{"id":8513,"date":"2015-10-07T17:58:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T16:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prsformusicfoundation.com\/?page_id=8513"},"modified":"2018-01-15T15:06:16","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T15:06:16","slug":"case-study-northern-ballet-1984","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/prsfoundation.com\/case-studies\/case-study-northern-ballet-1984\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Northern Ballet – 1984"},"content":{"rendered":"

Case Study: Northern Ballet \u2013 1984<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Since their successful opening night at West Yorkshire Playhouse on September 5th<\/sup>, Northern Ballet<\/strong>\u2019s 1984<\/em> has attracted much attention. Amongst the 4 and 5* reviews and high praise<\/a> from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, the BBC and more, Jonathan Watkins\u2019 choreography alongside Alex Baranowski\u2019s score has put the performance on the must see list of cultural events this year.<\/p>\n

\"1984<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Orwell\u2019s Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/em> and it\u2019s once futuristic thematic focus is unquestionably well known. From the Proles to Big Brother, through constant surveillance and Room 101 \u2013 there\u2019s no doubt that this adaptation was a daring task to undertake. Such dark themes and innate rigidity are surely amongst the most difficult to interpret through the art of dance – not so it seems for Watkins, trained by the Royal Academy and now freelance for the past two years. Amongst his numerous previous choreography credits you\u2019ll find similar projects such as Kes<\/em>, at the Sheffield Crucible, adapted of course from A Kestral for a Knave<\/em> by Barry Hines.<\/p>\n

The Northern Ballet<\/strong> itself has always pushed boundaries in its 45-year history, especially over the last ten years with adaptations of The Great Gatsby<\/em>, Wuthering Heights<\/em> and Cleopatra<\/em> to name a few. Despite this collection of forward thinking narrative works from artistic director David Nixon, the adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/em> and its dystopian world was a further step further still. We\u2019re thrilled to have granted funding towards the creation of Baranowski\u2019s score through our Open Funding<\/a> programme, especially as he and Watkins have worked so successfully together previously. Speaking to The Independent<\/strong> last month, Baranowski addressed the thematic issue:<\/p>\n

\u201cMusically we were very conscious of not being big and down and dark, especially with the cells before Room 101. There\u2019s a relatively long scene with the prisoners who\u2019ve been accused of thoughtcrimes and so on, whom (main character) Winston meets. We chose to be quite minimalist, using textures of sounds and noises \u2013 rather than, for instance, relentless minor chords and big drums\u2026 It\u2019s wonderful to work with a live orchestra and I\u2019m using it for all it\u2019s worth, with all its different noises and textures.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the same article, Watkins himself defended the much more modern route he\u2019s taken:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand why we can\u2019t approach ballet like a newly written play \u2013 why can\u2019t it be relevant to our times now? It\u2019s great to have escapism but it\u2019s also great to have something we can reflect on. As for the times we\u2019re living in, everyone knows there\u2019s surveillance up to the hilt, so it feels like the concepts it touches on already can relate to your life now. Life is dark.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

1984<\/em> is currently on tour, you can find the Northern Ballet<\/strong> in a city near you by heading to their website for tickets: http:\/\/northernballet.com\/1984<\/a><\/p>\n

Take a look at their video below for a sneak peak of what to expect:<\/p>\n