Ballet Central

Thursday 18 April 7.45pm

Ballet Central

Civic and Cramphorn Theatres

The renowned graduate performing company from the Central School of Ballet, Ballet Central, will reach Chelmsford’s Civic Theatre on Thursday 18 April on their forthcoming tour. 

Performing in their home county at Chelmsford’s Civic Theatre is particularly exciting for four dance students from Essex: Thomas Broderick from Leigh-on-Sea aged 19, Joshua Earl from Epping also aged 19, Abigail Stopher who is 18 years old from Stamford-le-Hope and Bethany Pike from Colchester aged 20 who used to belong to local Ballet school The Chelmsford Ballet Company.  All four students are in their final year of training to be professional dancers at Central School of Ballet (CSB) in London which is this year celebrating its 30 year anniversary.   Ballet Central is the touring company of CSB, the prestigious centre for professional dance training and education.  Students on the final year of their three year BA (Hons) degree course join Ballet Central to gain invaluable touring experience before graduation.  Ballet Central’s dancers not only perform but also help with all aspects of staging, from technical lighting to wardrobe. 

The annual Ballet Central tour offers a chance to see some of the most highly skilled new dance talent perform newly commissioned works and much-loved revivals by the dance industry’s top choreographers. 

The highlights of this year’s Ballet Central repertoire include a dynamic range of new pieces; an elegant neo-classical piece by Kenneth Tindall entitled Signature 31/30 to a new score by Ballet Central’s Musical Director Philip Feeney, a thrilling new contemporary work Mapping #3 by Darshan Singh Bhuller, a vibrant jazz piece Love on Top by Stacey Haynes and an enthralling narrative dance called anon. by Christopher Marney.

William Glassman, Artistic Director of Ballet Central, explains why the Ballet Central tour is so well received across the UK: “Each year we bring dance pieces by some of the UK’s most highly acclaimed choreographers to local theatres. It’s a chance to see the most electrifying dance of today performed regionally.  Classical ballet fans will relish the Florestan Pas De Trois from The Sleeping Beauty and a revival of Christopher Gable’s Fireside pas de Deux from his 1993 production of Cinderella and if it’s contemporary dance that excites, a new work Insinuare by Sara Matthews and Leanne King will certainly deliver.”

Audiences for the much-anticipated Ballet Central tour are increasing each year attracting dance lovers and those new to live dance performance.  The varied repertoire features a programme of ballet, contemporary, jazz and narrative dance suitable for families and all age groups.  Ticket prices are deliberately low to make the tour widely accessible. Another highlight of Ballet Central is the music, much of which has been created by CSB’s Composer-in-Residence Philip Feeney who also performs live on the tour.

Sara Matthews, CSB’s Director, comments: “We are the only vocational ballet school to offer an Honours Degree and pre-professional touring experience on such a scale.  Ballet Central continues to be a springboard for hundreds of dancers into the top international dance companies. Dancers live to perform so touring is a much anticipated part of our three year curriculum.  And we hope that the Ballet Central tour will provide inspiration to young dancers who may be thinking about professional dance as a career.”

Graduates from CSB go on to join the world’s premier dance companies. Recent CSB students are currently employed with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Company, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, National Ballet of Estonia, Ballet Black, Northern Ballet, K Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Slovakia Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and many more.


Tickets are £14.50, concessions £11.50 and a family ticket £47.00. To book tickets visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres or call the Box Office on 01245 606505.