1969 – Northern Dance Theatre (later Northen Ballet Theatre) formed

Canadian-born Laverne Meyer studied at the Rambert School and The Royal Ballet School, joining Western Theatre Ballet in 1957, where he danced principal roles before eventually becoming assistant director of the company. He spent time studying modern dance in New York in 1964, and established Northern Dance Theatre in Manchester in 1969 with support from the Arts Council and North West Arts. The company gave its first performance at the University Theatre, Manchester. The company’s repertory centred on smaller-scale classical and modern pieces and changed its name to Northern Ballet Theatre in 1976 when Robert de Warren took over the company’s leadership. Moving to Halifax in 1990, former Royal Ballet principal Christopher Gable took the company’s helm, creating productions that stressed the dramatic aspect of ballet. A further name change followed in 2011, becoming Northern Ballet under the directorship of Canadian David Nixon.