The Northern Ballet Archive tells the story of the Company’s development from foundation in 1969 to the present day.
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Laverne Meyer Poster Collection
Take a look at Northern Ballet's poster designs throughout its 50 year history, starting with productions under Laverne Meyer's artistic direction from 1969 - 1976.
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Robert de Warren Poster Collection
Take a look at Northern Ballet's poster designs under Robert de Warren's artistic direction from 1976 - 1987.
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Christopher Gable Poster Collection
Take a look at Northern Ballet's poster designs under Christopher Gable's artistic direction from 1987 - 1998 and Stefano Giannetti from 1999 - 2000
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David Nixon OBE Poster Collection
Take a look at Northern Ballet's poster designs under the leadership of current artistic director David Nixon OBE from 2001 to present.
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A Cinderella Story
The title of Cinderella has been returning to our repertoire since 1973, just a few years after the Company was founded.
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About the Archive
Our Archive comprises organisational and personal collections, from posters to pointe shoes, and programmes to production bibles. It covers more than 200 productions in our stage and screen repertoire.
Some of the collection strengths and highlights are:
Communications: Photographs, press scrapbooks and other publicity material; audio-visual recordings; cast sheets
Governance: Board of Directors minutes from 1969-present
Administration: Production files from 1969-2010s
The cataloguing of Governance & Administrative papers was supported by the Business Archives Council.
We also have records relating to:
- Company & Stage Management
- Music
- Wardrobe
- Academy
- Learning
- Development
- Estates
We are partway through an exciting project to develop our archive (through preservation, cataloguing and digitisation) and make it more accessible. We are gradually making our digitised collections available via Google Arts & Culture and eventually will transfer some of the archive to Leeds University Library Special Collections for long-term preservation and wider public access.
The collections are a rich resource for educators, dance artists and dance fans and have untapped research potential, for instance, those interested in how a regional dance company developed from humble beginnings to commanding centre stage in Leeds’ international dance scene.
Want to explore more?
Take a look at the catalogue so far.
Find other performing arts collections:
Leeds University Library Special Collections
Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC)
Want to find out more about what we collect?
Read our Collection Development Policy
Want to contribute to the archive?
Contact & Access
Please direct enquiries about our archives to:
Archive & Records Manager
archive@northernballet.com
+44 (0)113 220 8000
Please get in touch to find out more about our research, copying and digitisation services.
Some of the collection is not yet accessible to (external) researchers and the public, for instance material which contains sensitive personal information about individuals and is restricted under the Data Protection Act (2018). Please get in touch for more information.
Image references
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1a - Photographic contact sheet featuring Dame Alicia Markova rehearsing her production of Les Sylphides, premiered by the Company in Manchester, 1978. Dancers include principal Jenny Sui Kan Chiang. One of the 10,000+ photographic prints in the archive. Photo Brian Linney
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1b - Programme from Wallasey Arts Festival in 1970, one of Company’s earliest festival performances. Entry just one shilling and sixpence!
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1c - Manchester Sketch article by Company founder Laverne Meyer showcasing the North West’s new ballet company, November 1969. Featuring pictures of Meyer and two original dancers, Suzanne Hywel and Carol Barrett. From one of the many press and programme scrapbooks in the archive
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1d - Designer Peter Farmer’s Cinderella costume sketches for the 1979 version of the famous fairy-tale, choreographed by Robert de Warren. One of the many costume sketches in the archive
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1e - Sketch of rehearsals for Robert de Warren’s Miss Carter Wore Pink in the Company’s Zion Institute headquarters, Manchester. MCWP explored the childhood of painter and writer Helen Bradley. Illustrator ‘HW’, 1980
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1f - ‘Dancin ’85: A New Year’s Extravaganza of dance for everyone’, one of hundreds of fliers in the archive advertising the Company’s productions and workshops. 1985
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1g – PR shots, 1970s-1980s
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1h – Design transparency showing layers of a poster creation, [1980s]
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1i- Preparing the 5000+ photographic slides for sorting and digitisation, 2020. Photo H Jonkers
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1j - A Midsummer Night’s Dream poster, one of more than 500 production posters in the archive
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1k - Thank you letter from school pupil who saw Cinderella courtesy of the Learning Department’s outreach programme in 2014
More about Northern Ballet
About Northern Ballet
One of the world's leading ballet companies. Based in Leeds, UK, we tour the UK with our unique brand of dance storytelling, on a mission to make ballet accessible to everyone.
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Our History
Northern Ballet was set up in 1969 and has since grown to become one of the best-loved dance companies in the world.
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