The Royal Ballet and Opera, Opera North and Northern Ballet work together to celebrate Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. 

Friday 13 September 2024

Beginning in September 2024, the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), Opera North and Northern Ballet will work together in a historic first with a performance commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Alongside local artists, the companies will collaborate with Bradford’s young people throughout the year to celebrate dance, singing and creativity as part of the district's cultural activities.

This new work is entitled Sing, Dance, Leap and is a major creative initiative that includes more than 2,000 primary school students from across Bradford. They will inspire the creation of new music, choreography and performance elements in a series of collaborative workshops run by the Ballet and Opera companies.

These innovative workshops will see Bradford’s young people become part of the creative process with professional artists. The work will be inspired by the experiences, hopes and dreams of real students. This final piece will be showcased at a mass participation performance on 18 June 2025, where all the students will perform their original piece of work live alongside the companies and local artists.

The Royal Ballet and Opera began working in Bradford in 2023 as part of a four-year project that focuses on broadening access to arts education for young people, no matter their background, as well as inspiring their own creativity through the RBO Schools and Chance to Dance initiatives.

RBO Schools is a nation-wide initiative providing free teacher training, live lessons and learning resources. It has been rolled out across several Bradford schools over the past year, giving students the opportunity to engage with with opera and ballet, promote self-expression and inspire creative confidence.

Chance to Dance is a programme that creates lasting links between primary schools and local dance schools to encourage greater access to ballet through a more diverse talent pool. It has also been introduced across a number of Bradford primary schools. Thomas Whitehead, Bradford-born Principal Character Artist with The Royal Ballet, was involved in Bradford’s first Chance to Dance event earlier this year and continues to advocate for greater opportunities for young people to be involved in opera and ballet, including through Sing, Dance, Leap.

He says: ‘I feel extremely proud to have been able to bring the art form I love so much back to Bradford as part of the RBO’s Chance to Dance programme, and now as part of Bradford 2025. Bradford has such a rich cultural heritage, and Sing, Dance, Leap is about celebrating the young people who are the future of that culture through dancing and singing. It’s always amazing to show ballet and opera to people who may not have experienced it before, but of course it’s extra special to be able to do it in my hometown.’

Supporting Bradford 2025 is a core element of the Royal Ballet and Opera’s commitment to widening access to ballet and opera for young people right across the country. Jillian Barker, Director of Learning and Participation at the Royal Ballet and Opera, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with the young people of Bradford, alongside Opera North, Northern Ballet and local artists, to celebrate Bradford 2025. Everyone should have the chance to be creative, no matter where they are from, and we are honoured that we have the chance to work together with Bradford students on a piece truly inspired by their own creativity. We look forward to continuing our work in Bradford beyond 2025 to ensure the district’s young people continue to have access to these extraordinary artforms.’ 

Leanne Kirkham, Director of Learning and Academy Operations at the Northern Ballet, said: ‘As a company rooted in West Yorkshire, and with a strong commitment to outreach work within Bradford for over twenty years, we knew we wanted to get involved in Bradford 2025. We want to contribute to all the wonderful opportunities and experiences it will provide for local young people. It is also a fantastic opportunity to work with two other cultural powerhouses, to tell the stories of thousands of young people through the beautiful art of ballet and opera. Our Community Dance Artists cannot wait to get back into Bradford and start work on this project.’

Laura Canning, Opera North General Director, said: ‘Bradford 2025 is going to be a remarkable year, and we are so glad to be a part of celebrating all this youthful, diverse, growing city has to offer, right in the heart of West Yorkshire. During the next year and beyond, Opera North will be sharing joyous and moving musical experiences with audiences across the city, including with the schools taking part in Sing, Dance, Leap. We can’t wait to join forces with the Royal Ballet and Opera, and our fellow Leeds arts organisation, Northern Ballet, to help bring the young people's stories to life.’

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, said: 'We're delighted to be working in partnership to create this unique opportunity for children to sing, dance and tell stories. This extraordinary project will have a lifelong impact across the Bradford District, across West Yorkshire and the North for years to come.'