ARTS DIARY
Northern Ballet’s Rise & Shine:
Northern Ballet has announced the launch of Rise & Shine, a pioneering health and wellbeing initiative designed to empower pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in three Yorkshire schools. Supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the project aims to create inclusive and enriching experiences for students who often face barriers to engaging with the arts. Over the past year, Northern Ballet has partnered closely with John Jamieson School to pilot this innovative approach, with exceptional results. In September 2022, two Community Dance Artists and a Music Therapist began delivering 10 weekly sessions. The project promoted physical and artistic agency and fostered new relationships among peers and school staff. Teachers also reported enhanced communication with non-verbal children. Northern Ballet will continue to deliver Rise & Shine at John Jamieson School as well as reaching new students at Greenacre School, and Springwater School.
Henry Moore Institute refurbishment:
Henry Moore Institute, the international sculpture centre in Leeds, will temporarily close from November 27 while internal spaces are refurbished. It is the Institute’s first major refurbishment in its 30year history. The refurbishment will include a new public engagement workshop, an improved welcome area and Research Library entrance, refreshed activity space and new toilets/baby changing facilities. Sustainability is important to the project, with the installation of solar panels on the roof.
Manchester Collective news:
The classical music ensemble Manchester Collective, which regularly performs in Leeds, has announced that artistic director Adam Szabo will be stepping down in January 2024 to become director of the BBC Philharmonic. Szabo founded the organisation with violinist and music director Rakhi Singh in 2016 with the aim of reshaping the future of classical music by creating radical artistic work from their base in the north of England. Notable projects have included a full-scale production of Benjamin Britten’s opera Noah’s Flood as part of Leeds 2023.