Pictured: A promotional image from Northern Ballet's Cinderella

Academy of Northern Ballet student, Alice Bayston, is celebrating after being offered a professional contract with Northern Ballet following after training on the Academy’s Graduate Professional Programme. The pioneering programme, the first of its kind in the UK, offers a final year of training for aspiring classical ballet dancers looking to bridge the gap between school and their first professional contract.

As part of the course, 20 year old Alice, from Hull, has already performed with Northern Ballet in A Christmas Carol and Cinderella to gain performance experience. She will also perform in Cleopatra in Leeds and Sheffield in March 2014 and will take to the stage in her hometown when the Company tours to Hull New Theatre with Cinderella in April 2014.

Alice said: “I finished my vocational training last summer but I didn’t feel ready to head straight into my first job so I joined the Graduate Professional Programme to get stronger and develop my confidence. 

I’ve been working really hard and learning as much as possible so I was delighted when the Artistic Director approached me and offered me a contract with the Company. It’s a dream come true and now I’m even more excited to be performing Cinderella with the Company in Hull next month as it’s my home town and I hope everyone who comes to see it will be proud of me.”

The Academy of Northern Ballet’s Graduate Professional Programme commenced its pilot year in September 2013 as a one-year classical ballet finishing course where the teaching faculty includes former professional dancers lead by Northern Ballet’s Ballet Mistress and Associate Director of the Academy, Yoko Ichino. The full-time course takes place at Northern Ballet’s Leeds city-centre headquarters where Graduate Professional Students train alongside the Company’s professional dancers and have the chance to watch rehearsals, take the occasional Company Class and experience how a professional ballet Company operates.

Academy Programmes Manager, Faye Cardwell, said: “I am thrilled that Alice has been offered a professional contract with Northern Ballet. All of the students have worked extremely hard and Alice is one of four to be invited to join the Company which just shows the high standard that they have achieved during the course, not only in their classical technique but also with their professional conduct. I cannot wait to see her on stage for the first time as a Company dancer and I am proud that the Academy of Northern Ballet was able to play a key role in helping Alice achieve her dream to dance professionally.”

Alice will complete her training on the Graduate Professional Programme before joining Northern Ballet full-time from July 2014. Audiences in the UK can see her perform during the Company’s autumn tour of Dracula, The Great Gatsby, Cinderella and Peter Pan.

Northern Ballet's Cinderella comes to Hull New Theatre Wednesday 2 April - Saturday 5 April 2014. For tickets, please contact the Hull City Council Box Office on , or visit the website  

HullBID will also be hosting a special VIP event for BID Member businesses on the opening night - Wed 2 April - as part of our BID Business Network. For more information, please contact alana@hullbid.co.uk

Website: http://www.northernballet.com/

The Academy of Northern Ballet is the official school of Northern Ballet and is the only recognised Centre for Advanced Training specialising in Classical Ballet in the UK. Training programmes are offered at professional level for the professional dancers of the future and a wide range of classes at recreational level are available for anyone from the age of 18 months up. The Academy has a dedicated Student Support team to offer the best possible support and advice and ensure that students have a safe and friendly environment in which to pursue their passion for dance.

Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets.