Northern Ballet is bringing three short pieces to Leeds this September under the banner Three Short Ballets, blending brand-new choreography with returning favourites.
The bill opens with Grandes Études, a world-first piece from New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Tiler Peck, alongside the company’s first-ever staging of Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen’s Five Tangos, and the return of Olivier Award-winning choreographer Mthuthuzeli November’s Fools. Performances run at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre between 18 and 26 September, with a dedicated Under 30s Night midway through, on 22 September.
Fools draws on both R.L. Peteni’s novel Hill of Fools and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, telling the story of two lovers caught between warring villages. Since debuting in 2024, it has earned a National Dance Award nod in the Best Classical Choreography category, while Northern Ballet’s Sarah Chun picked up an Olivier nomination in the Outstanding Achievement in Dance category for her performance in it.
Complicated human attraction
Five Tangos, one of van Manen’s signature pieces, blends classical ballet with the drama of Argentine tango, set to music by Astor Piazzolla; it first premiered back in 1977, and the piece digs into how complicated human attraction can be, set in a world that never stops moving to its own rhythm. Grandes Études is a new commission for Peck, who’s built an online following as well as a stage career, choreographed to Liszt’s Grande Étude de Paganini, with concert pianist Rose McLachlan performing live.
The Under 30s Night has sold out in previous years, offering ticket-holders aged 30 and under an evening out for £10.25, including a free programme and a complimentary drink.
Tickets for the Leeds run are on sale now via northernballet.com/three-short-ballets.
