About BalletBoyz®
Michael Nunn & William Trevitt, founders of BalletBoyz® have been hailed as pioneers for
making dance accessible and reaching a wider audience through their celebrated stage and
television work. They came to prominence through their popular Channel 4 documentaries
Ballet Boyz I & II, Strictly Bolshoi, The Royal Ballet in Cuba, BalletBoyz: The Next Generation
and the groundbreaking Ballet Boyz: The Rite of Spring for BBC Three.
BalletBoyz® has established itself as one of the most cheekily original and innovative forces in
modern dance: revolutionising traditional programming formats, commissioning new work,
collaborating with a wide range of cutting edge talents and building a big following through our
TV work. Our chief aim is to challenge, excite and enlighten audiences through the wide body of
work that we carry out. We aim to bring together elements from diverse realms of the arts such
as composers, artists, designers, filmmakers and photographers. We continue to develop
groundbreaking education initiatives, particularly working with boys in dance and pride
ourselves on dancer led workshops that provide an invaluable insight into the company’s
repertoire.
Since its formation in 2000 the company has won numerous awards and nominations including
an Olivier Award, two South Bank Show Award nominations as well as a Rose d’Or,
International Emmy and Golden Prague Grand Prix for its TV work. The company has performed
all over the UK and internationally and has approximately 35 works in its repertoire, over 30 of
which are original commissions.
Now housed at their very own state-of-the-art rehearsal/creation space in the heart of Kingston,
BalletBoyz® are thrilled to finally have a permanent home. The new space was completed in
November 2012 and provides the company with two beautiful custom-designed rehearsal
studios, office for company management and fully equipped AV editing suite.
BalletBoyz® has been an Associate Company at Sadler’s Wells since 2005.
BalletBoyz®
52a Canbury Park Road
Kingston Upon Thames
Surrey KT2 6JE
T: 020 7278 5508
E: info@balletboyz.com
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theTALENT – Company Repertoire
2012
2014
Torsion
Choreography – Russell Maliphant
Music – Richard English
Lighting – Michael Hulls
The Murmuring
Choreography – Alexander Whitley
Music – Raime
Lighting – Jackie Shemesh
Alpha
Choreography – Paul Roberts
Music – Keaton Henson
Lighting – Andrew Ellis
Costumes – Shelina Somani
MeTheus
Choreography - Kristen McNally
Music – Jonny Greenwood
Lighting – Natasha Chivers
Void
Choreography – Jarek Cemerek
Music – Ondrej Dedecek, Ismael De
Garay
Lighting – Andrew Ellis
Costumes – Shelina Somani
Mesmerics
Choreography – Christopher
Wheeldon
Music – Phillip Glass
Lighting – Natasha Chivers
2015
2013
Serpent
Choreography – Liam Scarlett
Music – Max Richter
Lighting – Michael Hulls
Young Men
Choreography – Iván Peréz
Music – Keaton Henson
Lighting – Jackie Shemesh
Fallen
Choreography – Russell Maliphant
Music – Armand Amar
Lighting – Michael Hulls
2016
Life. new for 2016
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About the Company
MICHAEL NUNN OBE & WILLIAM TREVITT OBE
Michael (from London) & William (from
Cambridge) first met at The Royal Ballet
School and joined the company in 1987.
They both went on to become two of The
Royal Ballet’s leading male dancers, before
leaving in 1999. They returned as Guest
Principals in the 2004 season.
Together they created the documentaries
Ballet Boyz I & ll and presented the 4Dance
season on Channel 4 in 2002 and 2003.
In 2000 they co-founded BalletBoyz® (formerly George Piper Dances) and the
company was nominated for the 2001 and 2003 South Bank Show Dance Awards. In
2002 Michael and William devised Critics’ Choice *****, which was awarded the
Theatrical Management Association for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. The
company’s commission, Broken Fall, choreographed by Russell Maliphant and
performed with Sylvie Guillem was awarded the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for
Best New Dance Production.
Their TV show, The Rough Guide to Choreography, was aired on Channel 4 in
summer 2004 and included a performance at the Barbican Theatre. In 2005 they
were commissioned by Channel 4 to create films of Russell Maliphant’s Torsion, Two
and Broken Fall.
January 2005 saw BalletBoyz® become an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, as well
as creating their first full length work, Naked, which had its premiere at Sadler’s
Wells in June.
In 2006, they commissioned four diverse choreographers to create new works for
their show Encore, which received its world premiere at Sadler’s Wells in September,
before touring nationally.
Spring 2007 also saw them producing and dancing in Darcey Bussell – Farewell, a
tribute to The Royal Ballet’s principal ballerina, as well as curating and producing a
gala event for the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall entitled Ballet for the People.
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In the spring of 2008 they presented Greatest Hits at Sadler’s Wells to critical
acclaim and sold out audiences before touring throughout the UK, the US and Italy.
Their 2007 documentary Strictly Bolshoi, which followed Christopher Wheeldon as
he created a new work for the infamous Bolshoi Ballet, won the prestigious Rose
D’Or in June 2008 and in November of that year won the International Emmy for
best arts documentary.
In 2009 Balletboyz created two more critically acclaimed TV works; The Royal Ballet
in Cuba commissioned by More 4 and BalletBoyz: The Rite of Spring created for BBC
Three. Both programmes were highlights in the Christmas TV schedule and were
nominated for the 2010 Rose d’Or. The latter went on to win the Grand Prix at the
prestigious Golden Prague International TV Festival.
They also had a leading creative role in providing the video content for the highly
regarded performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet at the O2 in London
during June 2011 as well as directing and overseeing the multi-cam filming of the
event. Their fourth documentary BalletBoyz: The Next Generation followed the
TALENT over a two-year period from its formation up until the company’s ground
breaking performances in Ethiopia. It was aired on More4 on Christmas Day.
2012 saw BalletBoyz become curators of the highly successful Random Acts strand
on Channel 4. Responsible for supplying original and innovative short films that focus
on dance, they were tasked with the production and delivery of 26 3-minute films
that were broadcast as part of the Random Acts series throughout the year. A
further 20 films have been commissioned for 2013. They also hosted the brand new
US TV show A Chance To Dance, which aired on Ovation and was produced by Nigel
Lythgoe.
Touring since 2010, the TALENT has garnered critical acclaim throughout the UK and
overseas including performances in the USA, Italy, Ethiopia, the Netherlands,
Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. Now in its fourth season, the company is touring a
brand new show throughout the UK and Europe.
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