Ballet West THE NEXT STAGE

The Next Stage is the degree showcase for the first students in Scotland completing a degree in ballet performance. The show is the culmination of three years of work and is the final assessment that the students will take before graduating with a BA in Classical Ballet and Dance Performance from the UHI Millennium Institute.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see these talented students before they leave to work as professional dancers. The show demonstrates the breadth of experience the dancers have gained from classical ballet, modern ballet, contemporary and musical theatre skills. New work has been created on the students by leading choreographers including Frank Freeman, as well as work that the students have devised themselves.
The nine graduating students have come from all over the UK and studied at Ballet West in Taynuilt in a unique collaboration with North Highland College, an academic partner of the UHI Millennium Institute.

Gillian Barton said: “Our degree is one of the first of its kind in the UK and will help our students to forge a career for life, enabling them to go into any aspect of dance including performing, teaching and choreography. In the performing arts, as in virtually every walk of life, employers are looking for professional qualifications and our degree will meet an industry demand.”

The school was founded in 1991 by Gillian, a Royal Academy of Dance-trained dancer who has worked all over the world as a dancer, choreographer and teacher, in the theatre, TV and film. Ballet West students have gone on to work in all the leading UK ballet companies and win international competitions.

The school is small compared to other dance colleges, enabling the staff to give intensive and tailored training to students who aspire to a career in the performing arts. Resident staff are supported by a wide range of guest professionals who provide links between the student and the performing arts industry.

Although the reputation of the school has been built on classical ballet, this new course offers equal opportunity to excel in the skills required for musical theatre.

Gillian said: “We can now enable our students to achieve a well-respected academic qualification through excellent dance training, producing performers who will have a breadth of skills, enabling them to pursue long and varied careers. The Next Stage demonstrates that we can train dancers ready to embark on successful careers in the profession, whether as classical dancers or in the commercial sector”.
Donald MacBeath, depute principal of North Highland College UHI, said: “We are delighted to partner Ballet West in the new degree. The college already makes a significant contribution to the UHI performing arts curriculum, particularly in the music and drama disciplines.  Our partnership with Ballet West further enhances this provision by creating an opportunity for students to undertake degree level study in dance in the Highlands of Scotland.” 

The comedian and actor Billy Connolly has applauded the successful completion of the first year of a classical ballet and dance performance degree at the prospective University of the Highlands and Islands.

Billy is a patron of Ballet West and has been associated with the company since founder and principal Gillian Barton choreographed the dance scenes in hit film Mrs Brown, with Billy, Dame Judi Dench and many Ballet West dancers.

“Ballet West and UHI have done a fabulous job on this degree. This is a great opportunity for young dancers to stay in Scotland and study, and it will be wonderful to see students from all over the UK and overseas coming to the Highlands and Islands to dance,” Billy commented. 

The Next Stage can be seen at the Corran Halls in Oban at 7:30pm on 7th April 2010.

For further information about the degree click here »

Contact: Mike Rowell
01866 822641
balletwest@btconnect.com

Photographs of Students are Copyright © Lesley and Harvey Wolfinger