One of the region’s most gifted creatives is set to premiere a brand-new production on home turf in just a few weeks’ time.
Tala will premiere her new work, No Time Like The Present, at Sheffield Botanical Gardens this summer.
Creative producer and dancer, Tala Lee-Turton, will present her first live production in her home county of South Yorkshire, 10 years after making history when she began her training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow. She was the third British female to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow, in its then 245-year history and the first from Yorkshire!
No Time Like The Present is a dance and music experience for everyone; an outdoor, one act ballet, set to a synth-pop score and performed live at Sheffield Botanical Gardens, as part of new event, Dance In The Gardens.
Photo credit: Xenia at Zavod Studio
The idea of an outdoor performance started to take shape during the pandemic as Tala began to think of where and how she could dance for audiences again and this led to the creation of her own production company. Tala has pulled together a diverse, international team for No Time Like The Present, collaborating with choreographer and soloist of American Ballet Theatre, Zhongjing Fang.
Tala Lee-Turton said, “It’s a real privilege to be able to bring this production to the Botanical Gardens for the first time and I’m so pleased to be performing in South Yorkshire. I want to encourage people who might not normally go to see a ballet production to connect with this dance and music experience – five dancers, how they are moving and what they are thinking; expressing their inner realities as women.”
Rebecca Maddox, Head of Business Development (Culture) at Sheffield City Council, said, “No Time Like The Present is an inspiring celebration of female-led dance in beautiful outdoor settings, created by South Yorkshire’s Tala Lee-Turton. Sheffield City Council is delighted to support the premiere at Sheffield Botanical Gardens”.
Photo credit: Xenia at Zavod Studio
Born and raised in Barnsley, Tala began dancing at the age of four when her talent was spotted by her local dance school. She was invited to audition for the Bolshoi and in 2012, at just 16-years-old, she won her place at the world-famous ballet school.
The event is supported by both Arts Council England and Sheffield City Council.
No Time Like The Present as part of Dance in the Gardens takes place on 24th and 25th of August 2022. Tickets are £16 (over 18s), £10 (5 to 17 years) and free for the under 4s.
Gates open at 6pm with the ambient soundscape starting at 6.30pm. The performance starts at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased directly from the event’s website.
