Sergei to join the YBSS gala

Sergei PoluninThe Yorkshire Ballet Summer School gala set to be held at Sadler’s Wells on 29 September has added an extra star to its performing ranks. Sergei Polunin, one of the most talked about male ballet stars of the twenty-first century will be joining the star-studded gala to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School, hosted by Sir Anthony Dowell and Sir Derek Jacobi, produced by Marguerite Porter and Richard Clifford.

Polunin will be joining other world class theatrical and dance names such as Wayne Sleep and Samantha Bond performing ‘We’re A Couple of Swells’ (originated by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in ‘Easter Parade’); dancers from the Northern Ballet in ‘Bitter Earth’ choreographed by Kenneth Tindall; Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball; Elizabeth Harrod, Soloist with the Royal Ballet;  ‘Le Corsaire’ performed by ENB soloist Lauretta Summerscales; the BalletBoyz and the Talent 2013, Steven McCrae with his own tap version of Gene Kelly’s ‘I Got Rhythm’; Dane Hurst in Mark Baldwin’s solo ‘Inala’, and dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet.

The YBSS grew out of the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars which began in 1973 by ex-Royal Ballet dancer and teacher David Gayle MBE to give young people the chance to meet ballet professionals and learn about opportunities to further their ballet interests.  Within two years the Seminars had morphed into the YBSS, the country’s first residential ballet course. Porter likens the YBSS to talent scouting: “We wanted to help regional children to meet and be seen by experienced artists and teachers…40 years later we are still in a privileged position because of our contacts in the ballet world and are so pleased to be able to continue directing promising students to vocational schools”.

It must be noted that both Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter have great admiration for the venture, as it “does wonderful work introducing children to the world of dance by providing them with world class tuition” and they only hope that sciatica and a dodgy hamstring won’t prevent them premiering the Dolores Umbridge and Carson pas de deux to a dance hungry public!

Tickets: £12 to £85 www.sadlerswells.com

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.