Brilliant young ballet stars

- Only the very best young dance talents are given a place in the Norwegian National Ballet Youth. And this is their own performance, the one they work towards and look forward to the most throughout the year," says Ingrid Lorentzen, Head of Ballet at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet.

This year's performance - "Brillante" - is composed of four different works. Over the course of the evening, there will be everything from pure, classical ballet from George Balanchine to new works from two of the Norwegian National Ballet's own dancers and choreographers; Cina Espejord and Kristian Støvind. The final number is called
"Minus 16", a modern and energetic work by master choreographer Ohad Naharin.
- Everyone in the audience will find something that strikes a chord with them, while at the same time showcasing the dancers' full breadth of talent. These are tomorrow's profiles in the Norwegian National Ballet," says Ingrid Lorentzen.

SPRING BALLET
It's now three years since the Norwegian National Ballet UNG came into being, following an initiative from the ballet director and Talent Norway. The project bridges the gap between ballet training and a professional career, and forms a springboard to the Norwegian National Ballet. Becoming a classical ballet dancer requires many hours of practice, and it's important to start early. Ballet training begins just after secondary school, and ballet dancers graduate from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO) with a bachelor's degree as early as
18-19 year olds. This is where the Norwegian National Ballet UNG comes in. The project bridges the gap between life as a student and as an employee, testing and preparing dancers for a career in ballet.
- The aim is to develop whole people and artists, with the openness and background that a dancer in the Norwegian National Ballet should have. In the youth company, they gain experience of working as professionals. If they are accepted into the main company, or a similar company abroad, they get a flying start," says Lorentzen.

INSPIRATION
The dance community is international, and this year's young cohort of 12 dancers is 50% Norwegian and 50% foreign. So far there is no one from Southern Norway in the National Ballet UNG, but one of the main company's biggest profiles was born and raised in Arendal and is called Silas Henriksen. He joined the company as an aspirant and had a great career in the Netherlands before returning to the Oslo Opera House. This fall he had an important role in the Norwegian National Ballet's successful production "Hedda Gabler".
Sharron Roberts, proprietor of Sharron's Dance Studio, believes a lot has happened on the dance front during the years she has lived in Norway. Her studio has three full halls five days a week, and there is also a lot of activity at weekends. She points to the importance of seeing good role models in action on stage.
- "Seeing that it's achievable to become a ballet dancer is a great inspiration for my dancers. There's not a lot of classical ballet to be seen on the stages down here, so any input is great," she says.

THE FUTURE OF DANCE
The Norwegian Opera & Ballet is Norway’s national center of excellence for ballet and bears a significant responsibility for bringing the art of dance to communities across the country. In recent years, they have also been responsible for the talent project “På tå hev,” where young dancers from across the country have had the opportunity to participate in auditions and workshops. Talented young dancers have taken part, including some from Southern Norway. The finale for this year’s project will take place at the Opera House in December. For some of them, it will be an important step toward a professional dance career. There is no doubt at DNO&B that projects like “På tå hev” and the National Ballet UNG are significant for the nation of dance.
– We see that the long-term work on talent development is yielding results. From last year’s UNG cohort, five dancers had their trainee contracts extended, while the others have been offered contracts with the main company. That says something about the quality of the young dancers and the quality of Norwegian ballet training. It has become fully on par with renowned schools
abroad, says Ingrid Lorentzen.– Norwegian ballet training has become fully on par with renowned schools abroad.
Ingrid Lorentzen, ballet director at the Norwegian Opera &Ballet– I’m looking forward to seeing classical ballet at Kilden. We don’t often get the chance to do that here in town.
Ingrid Ylva Nøkleberg (16), a dancer at Sharrons Dance Studio and currently performing in“The Nutcracker”—It’s inspiring to see dancers our age performing at such a high level.
Arna Rut Sigurdardottir (16), a dancer at Sharrons Dance Studio and currently performing in “The Nutcracker”