| London Children's Ballet | |
| Formation: | 1994 |
| Founder: | Lucille Briance |
| Type: | Charitable Trust |
| Leader Title: | Artistic Director |
| Leader Name: | Ruth Brill |
| Leader Title2: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name2: | Victoria Davison |
| Key People: | Lucille Briance |
| Registration Id: | 1165961 |
| Purpose: | Arts engagement and education |
| Headquarters: | London, United Kingdom |
| Location Country: | United Kingdom |
| Website: | https://www.londonchildrensballet.com/ |
London Children's Ballet (LCB) is a registered charitable trust created in 1994. LCB is both a performance company and a registered charity, producing and staging one new ballet in London’s West End each year and running outreach work throughout the year in primary schools and disadvantaged communities.[1] LCB was formed to give children the experience of performing as part of a professional dance company, producing a full length ballet for a London theatre. LCB provides many free performance and creative opportunities for children from many diverse backgrounds. Their mission is to inspire the pursuit of excellence and change lives through dance.[2]
Performances are staged annually at the Peacock Theatre, in the West End, London's primary theatre district. LCB selects a children’s story and develops an original scenario to engage a family audience. LCB commissions an emerging composer to write a full narrative score and a choreographer. LCB works with costume, lighting and set designers, to create a new West End production.[3] Past ballets include: Anne of Green Gables, Snow White, The Canterville Ghost and The Secret Garden.[4]
LCB also provides opportunities for recently graduated composers, choreographers, and designers from various, universities, colleges and schools.
A core part of LCB’s mission is to enable people to see ballet who normally couldn’t afford it, and to bring ballet into the community for those who are not physically able to access it. LCB’s outreach initiatives impact over 3,000 people’s lives each year through LCB’s programmes, workshops, tour and performances. [5]
LCB runs two flagship outreach programmes:
LCB Touring Company, brings abridged versions of the main production into care homes, special needs schools and community centres.[6]
Ballet for £1 - Every year LCB gives nearly 2,000 tickets to its annual production for £1 - 25% of all tickets available. The £1 tickets go to selected primary schools, to charities for disabled or disadvantaged children and elderly people. Schools also receive a free ballet workshop.[7]
Each autumn LCB auditions holds auditions to look for 50 dancers (aged 9-16) to perform in their production at the Peacock Theatre and a further 48 dancers to dance with their community touring companies in care homes, SEN Schools and community centres.
All roles in the ballet are danced by children. Dancers performing in the production receive over 100 hours of expert coaching every Sunday, culminating in eight West End performances with a live orchestra.
LCB encourages applications from ALL passionate young dancers, as they choose a cast who are engaging and enjoy telling a story.
LCB's training programmes include an annual Summer School[9], development programme[10], workshops and masterclasses[11] .
Lucille Briance founded LCB in 1994 after her daughter showed an interest in auditioning for dance schools. Lucille felt she was too young to join a proper dance school and thus looked for an alternative. She could not find a dance company for children that would allow her daughter to perform as well as continue her academic studies. Lucille therefore decided to create one and LCB was born.[12] A choreographer was appointed and the auditions for the new company were advertised, attracting children from many different parts of the community. After the first season, LCB hired a composer and began creating new works, aimed at the whole family. LCB's first original ballet premiered in 1994 was The Happy Prince. The production sold out.[13]
Every year since, LCB has staged narrative ballets based on classic children's stories.
2025 Ella's Big Chance ~ A Jazz-Age Cinderella Choreographer: Kristen McNally Composer: Ian Stephens
2024 The Secret Garden Choreographer: Erico Montes Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2023 Snow White Choreography and Direction: Gavin McCaig Composer: Richard Norriss with additions by Ian Stephens
2022 Anne of Green Gables Choreographer: Jenna Lee Composer: Gus Nicholson
2019 Ballet Shoes Choreographer: Ruth Brill after Cathy Marston Composer: Raymond Warren
2018 The Canterville Ghost, Revival Choreographer: Victoria Collison after David Fielding, Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2017 The Secret Garden (Shortened version, for Ballet in a Box), Choreography: Erico Montes, Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2016 Little Lord Fauntleroy Choreographer: Jenna Lee Composer: Richard Norriss
2015 Snow White Choreographer: Jenna Lee Composer: Richard Norriss
2014 Nanny McPhee Choreographer: Erico Montes Composer: Tim Hammond
2013 The Secret Garden Choreographer: Erico Montes Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2012 A Little Princess Choreographer: Samantha Raine Composer: Tim Hammond
2011 Rumpelstiltskin Choreographer: Morgann Runacre-Temple Composer: Piers Tattersall
2010 Ballet Shoes Choreographer: Matthew Hart Composer: Raymond Warren
2009 Snow White Choreographer: Olivia Pickford Composer: Richard Norriss
2008 Jane Eyre Choreographer: Nicole Tongue Composer: Julia Gomelskaya
2007 The Secret Garden Choreographer: Christine Sundt Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2006 The Scarlet Pimpernel Choreographer: David Fielding Composer: Ben Foskett
2005 The Canterville Ghost Choreographer: David Fielding Composer: Artem Vassiliev
2004 A Little Princess Choreographer: Vanessa Fenton Composer: Tim Hammond
2003 Prince and the Pauper Choreographer: Irek Mukhamedov Composer: Tim Hammond
2002 Faithful Gelert Choreographer: Poppy Ben-David Composer: Tim Hammond
2001 Ballet Shoes Choreographer: Cathy Marston Composer: Raymond Warren
2000 The Last Battle Choreographer: Tom Sapsford Composer: Halyna Ovcharenko
1998 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Choreographer: Harold King Composer: Elizabeth Lane
1997 Jane Eyre Choreographer: Pollyanna Buckingham Composer: Julia Gomelskaya
1996 Faithful Gelert Choreographer: Julie Cronshaw Composer: Tim Hammond
1995 A Little Princess Choreographer: Harold King Composer: Tim Hammond
1994 The Happy Prince Choreographer: Valerie Egri Composer: Edward Elgar
Patrons
Dame Darcey Bussell DBE
Fiona Chadwick
Lauren Cuthbertson
Steven McRae
Irek Mukhamedov OBE
Anna Rose O'Sullivan
Lady Anya Linden Sainsbury CBE
| Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Gibson | Chair | 01 August 2016 | None on record | |
| James Benedict Patrick Murphy | Trustee | 25 November 2019 | None on record | |
| Ann Iveson | Trustee | 25 November 2019 | None on record | |
| Stephanie Shepard Cobb | Trustee | 07 July 2015 | None on record | |
| Josephine Jenno | Trustee | 2021 | None on record | |
| Indianna Lewis | Trustee | 2021 | None on record |
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
| Income / Expenditure | 31/07/2017 | 31/07/2018 | 31/07/2019 | 31/07/2020 | 31/07/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total gross income | £177.26k | £549.12k | £685.20k | £223.30k | £116.56k | |
| Total expenditure | £308.24k | £567.63k | £544.76k | £276.99k | £155.47k | |
| Income from government contracts | £0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Income from government grants | £0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Donations and legacies | N/A | £169.93k | £174.83k | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Other trading activities | N/A | £192.96k | £221.59k | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Charitable activities | N/A | £186.21k | £288.75k | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Endowments | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Investment | N/A | £25 | £36 | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Other | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Income - Legacies | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Charitable activities | N/A | £447.33k | £432.87k | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Raising funds | N/A | £120.30k | £111.88k | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Governance | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Grants institution | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Investment management | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure - Other | N/A | £0 | £0 | N/A | N/A |
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.