The Paul Hamlyn Foundation today granted Scottish Ballet’s education programme a gold star in the form of a £148,000 award. This major new partnership supports a crucial shift in focus and period of growth in Scottish Ballet’s education programme by funding two specific projects: DanceWise, a new programme designed especially for pupils in secondary schools, and Outside-In, a range of special matinees and lecture demonstrations.

Scottish Ballet believes that experiencing dance itself is a powerful way to convey the art form’s physical demands and its artistic empowerment. Within the education programme the Company offers an array of participatory opportunities from introductory workshops through to vocational training, to help people of varied ages and backgrounds to engage and identify with the work of the Scotland’s national dance company. The support from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation allows Scottish Ballet’s education programme to position itself alongside the Company’s vision as a world-class dance organisation, by invigorating its members, participants and supporters and increasing its reach around Scotland.

Ailsa-Mary Gold, Associate Director Education said:

"Scottish Ballet is delighted to receive this award which underpins the implementation of our new strategy for education and enables us to reach a wider range of people from across Scotland with newly devised events.

This generous contribution is an important endorsement of the Company’s education strategy, and will place it at the core of Scottish Ballet’s work while affording us the opportunity to build upon our long-term partnerships with local authorities. Scottish Ballet is enjoying an artistic renaissance and our education programme reflects and celebrates this.”

DanceWise is a new programme of illustrated talks designed especially for pupils in secondary schools. It includes a brief background on Scottish Ballet and is enhanced by a range of practical resources such as the opportunity to view costumes, fabric swatches, set designs and photographs. The programme complements Scottish Ballet’s practical schools’ dance workshops and aims to enrich the experience of danceby challenging perceptions, increasing understanding of the performance and in turn, establish the beginning of a lifelong engagement with dance.

Outside-In, Scottish Ballet’s series of special matinees and lecture demonstrations aims to engage people who might not normally attend ballet. The audience will see aspects of the work deconstructed with elements of the choreography, artistic inspiration, music, lighting design and movement motifs explained, followed by excerpts or a full run of the specified pieces. The event will conclude with a Q&A session with members of the Company. Attending a special matinee creates an ideal, accessible environment for first time theatre or dance attendees. It will also give existing dance fans or students a closer insight into the work.

OUTSIDE-IN SPRING 07

1pm, Friday 20 April, Edinburgh Festival Theatre

NB: Journalists are invited to attend by pre-arrangement with the Press Office only

The inaugural Outside-In event, a special matinee devised exclusively for secondary school pupils with a particular interest in the Expressive Arts and English takes place this Friday, 20 April at Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Focussing on the current Spring season, a vibrant programme inspired by a mix of art forms from across the cultural sphere, including the work of William Shakespeare in Peter Darrell’s Othello and contemporary visual artist Stephen Chambers in Ashley Page’s atmospheric Room of Cooks this event looks at the two works offering a variety of curricular enhancing access points to Scottish Ballet’s work, presented by Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Ashley Page, Deputy Artistic Director Paul Tyers and Associate Director Education Ailsa-Mary Gold and will feature the full Scottish Ballet Orchestra, members of the artistic team and, of course, Company dancers. Schools from local authorities including Fife, City of Edinburgh Council, West Lothian, Clackmannanshire, Midlothian, East Lothian, Falkirk and North Lanarkshire have been invited to attend.

For further information or images please contact Ann Nugent (Press Manager) ann.nugent@scottishballet.co.uk  or Heather Crumley (Marketing & Press Assistant) heather.crumley@scottishballet.co.uk  on 0141 333 1092.