Who are we investing in?

Birmingham Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned ballet company that tours extensively in the United Kingdom and internationally. It is also the only large-scale ballet company based outside of London giving over 90 per cent of its performances outside of the capital city.

It is creatively led with a commitment to developing ballet as an art form, growing and broadening the ballet audience and using dance, music and other art forms as a method of achieving positive social change in individuals and communities. These include dance classes, workshops at schools and colleges, audience open days and pre-performance talks. Birmingham Royal Ballet also produces a dedicated programme of children’s performances encouraging young audiences to engage with ballet for the first time, known as First Steps.

What are we investing in?

Birmingham Royal Ballet opened a dialogue with the Royal Albert Hall regarding the possibility of running a re-imagined version of its iconic production The Nutcracker. Quite quickly it became apparent that an injection of capital would be needed in order to fund the costs of adapting it to a new stage, which is where the £215,000 loan from the Arts Impact Fund came in.

Earlier this year, a seven-performance deal was reached between Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Albert Hall for 28-31 December 2017. If this initial run of performances meets commercial and artistic expectations, not only could Birmingham Royal Ballet be invited to return to the venue in future years but it would have a model of adapting productions for alternative stages.

If successful, Birmingham Royal Ballet will have a new production that will help it earn more revenue in the future, the profits of which will go towards supporting its charitable objectives.

Read the full case study on Birmingham Royal Ballet on the Arts Impact Fund website.