As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on an extraordinary year filled with storytelling, movement, imagination, and connection. It has been a year of growth, bold touring, creative exploration, and deepened roots within our local community.
The year began with a touch of magic as The Velveteen Rabbit crossed the border to Edinburgh, Scotland, for two sell-out performances, before travelling on to a brand-new venue for balletLORENT, Z-arts in Manchester. As spring arrived, our touring continued across the UK with Snow White and Snow White: The Sacrifice, reaching audiences far and wide. Highlights included sell-out performances at the newly opened Sadler’s Wells East, an exciting first visit to Worthing, and welcome returns to much-loved venues in Hull and Doncaster. Alongside touring, we also produced filmed versions of The Velveteen Rabbit and Snow White: The Sacrifice, both released on Marquee TV, allowing our work to reach audiences far beyond the theatre.
Back at our home in West Newcastle, our Creative Studio and Youth Academy continued to flourish. We delivered inspiring workshops and performances for local schools, ran an energetic summer school for young people. Our Movers & Shakers knitting group brought creativity into the wider community, crafting beautifully knitted dancer dolls that now live throughout the local area.
In November, we opened our doors at our West Newcastle venue, welcoming audiences into our space to share a work-in-progress preview of Best Worst Dances. The response was warm and enthusiastic, and it was a joy to experience this playful, uplifting production together.
Throughout the year, our weekly Feel Good Dance classes continued to bring movement, laughter, and connection to people of all ages and abilities. We were also delighted to launch our new Saturday morning children’s classes, creating a welcoming creative space for younger dancers to begin their journey.
We closed the year with festive warmth, bringing The Velveteen Rabbit back to life once more by welcoming five local schools into our venue to watch the film together—ending the year as it began, with storytelling at the heart of what we do.
Our heartfelt thanks go to our audiences, participants, community partners, and funders. Your support, belief, and enthusiasm make this work possible, and we are deeply grateful to share this journey with you.
Here’s to an even more exciting and creative 2026.
