| Collecting Strand | National Resource Centre for Dance |
| Level | Collection |
| Ref No | NDT |
| Title | Freda Steel Collection of Northern Dance Theatre |
| Date | 1968-1985 |
| Extent | 19 items of paperwork, 39 programmes, 28 black and white photographs, 16 posters. 3 badges, 1 costume design |
| Name of Creator | Northern Dance Theatre |
| Description | Northern Dance Theatre began in 1969 after a report submitted by Laverne Meyer outlined the need for a regional dance company based the North West. The company of 10 dancers, under the artistic direction of Laverne Meyer, was opened with money from the: Arts Council of Great Britain; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; Pilgrim Trust; Granada Television; and North West Arts Association. Regular funding was later provided by: regional arts boards and the North West Arts Association.
The first performance was held on the 28 November 1969 at the University Theatre, Manchester.
The aim of Northern Dance Theatre was to provide regular performances of both classical and modern ballet in Manchester and the surrounding regions. The company still performed in major theatres and festivals across the United Kingdom.
In 1977 the company became Northern Ballet Theatre. It was later renamed Northern Ballet.
The archive includes a costume design; photographs of performances, rehearsals and ballet classes; posters and programmes; and badges. The documents, held in NDT/E, have been assessed as falling into 5 broad categories:
- Development of the company
- Day to day running of the company
- Laverne Meyer leaving the company
- Seminars relevant to the company
- Newspaper cuttings
This is not reflected in the cataloguing order. |
| Arrangement | Material arranged at time of cataloguing according to the format-based classification scheme which was then in use by the National Resource Centre for Dance. |
| Custodial History | The collection was transferred to the National Resource Centre for Dance at the University of Surrey in 1997 by the first company administrator. |