Special Ballet Show For Nottingham Business Community

30/4/09

A special performance by a Nottingham-based ballet touring company thrilled more than 100 invited guests.

New English Contemporary Ballet broke off from their country-wide tour to perform the critically acclaimed “.com together” for guests of Nottingham’s Yorkshire Bank’s Financial Solutions Centre and accountants and business advisors Smith Cooper.

Guests enjoyed drinks and canapés before the performance, which was choreographed by Jamie Thomson, at The Carriage Hall in Plumtree.

Artistic director Niall McMahon said it was a different venue to usual locations, such as the Nottingham Playhouse, but the performance had been extremely well received.

“There wasn’t a stage but that gave the audience the chance to get up close and personal as well as meet the ballet dancers afterwards,” he said.

“The performance of “.com together” is an abstract piece about the isolation of lives in the technological world and the importance of human relationships.

“These kinds of evenings are a great way of encouraging more people to go to the ballet without having to go to the theatre to see a live performance. It certainly had the wow factor in a different way because of the intimate nature of the venue.

“This kind of support, as shown by Yorkshire Bank and Smith Cooper, is vital to creative industries. It is very difficult for the arts to survive because funding is relatively limited and many arts companies only exist through support generated by audiences and corporate funding.”

Jo Belton, of Yorkshire Bank’s FSC in Nottingham, said around 100 clients from the bank and Smith Cooper loved the performance.

“I have seen New English Contemporary Ballet perform before and, once again, the dancers stirred plenty of emotions among the audience,” she said.

“We are always looking at different ways to network with businesses in the city and this was particularly well received by everyone who attended.”