A student dancer from Long Buckby will perform across England on a four-month tour with Ballet Central.
Verity Game, 19, a final year dance student, joins the company for a four-month tour of 11 venues across England, starting April 2022 in Hornchurch, Essex, performing in Birmingham, Guildford, Newbury, Cambridge, London and more places.
The young company presents a new cast of exceptional dancers performing a mix of original pieces by distinguished choreographers and a revival of an existing contemporary work. Ticket prices for all shows are deliberately low to make the tour widely accessible.
Verity trained at the Northamptonshire School of Dance, then at Tring Park Classical Ballet Academy, Royal Ballet Junior Associates and Elmhurst Ballet School. She is currently in the final year of a three-year BA (Hons) Professional Dance & Performance at Central School of Ballet in London.
Verity said: “The opportunity to perform on the Ballet Central tour is very special after two years of Covid pandemic restrictions. I’m excited to perform and experience the atmosphere of a live audience as we draw them into the world we create on stage.
“My ambition is to perform as a professional dancer and enjoy the energy of the live audience. I would like to join a classical ballet company when I graduate in July and perform classical and neo-classical repertoire and hone my professional interpreting skills.
Central is a global professional dance training center offering graduates employment opportunities with the world’s leading dance companies and international musical theater productions. Students join the Ballet Central touring company to gain professional performance experience and the opportunity to work with top choreographers until they graduate in July.
Under the artistic direction of Artist-in-Residence Mikaela Polley and Artistic Director Kate Coyne, Ballet Central will present three new pieces this year created on the dancers of Central.
Mikaela Polley’s new piece Unbound involves the whole company, created as a celebration of the ensemble’s dynamism bringing together classical ballet and contemporary dance.
Dance industry influencer Ashley Page’s new choreography, Twice Removed, is set to music by composer John Adams. Ballet Black’s Mthuthuzeli November, also a former Ballet Central touring dancer, has created a new piece Sunset in Cape Town that showcases her distinctive choreographic voice. Cathy Marston’s Moving, Still is re-enacted especially for this year’s Ballet Central tour.
Mikaela Polley, Artist in Residence, said, “The experience of working with renowned choreographers in the creative process is invaluable for student dancers. They learn to absorb, understand and interpret the story of each piece and the different ways of working of choreographers. This accelerates their growth as future professionals and helps prepare for the transition to corporate life when they graduate in July.
Kate Coyne, Artistic Director of Central, said, “Joining Ballet Central and the experience of performing on tour sets our dancers apart and supports their future employability in the dance industry.
