In 2009 Scottish Ballet will celebrate its 40th anniversary, take up residence at its brand new purpose-built home as part of the Tramway International Arts complex in Glasgow, launch a new B.A degree in Modern Ballet with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, tour to China and present world premieres of exciting new work as part of three dynamic seasons. Such exciting events guarantee 2009 will be a year to remember.

Winner of Best Repertoire (Classical) at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards, Scottish Ballet continues to develop its reputation for bold and dynamic productions in 2009 with a diverse range of programmes, topped and tailed by two ballets from Artistic Director Ashley Page’s trilogy of fairytales retold with a fresh and wicked vision. The Sleeping Beauty will continue to tour throughout January and February, whilst The Nutcracker delivers a delicious treat for Christmas 2009.

Spring brings a world premiere, as Richard Alston joins forces with Scottish Ballet to choreograph a brand new Carmen.

During Scottish Ballet’s 40th Anniversary year the Company will take up residence in its bespoke new home as part of the international arts centre at Tramway. Both events coincide with Scotland’s landmark celebration of Scotland’s rich heritage - Homecoming 2009. A special birthday exhibition will take place at Tramway and the publication of an exclusive anniversary book also offers fans the opportunity to enjoy stunning dance photography from the company’s 40 years.

40th anniversary celebrations culminate with a sparkling Autumn season, which places George Balanchine’s Rubies firmly back in the company’s crown, alongside Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light and Shadow and a new addition to the repertoire in William Forsythe’s WorkwithinWork.

Scottish Ballet also continues to break new ground in all aspects of Education. In 2009 Scotland’s National Dance Company will join forces with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to launch Scotland’s first ever conservatoire-based degree in Modern Ballet. This unique undergraduate programme, which commences in September 2009, sees the realisation of a long-standing aspiration to fill a critical gap in the training infrastructure in Scotland.

Scottish Ballet will also offer a brand new education scheme to those of primary school age. Ballet Buzz seeks to bridge the gap between one off workshops in schools where young people often experience ballet for the first time, and the vocational training offered to young people through the Company’s applauded Associate Programme. The project will be delivered over 11 weeks at Scottish Ballet's headquarters and weekly practical sessions will not only introduce some of the principals of ballet but will also offer creative tasks, individual and group work. As well as these practical sessions, the group will also gain an insight into the running of a ballet company by visits to Wardrobe, Stage Management, Technical, Music and the dancers themselves.
Scottish Ballet’s Chief Executive / Executive Producer Cindy Sughrue said ‘2009 will be one of the most significant years in Scottish Ballet’s history. Alongside the Company’s move to Tramway it is wonderful to realise the dream of comprehensive dance education set out by, Scottish Ballet’s founder, Peter Darrell 40 years ago. With Homecoming 2009 as a backdrop Scottish Ballet will unveil exciting new works and return to international touring with an unrivalled power and confidence. It is a great time to be part of these historic events.’

Productions:
The Sleeping Beauty
Sponsored by Bank of Scotland
Conceived by Ashley Page & Antony McDonald
Choreography: Ashley Page,
featuring original choreography by Marius Petipa
Music: Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Designs: Antony McDonald
Lighting: Peter Mumford

Theatre Royal, Glasgow 6 – 27 December 2008
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 7 – 10 January 2009
Eden Court, Inverness 14 – 17 January 2009
Wales Millennium Centre 21 – 24 January 2009
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 28 – 31 January 2009
Grand Opera House, Belfast 4 – 8 February 2009

Stunning sets and costumes, breathtaking choreography, Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous score and the phenomenally talented, passionate dancers of Scotland’s award-winning national dance company come together to create a spellbinding re-telling of treasured fairytale, The Sleeping Beauty.
Our story begins once upon a time, on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1830, where mortals mix with the fairies of an enchanted forest in a magical kingdom.
Liberally sprinkled with surprising twists and delicious wit, this brand new version of the much loved story features Artistic Director Ashley Page’s spectacular choreography and international designer Antony McDonald’s lavish sets and costumes. Complete with Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, The Sleeping Beauty will be bringing a little magic to the winter months – don’t miss your chance to fall under its spell!

Carmen and Cheating Lying Stealing
Theatre Royal, Glasgow 15 – 18 April 2009
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 22 – 25 April 2009
His Majesty’s, Aberdeen 29 April – 2 May 2009
Eden Court, Inverness 6 – 9 May 2009

Carmen (world premiere)
Choreography: Richard Alston
Design: Antony McDonald
Music: Georges Bizet, adapted by Rodion Schedrin
Scottish Ballet presents the world premiere of Richard Alston’s Carmen. Alston is one of the most inspiring and influential figures in British dance. This brand new Carmen, created on Scottish Ballet, retells the famous story of a hot-blooded young gypsy whose wild spirit lures a young officer into an obsessive love when she spurns him for the glamour of a handsome toreador with tragic results.
Performed by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite, skilfully highlights the glories of Bizet’s original score.

Cheating Lying Stealing
Choreography: Ashley Page
Original music Cheating, Lying, Stealing: David Laing / Yo Shakespeare: Michael Gordon / Link David Laing & Michael Gordon
Music performed by Icebreaker (only in Edinburgh and Glasgow)
Design: Antony McDonald
Lighting: Peter Mumford
Cheating, Lying, Stealing was made for The Royal Ballet in 1998 and takes its form and energy directly from a trio of scores by New Yorkers Michael Gordon and David Lang. The piece also embodies themes such as fear of loss, the breakdown of formal ideas and the manipulation of control through sexuality.

40 Years of Scottish Ballet exhibition
Tramway, Glasgow 1 – 30 September 2009
Don your ‘ruby slippers’ and join Scottish Ballet as the Company celebrates being 40 years young!
As part of Scotland’s Homecoming 2009 celebrations a special anniversary exhibition will be held at Tramway, the location of Scottish Ballet’s brand new home. Browse photographs that showcase the Company over the last 40 years, including shots from productions, rehearsals and a look ‘behind the scenes’ with Scottish Ballet.

Scottish Ballet Autumn Season 2009
(Rubies / WorkwithinWork / In Light and Shadow)
Theatre Royal, Glasgow 8 – 10 October 2009
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 15 – 17 October 2009
His Majesty’s, Aberdeen 22 – 24 October 2009
Eden Court, Inverness 29 – 31 October 2009

Rubies
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Rubies was first performed by the Company in 2005, year of its triumphant return to at the Edinburgh International Festival. Taken from legendary American choreographer George Balanchine’s full-length work Jewels, which was inspired by New York jeweller Claude Arpel, Rubies is one of Balanchine’s most delectable creations. Containing stunning and virtuosic dance reminiscent of his choreography for Broadway and Hollywood Rubies is at once glamorous and exciting. The dancers are adorned in dazzling bejewelled costumes and perform energetic choreography to the angular, jazz-tinged music of Igor Stravinsky.

WorkwithinWork
Choreography: William Forsythe
Music: Luciano Berio
Choreographed by William Forsythe, WorkwithinWork is the second Forsythe work to be added to Scottish Ballet’s repertoire following critically acclaimed performances of his Artifact Suite. WorkwithinWork is steeped in the beautiful slow-building arch of Berio’s Duetti for two violins. The choreography embraces the space of an open stage; beautifully winding and branching out in ever-increasing complexity.
As an American working internationally for the last thirty years, William Forsythe is recognised as one of the world’s foremost choreographers. His work is celebrated for pushing the concepts of ballet into a dynamic 21st-century art form.

In Light and Shadow
Choreography: Krzysztof Pastor
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Lighting: Bert Dalhuysen
Designs: Tatyana van Walsum
Inspired by a range of Baroque dances and painters, including Michelangelo, Vermeer and Rembrandt, In Light and Shadow juxtaposes contemporary lines with the rich and celebratory music of Bach. Beginning with a delicate, reflective duet to the Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the ballet opens out into a rich tapestry of explosive solos, duets and ensemble work set to Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite. Pastor himself describes the piece as a suite of dances inspired by the spirit of the era and as detailed as Michelangelo’s famous Sistine Chapel Frescos which celebrates the contrast between light and shadow.

The Nutcracker
Choreography: Ashley Page
Music: Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Designs: Antony McDonald
Lighting: Peter Mumford

Theatre Royal, Glasgow 12 – 31 December 2009
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 6 – 9 January 2010
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness 20 – 23 January 2010
His Majesty’s, Aberdeen 27 - 31 January 2010

Artistic Director Ashley Page and international designer Antony McDonald's fresh and vivid retelling of the famous Christmas story is a dreamlike surrealist narrative not to be missed. Set in 1920s' Weimer Republic Germany, The Nutcracker charts the magical adventure of a young girl's journey to womanhood.