Covid-19: Northern Ballet returns to Leeds stage for live show

The live performance was the Leeds-based company's first in seven months

A ballet company believes it is the first to stage a major dance show in front of a live audience in the UK since lockdown began in March.

Northern Ballet was marking its 50th anniversary and performed excerpts from a number of ballets at Leeds Playhouse.

It had chosen work which would enable dancers, musicians and theatre staff to respect social distancing rules.

The company's show on Wednesday included dances from Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire and Giselle.

Rehearsals were held in a socially distanced way and dancers wore masks

The Leeds-based company has received £744,798 from the government's Cultural Recovery Fund.

"We held one performance, the world premiere of Geisha, in March before Covid caused us to have to cancel everything else for the year," a spokesman said.

"We believe this was the first significant live dance performance in the UK since lockdown began."

Dancers rehearsed while wearing face masks and theatre staff had to wear full PPE for costume fittings, make-up and physiotherapy.

Social distancing was maintained in dressing rooms, the stage had no set and the audience were socially-distanced, the company said.

Backstage staff wore full PPE during the performance

Artistic director David Nixon, said the company was thrilled to return to live performance despite the challenges.

"The year has been incredibly difficult for everyone and the arts is one industry that has been badly affected by Covid-19," he said.

"It is vital for our dancers to be able to return to performing and we feel fortunate that they are now able to do so.

"We hope that successfully holding our performances will contribute to setting a path for the curtain to lift on more live performance across the UK."

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