PRESS RELEASE - IMAGES RELEASED FROM INSIDE THE REHEARSAL ROOM OF LONDON CITY BALLET AHEAD OF TOUR

[Jan McNulty]

PRESS RELEASE –   Youtube: londoncityballet / Instagram: thelondoncityballet / www.londoncityballet.com IMAGES RELEASED FROM INSIDE THE REHEARSAL ROOM OF LONDON CITY BALLET AHEAD OF TOUR   LONDON CITY BALLET EMBARKS ON ITS INAUGURAL SEASON IN JULY WITH A NEW COMPANY OF 14 INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED DANCERS, REPRESENTING 9 NATIONALITIES AND BRINGING EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE FROM PRINCIPAL ARTISTS AS WELL AS RISING STARS FROM THE UK DANCE SCENE THE INTERNATIONAL TOUR WILL VISIT BATH, CAMBRIDGE, CHELTENHAM, WINDSOR, YORK AND SADLER’S WELLS IN LONDON, AS WELL AS STOPS AT THE JOYCE THEATER IN NEW YORK, PORTUGAL, AND CHINA     London City Ballet has today released images from inside the rehearsal room with its new company of 14 dancers.     Images show the company rehearsing pieces from Resurgence, a programme of acclaimed works. Ashley Page’s Larina Waltz will mark the ballet’s 30th anniversary, while Five Dances is a new work premiering from Olivier award-winner Arielle Smith. Completing the programme will be Eve, a full company work by Christopher Marney, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2022, and the revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972 one-act ballet Ballade, unseen in Europe for over 50 years. At tour venues in Portugal and China the pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan's Concerto will also be performed.     London City Ballet’s upcoming tour will begin in the UK at Bath Theatre Royal (July 17-20), followed by Cambridge Arts Theatre (July 23-25), Latitude Festival (July 27), Cheltenham Everyman (August 2-3), and Windsor Theatre Royal (August 9-10). Then to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhongshan, Tianjin, and Hangzhou, before heading back to the UK to visit York Theatre Royal (Sept 6-7), and Sadler’s Wells London (Sept 11-14). In London at Sadler’s Wells, internationally celebrated ballerina Alina Cojocaru will join the company as a Guest Artist. The tour will then travel to The Joyce Theater, New York (Sept 17-22). On July 6-7 dancers from London City Ballet will feature at the International Ballet Gala at the Palácio de Seteais, Portugal.   Photo credits:  Photography by ASH   Tickets for the tour are available here.           NOTES TO EDITORS   Dates: PALÁCIO DE SETEAIS, PORTUGAL 6-7 July   BATH THEATRE ROYAL 17-20 July   CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE 23-25 July   LATITUDE FESTIVAL, SUFFOLK 27 July   CHELTENHAM EVERYMAN 2-3 August   WINDSOR THEATRE ROYAL 9-10 August   CHINA 16 August-1 September   YORK THEATRE ROYAL 6-7 September   SADLERS WELLS, LONDON 11-14 September   THE JOYCE THEATER, NEW YORK 17-22 September   Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes (including one 20 minute interval).   For more visit www.londoncityballet.com For queries contact info@londoncityballet.com   London City Ballet London City Ballet is a touring company of international dancers presenting engaging stories through dance to audiences across the world. Alongside creating newly commissioned work by upcoming, plus established, Choreographers and emphasis will also be on resurrecting older works that may no longer be in the mainstream repertoire. London City Ballet strives to present engaging and entertaining works whilst ensuring the history which came before them is not forgotten.   The original iteration of the company closed in 1996 having formerly been the resident company of Sadler’s Wells, and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives, patronised by Diana, Princess of Wales. It was sensitively reformed in 2023 after a 30-year hiatus, under the Artistic Direction of Christopher Marney.   The inaugural 2024 tour will pay homage to the company’s early beginnings, shining a bright light on a new chapter.   Christopher Marney Chris is a Choreographer, Teacher and former Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company Chicago and Central School of Ballet in London.   As a dancer Chris worked internationally for Balletboyz, Gothenburg Ballet Sweden, Ballet Biarritz France, Bern Ballet Switzerland and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures where he has danced many principal roles around the world.   During his time in these companies he performed in works by choreographers William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Nacho Duato and John Cranko to name a few. He danced with the Michael Clark Company in The Rite of Spring and Les Noces and his final performance in 2017 was with Ivan Putrov’s Men in Motion where he danced the Faun in Nijinsky’s L’Apres Midi d’un Faun.   The Critics Circle National Dance Awards nominated him for Outstanding Performance in Modern Dance two years running as well as being included in Dance Europe’s Outstanding Male Dancer 2013 list.   As a choreographer he has created works for Ballet Black, English National Ballet’s Emerging dancer, The Four Seasons for the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company, Nutcracker at the British Museum, Eve at Sadler’s Wells and Lady Macbeth at the New National Theatre in Tokyo.   His London West-End credits include choreography for McQueen The Play at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Tell Me on a Sunday at the St. James.   As a Director Chris has had the pleasure of programming diverse tours across the UK & US commissioning new work as wells as presenting repertoire by choreographers George Balanchine, Jasmin Vardimon, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Kenneth MacMillan, Liam Scarlett, Frederick Ashton and Matthew Bourne, amongst others.   He was named associate artist of the UK Foundation for Dance, holds a Masters degree in Choreography and was associate Choreographer for Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. Chris is patron of the Chelmsford Ballet Company and a guest teacher for ballet companies worldwide.