Images Ballet Company

Images Ballet Company (formerly Images of Dance) was created in 1991 under the Artistic Directorship of Margaret Barbieri and the guidance of Dame Alicia Markova. The company was founded to provide classical ballet dancers with invaluable performing experience and was re-launched under its new title, Images Ballet Company, in September 2015, under the Artistic Direction of Jennifer Jackson. It aims to presents diverse programmes of new, innovative ballets, as well as revivals of significant works and to include the element of live music in the performances.

Each year a new cast of company members are introduced as part of their training in classical ballet at the prestigious London Studio Centre. In 2016 the company toured works staged and created by Jose Martin, Morgann Runacre-Temple, Sally Marie, Jonathan Watkins and Jennifer Jackson. Their achievements were diverse, from the re-creation of fiercely technical nineteenth century ballet, to post-modern devised choreography they performed the evening-long performance at various theatre venues across the UK, before culminating in a season finale at Lillian Baylis Studio Theatre, London accompanied by the Maxwell String Quartet. The 2017 tour featured four thought-provoking and contrasting ballets. Irreverent choreographer Liz Aggiss made her very first work for a ballet company, delving into ballet stories with dark humour. Ballet Ireland’s Morgann Runacre-Temple presented imaginatively surreal articulations of the female body and Jackson collaborated with composer Tom Armstrong, to re-imagine dances from the prologue of Sleeping Beauty with a new score for viola and flute. Matthew Hart’s theme of love and loss was deftly woven into Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Two Pianos (Three Hands). In 2018 Runacre-Temple re-created her exquisitely detailed portrait of three women in Mozart’s life and viola and guitar duo Elliott Perks and Tom Ellis played live for Hubert Essakow’s dances with space and gravity. Bim Malcomson witty exploration of ideas from Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Erico Montes’ lyrical fluent choreographer with music by Florence Price completed a rich and musical programme.

Historically the company has performed classical repertoire and new choreography, premiering works by choreographers including Matthew Bourne, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Baldwin, Adam Cooper, Wayne Sleep and William Tuckett, as well as Jennifer Jackson. Senior principal members from major companies, such as The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Rambert Dance Company rehearse and workshop with the company.

Join IMAGES Ballet Company for an evening that showcases the brightest stars of tomorrow and highlights the dynamic range and versatility of ballet today. Olivier Award winning Director and Choreographer Will Tuckett is joined by former Royal Ballet Soloist Jennifer Jackson, Constant Vigier; former Scottish Ballet and Jenna Lee; former soloist for the English National Ballet to create a diverse programme of four newly commissioned dance works.

Directed by former Royal Ballet dancer Larissa Bamber and presented by London Studio Centre, one of the UK’s foremost conservatoires for the performing arts, IMAGES Ballet Company promises a performance that will entertain and surprise ballet lovers and newcomers alike.