Birmingham Royal Ballet takes to the streets to deliver a dazzling tribute to its hometown, as its legendary creator hits 100

Birmingham’s world-famous dancers have showcased their love for the city they call home in a dramatic set of images. Our City, Your Ballet features members of Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) captured by local photographer and Canon ambassador, Clive Booth.

The collection has been displayed across the city to highlight BRB’s close ties, together with an invitation for more people to discover and support the Company. Clive said: “It’s been a huge honour to be invited to shoot this and combine the beauty of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s elite dancers with the city of Birmingham’s stunning backdrops. It’s clear that both BRB and the city have a lot more to offer.”

The photoshoot coincided with the 100th birthday of one of ballet’s most influential directors and choreographers, Sir Peter Wright. The internationally-renown touring ballet company was first established in Birmingham by Sir Peter in 1990, transferring to the city after formerly being known as Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet. Since then, millions of ballet lovers have enjoyed performances which, together with community and educational work, have taken the name of Birmingham around the world.

RECORD-BREAKING

Sir Peter continued at the helm of BRB until 1995 and remains closely linked to the company as founding director laureate and choreographer of some of the most popular works, including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and his acclaimed adaptation of The Nutcracker.

The celebrations for Sir Peter’s 100th year included a unique performance by ballet superstar and BRB director Carlos Acosta. He said: “Sir Peter was instrumental in our move to Birmingham – he planted the seed for everything that followed and I am very honoured to direct the company that he created.

“In my, and many others’ opinion, his Nutcracker is the greatest Nutcracker in the world and it is a regular in our BRB repertoire. It has proved to be popular for more than 30 years and this year we broke ticket sales records with our most successful Nutcracker ever.”