Long Buckby student performs with renowned dance company Ballet Central on spring tour

A student dancer from Long Buckby will perform across England on a four-month Ballet Central tour.

Verity Game, 19, a final year dance student, is joining the company on a four-month, 11 venue tour across England, to start in April 2022 in Hornchurch, Essex performing in Birmingham, Guildford, Newbury, Cambridge, London and more locations.

The young company presents a new cast of exceptional dancers performing a mixture of original pieces from distinguished choreographers and a restaging of an existing contemporary work. Ticket prices for all shows are deliberately low to make the tour widely accessible.

Verity trained at Northamptonshire School of Dance then went on to Tring Park Classical Ballet Academy, the Royal Ballet Junior Associates and Elmhurst Ballet School. She is now in the final year of a three-year BA (Hons) Professional Dance & Performance degree at the Central School of Ballet in London.

Verity said: “The opportunity to perform as part of the Ballet Central tour is very special after two years of Covid pandemic restrictions. I’m excited to perform and experience the atmosphere of a live audience as we draw them into the world that we create on stage.

“My ambition is to perform as a professional dancer and to enjoy the energy of live audiences. I would love to join a classical ballet company when I graduate in July and perform classical and neo classical repertoire and perfect my professional performance skills.”

Central is a world-leading centre for professional dance training providing graduates with opportunities for employment in the world’s foremost dance companies and international musical theatre productions. Students join the touring company Ballet Central to gain professional performance experience and the opportunity to work with leading choreographers leading up to graduation in July.

Under the artistic direction of Artist-in-Residence Mikaela Polley and Artistic Director Kate Coyne, Ballet Central will present three new pieces this year created on Central’s dancers.

Mikaela Polley’s new piece Unbound involves the entire company, created as a celebration of the dynamism of the ensemble bringing classical ballet and contemporary dance together.

New choreography from the dance industry influencer Ashley Page, Twice Removed, is to music by the composer John Adams. Ballet Black’s Mthuthuzeli November, also a former dancer on the Ballet Central tour, has created a new piece Sunset in Cape Town that demonstrates his distinctive choreographic voice. Cathy Marston’s piece Moving, Still is being restaged especially for this year’s Ballet Central tour.

Mikaela Polley, Artist-in-Residence said: “The experience of working with renowned choreographers in the creative process is invaluable for student dancers. They learn to absorb, understand, and interpret the story of each piece and the choreographers’ different ways of working. This accelerates their growth as future professionals and helps to prepare for the transition into company life when they graduate in July.”

Kate Coyne, Central’s Artistic Director said: “Joining Ballet Central and the experience of performing on tour distinguishes our dancers and supports their future employability in the dance industry."