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| Royal Ballet performance reopens Hull's New Theatre | Royal Ballet performance reopens Hull's New Theatre |
| (17 days later) | |
| Dance teacher Vanessa Hooper puts it down to the city’s history and geography while Royal Ballet boss Kevin O’Hare talks of a “can do, work hard” determined spirit. Whatever the reason, Hull has produced more than its share of world-class ballet dancers. | Dance teacher Vanessa Hooper puts it down to the city’s history and geography while Royal Ballet boss Kevin O’Hare talks of a “can do, work hard” determined spirit. Whatever the reason, Hull has produced more than its share of world-class ballet dancers. |
| On Saturday they were part of an emotional Royal Ballet performance in Hull as part of the 2017 city of culture programme, reopening the city’s New Theatre after its £16m refurbishment. | On Saturday they were part of an emotional Royal Ballet performance in Hull as part of the 2017 city of culture programme, reopening the city’s New Theatre after its £16m refurbishment. |
| On stage was Elizabeth Harrod, a Royal Ballet soloist; the Mariinsky ballet star Xander Parish and his sister Demelza, a Royal Ballet ballerina; and English National Ballet’s Joseph Caley. | On stage was Elizabeth Harrod, a Royal Ballet soloist; the Mariinsky ballet star Xander Parish and his sister Demelza, a Royal Ballet ballerina; and English National Ballet’s Joseph Caley. |
| The show, titled Opening the New, was watched by a sell-out audience at the theatre and more than 3,000 people who braved a chilly night watching a live relay in nearby Queens Gardens. | The show, titled Opening the New, was watched by a sell-out audience at the theatre and more than 3,000 people who braved a chilly night watching a live relay in nearby Queens Gardens. |
| Many of Hull’s dancers trained at the Skelton Hooper school of dance and theatre, set up by the late Vera Skelton and continued by her daughter Vanessa Hooper. | Many of Hull’s dancers trained at the Skelton Hooper school of dance and theatre, set up by the late Vera Skelton and continued by her daughter Vanessa Hooper. |
| But what made Hull such a breeding ground for so much classical ballet talent? | But what made Hull such a breeding ground for so much classical ballet talent? |
| O’Hare, who remembers being on the New Theatre stage as a young peasant boy in a visiting production of Giselle, thinks it was a combination of the school’s skill and Hull itself. | O’Hare, who remembers being on the New Theatre stage as a young peasant boy in a visiting production of Giselle, thinks it was a combination of the school’s skill and Hull itself. |
| There is a determination about the the city, he said – a “can do, work hard” attitude. “People talk about it being the end of the line but it never felt like that. For me I never felt, ‘oh you can’t do that’ because you live in a place miles from anything … I always felt every opportunity was available.” | There is a determination about the the city, he said – a “can do, work hard” attitude. “People talk about it being the end of the line but it never felt like that. For me I never felt, ‘oh you can’t do that’ because you live in a place miles from anything … I always felt every opportunity was available.” |
| Hooper thinks people in Hull are good at committing themselves to things. In many cities there is more competition for children’s attention and they are torn. “Whereas the children here focus on what they do and they give it 100% and their parents are committed too.” | Hooper thinks people in Hull are good at committing themselves to things. In many cities there is more competition for children’s attention and they are torn. “Whereas the children here focus on what they do and they give it 100% and their parents are committed too.” |
| People in Hull want something better, she said, “because we’ve always felt like a bit of a poor relation to all the other big cities. When the trawler industry and fishing trade died it had such a huge impact and we thought we’ve got to try to get better, we’ve got to beat it and that’s exactly what we did.” | People in Hull want something better, she said, “because we’ve always felt like a bit of a poor relation to all the other big cities. When the trawler industry and fishing trade died it had such a huge impact and we thought we’ve got to try to get better, we’ve got to beat it and that’s exactly what we did.” |
| The Royal Ballet performance sold out very quickly which is why many of Elizabeth Harrod’s relatives were watching from Queens Gardens. | The Royal Ballet performance sold out very quickly which is why many of Elizabeth Harrod’s relatives were watching from Queens Gardens. |
| She performed a Frederick Ashton piece, The Two Pigeons, with her husband Steven McRae, and it was an immense occasion, she said. | She performed a Frederick Ashton piece, The Two Pigeons, with her husband Steven McRae, and it was an immense occasion, she said. |
| “It is a really incredibly special event to be part of, I think of all the other dancers from all over the world and all over the country, half of them will never get the chance to go back to where it all began.” | “It is a really incredibly special event to be part of, I think of all the other dancers from all over the world and all over the country, half of them will never get the chance to go back to where it all began.” |
| The Skelton Hooper school was instrumental in giving her a successful career in ballet. | The Skelton Hooper school was instrumental in giving her a successful career in ballet. |
| It was not your average ballet school, she said. It was disciplined but not in a bad way. “It was drilled into us from a young age that you can’t talk now, you must do this, even just standing up straight. The variety of skills we learnt was just fantastic.” | It was not your average ballet school, she said. It was disciplined but not in a bad way. “It was drilled into us from a young age that you can’t talk now, you must do this, even just standing up straight. The variety of skills we learnt was just fantastic.” |
| Harrod recalled being in Jack and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre as a 10-year-old and adoring it. “I loved it.. I had no concept of pressure at that age.” | Harrod recalled being in Jack and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre as a 10-year-old and adoring it. “I loved it.. I had no concept of pressure at that age.” |
| That chimes in with Hooper’s memories, calling Harrod “tremendously athletic with this incredible fearless streak. You could give her anything and she would have a go at it and she could usually pull it off.” | That chimes in with Hooper’s memories, calling Harrod “tremendously athletic with this incredible fearless streak. You could give her anything and she would have a go at it and she could usually pull it off.” |
| Parish has become one of the stars of the ballet world as the first British dancer to make a name for himself with a Russian company. On Saturday he was a star again. Hooper remembers a quiet boy with “beautiful limbs but hadn’t the first idea what to do with them.” | Parish has become one of the stars of the ballet world as the first British dancer to make a name for himself with a Russian company. On Saturday he was a star again. Hooper remembers a quiet boy with “beautiful limbs but hadn’t the first idea what to do with them.” |
| Being back in Hull, Parish said, was a bit surreal. Harrod called it pure nostalgia. “I just think about myself growing up here. I was walking from the hotel to the theatre and my husband said do you know the way and I said of course I do. It’s been over 20 years probably since I really walked around the streets … I knew exactly where I was.” | Being back in Hull, Parish said, was a bit surreal. Harrod called it pure nostalgia. “I just think about myself growing up here. I was walking from the hotel to the theatre and my husband said do you know the way and I said of course I do. It’s been over 20 years probably since I really walked around the streets … I knew exactly where I was.” |
| The three-hour performance on Saturday night was given a standing ovation and was the Royal Ballet’s first visit to Hull for 30 years. | The three-hour performance on Saturday night was given a standing ovation and was the Royal Ballet’s first visit to Hull for 30 years. |
| Earlier in the day more than 100 cygnets from four local dance schools performed with a dancer from the Royal Ballet school in front of Hull Minster for a Royal Ballet learning project. | Earlier in the day more than 100 cygnets from four local dance schools performed with a dancer from the Royal Ballet school in front of Hull Minster for a Royal Ballet learning project. |