometimes have creative tasks to do, which are very fun. These are when you get to choreograph your own short dance. We choreograph in various sizes of groups, to learn how to put across your ideas but to also compromise, and the final outcome has to be everyone’s ideas put together. In ballet we usually do a class consisting of; Barre work, centre work, allegro (jumps), grand allegro (big jumps) and pointe work (for the girls) and training (for the boys). We also do some repertoire and strengthening exercises in class. At the start of the year, we are given a Thera-Band to do strengthening exercises at home, and a notebook to write down all of our corrections that we are given, to ensure that we don’t keep getting the same corrections over and over. I really enjoy the Associate Programme at Scottish Ballet, because I love dancing and it is such an amazing building, with beautiful studios - it is the best place to dance! It is also very nice because you are in the same building and studios that the professional dancers use, and this means we often see props and costumes in the studios for the upcoming shows, and it just makes it even more exciting when you see them on stage being used by dancers. I would definitely recommend auditioning for the Scottish Ballet Associate programme to anyone who loves to dance, especially ballet.
Community Engagement
Scottish Ballet not only is an amazing dance company, but it also does truly incredible things for the community. One programme that Scottish Ballet run is dance for Parkinson’s Scotland. In Scotland, there are estimated to be 10,000 people living with Parkinson’s. Dance helps people with Parkinson’s physically, mentally and socially. Every week there are around, 130 participants who take part in sessions taught by Scottish Ballet, partnered in this with Dance Base. The total number of places that host these classes will soon increase to 10 across Scotland. These classes are warm and informal, and feature elements of ballet, contemporary and a focus on Scottish Ballet’s repertoire. The classes have live music accompaniment and try to teach participants fluidity of movement, balance, coordination, expression, posture and rhythm. Another amazing programme Scottish Ballet run is called The Close, and provides a first-time ballet experience for young adults who have faced adversity through childhood. All of the participants are from Gorgie Mills Special School and learn creative and teamwork skills in a supportive environment. They do this through artistic projects inspired by Scottish Ballet’s Productions. Through music, dance and art, the young adults are pushed out of their comfort zone in a fun and exciting way. Scottish Ballet do lots more amazing community work.
If you would like to find out more about the history of the company, aims and achievements, how to apply for the Associate Programme and Scottish Ballet’s inspirational contribution to society, please visit www.scottishballet.co.uk to find out more.
