DANCE BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS IN HULL

29 September 2004

Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre has joined forces with the Association of Refugees in Kingston upon Hull (ARKH), Hull College and Kingswood High School in a groundbreaking community dance and music project in Hull.

The project and Northern Ballet Theatre’s Hull season of Swan Lake, which appears at the New Theatre from 23 – 27 November, have been made possible thanks to a £25,000 donation of support from Barclays.

From Friday 1 October until Saturday 13 November Northern Ballet Theatre and Hull College will lead a series of free weekly workshops for school pupils, refugees and asylum seekers in the local community. The project, called Feathered Stories, will teach participants new dance and music skills as well as encouraging them to contribute their own creative ideas.

Northern Ballet Theatre dance teacher Clare Parker, musician Kate Pearson and Kurdish musician Nahro Zagros from ARKH have been working with dance degree students from Hull College to create the workshops. The students and teachers will lead separate workshops for the asylum seekers and Kingswood High School pupils, before bringing all participants together in two intensive weekend sessions to create an original dance and music piece. The project culminates in a performance for participants’ friends and family at the new arts space in Hull College on Saturday 13 November.

Feathered Stories will explore the themes of migration, flight and freedom and the symbolism of birds in different cultures and countries. All participants of the project and their families are invited to see a performance of Northern Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake at the New Theatre which includes a backstage tour and company talk.

Northern Ballet Theatre’s Director of Learning & Access Wieke Eringa said: "Thanks to Barclays we have this fantastic opportunity to ensure there will be people coming into the theatre who would otherwise not have a chance. A project like this is so vital because it builds on new friendships and understanding between different groups of people who wouldn’t usually come into contact with each other, let alone be creative together and share their life's experiences."

If you are 16 years or over and new to this country and would like to take part in Feathered Stories please contact: Dave Palmer, Northern Ballet Theatre (0113 274 5355), Lynne Colley, ARKH (07768 725 727) or Nahro Zagros (07752 778 262).