Fancy yourself as Siegfried or Sugar Plum - register here for Powerhouse Ballet's first class

A free 90 minute ballet class by Jane Tucker of Northern Ballet Academy for anyone over 18 who wishes to form an amateur ballet company in the Northern Powerhouse area (anywhere from Merseyside to Humberside and the Mersey and Humber estuaries to the Scottish border).

Jane is an inspiring teacher. Her classes are never easy but they are always fun. Her students work very hard from warm up to final reverence. Expect to do the usual barre exercises with a few original touches to keep you alert, a delightful but very tricky adagio, pirouettes from 4th, an interesting allegro that may even include fouettés, a variety of jumping exercises including perhaps grands jetés en tournant and finishing off with joyous zigzags or something similar.

The purpose of the class is to bring together amateur dancers of all ages and abilities with a view to forming a company on the lines of Chelmsford Ballet in Essex and Duchy Ballet in Cornwall. With our talented dancers, great teachers, excellent choreographers and some of the leading ballet schools in the land, we should eventually do at least as well as our good friends in the South.

After the class a vote will be taken on a show of hands as to whether we want to form a ballet company in the North. If we decide to do so, 4 or 5 volunteers will be chosen for a steering committee to decide the legal format of the company and draw up a business plan. Further details in "We now have a studio" in the Powerhouse Ballet blog.

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FAQs

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

Yes. Attendees must be over 18 because the purpose of the class is to see whether there is any support in the Northern Powerhouse area for an amateur ballet company. We have to restrict this first class to those aged 18 or aboveTucker or some other excellent teacher to give dancers under the age of 18 one of the best classes of their lives. Also, there will be opportunities in all the company's activities for those under the age of 18 to shine whether as dancers, musicians, technicians, set and costume designers and makers, stagehands, front of house staff or anything else.

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?

The Leisure Centre has a massive car park operated by the local authority and there are others nearby. Parking on a Saturday afternoon costs 70p per hour. If you arrive by public transport it is 6 minutes walk from the bus station and half a mile from the railway station.

What can I bring into the event?

Same as you would for any other dance class. Ballet shoes (not pointe shoes please), leotard or other dancewear and a bottle of water.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Send me a message through my contact form or call me on 07966 373922 during office hours.

I want a company in the Northern Powerhouse area but I can't make the class on the 26 May. Does it matter if I miss it?

Not in the least. If you tell me that you want to form a company and may join it if it is formed I will keep you posted on all developments as if you had attended.the class unless and until you indicate otherwise. The only disadvantages of your not attending the class are that you will miss a great class from an excellent teacher and you will be unable to vote for the steering committee. However, there is nothing to prevent your putting your name forward for election to the committee.

I don't like the name "Powerhouse Ballet". Can't we call the company something else?

We certainly can. It is only a provisional name for  because 18 is the age of legal responsibility in this country. However, if we do form a company, one of the first priorities of the steering committee will be to arrange a class with Jane the project. There is already a Northern Ballet so we can't call it that. We want dancers from all parts of the North and not just from one region so we can't call it Northwest or Yorkshire Ballet. If you want to propose another name then let the steering committee know.

Will everything be in Huddersfield or Yorkshire?

No we hope to hold classes and shows in all parts of the region, particularly Greater Manchester and West and South Yorkshire.

When will we hold our first show?

With any luck, early in the New Year. I suggest The Nutcracker but that will be for the artistic director to decide when we get one.

What if I book a ticket and later find that I can't attend?

No problem so long as you contact me as soon as possible to allow someone else to take your place.