Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
New £15m Royal Ballet School Building under construction
Planning Approval Brings New £15m Royal Ballet School Building a Step Closer to Reality
Planning approval has been granted for The Royal Ballet School's new home in Covent Garden. Scheduled for completion in time for the projected Autumn 2002 move by the Upper School's 80 students and staff (who are currently based in Baron's Court), the new £15 million building and re-furbishment programme will provide state-of-the-art facilities equal to anything in the world, including one 21 x 15 metre and four 15m square studios, academic classrooms, gymnasium and dance rehabilitation rooms.
On hearing the news, David Norman, Chairman of the Board of Governors of The Royal Ballet School, said: "This is a welcome step in bringing a very exciting project closer to fruition. It will mean that our students are not only literally next door to The Royal Ballet Company - an inspiration in itself - but will also benefit from the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the Company and be taught by the Company's own artistic staff and dancers".
The Royal Ballet School's Director, Gailene Stock, is equally delighted: "The move to Covent Garden is a crucial element in our five-year plan to develop the School's facilities and programme of training young dancers for The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and other international classical companies. To be able to watch and learn from dancers like Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope (themselves former Royal Ballet School students) Sylvie Guillem and Irek Mukhamedov at close quarters and on a regular basis, will provide enormous inspiration for all our students."
The School has been at Baron's Court since 1947 when, according to the official archives, it was 'under the direct supervision' of Miss (now Dame) Ninette de Valois for whom this move to Covent Garden has been a cherished dream throughout her long association with the School and Company she founded.
The development in which the new Upper School premises of The Royal Ballet School will be housed is to be undertaken by Salmon Harvester Properties Ltd., a subsidiary of NFU Mutual. NFUM's Property Fund Manager, Bob Martin, said: "We are delighted to be progressing this exciting scheme in partnership with The Royal Ballet School, with whom we are working to produce a landmark building that will complement the School's own worldwide reputation."
Over half the required funding for the 42,000 sq. ft. facility has already been raised by a combination of private and corporate pledges or donations, with the balance from three-year finance loans. A third-stage fundraising initiative is being launched this December.
© Covent Garden Community Association, December 2000
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