BalletBoyz Bring The Principles of Classical Dance to Life on Screen

BalletBoyz presents The Principles of Classical Dance with Royal Ballet dancers performing on a Harlequin floor, combining classical ballet artistry with innovative cinematography.

BalletBoyz founders, Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, have launched a new dance film titled The Principles of Classical Dance, inspired by a 1979 book of the same name by Joan Lawson, featuring photography by Anthony Crickmay.

Co-produced by BalletBoyz and The Royal Ballet, the film was shot at English National Ballet’s Holloway Production Studio and features leading dancers from The Royal Ballet.

The 30-minute piece, based on the original photographs of Royal Ballet dancer Anthony Dowell, captures the visual style through a mix of camera movement, slow motion and in-camera effects.

The Harlequin installation team fitted a Harlequin Liberty sprung floor with a Harlequin Cascade performance surface. Michael Nunn, The Principles of Classical Dance director said: “These particular dancers, all leading dancers from The Royal Ballet, are used to dancing on Harlequin floors. They walk onto this, and it’s like being back at home.”

“For dance, the floor is absolutely crucial,” Michael added. “As an outsider, you might assume you can dance anywhere, but it’s another tool. A sprung floor helps avoid injuries and lets us shoot more takes without overworking the dancers.”

Billy Trevitt, The Principles of Classical Dance director of photography, highlighted the value of the studio setup: “We’ve made full use of the space at English National Ballet, and the track system we’re using lets us move freely and find exactly the right angles. We’re not locked into one position which is crucial for capturing the best of the movement.”

The film had an initial screening at the Curzon Bloomsbury cinema in London in March, as part of a series of BalletBoyz film showings. It then premiered at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in April, screened in the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre during the V&A’s Performance Festival.

BalletBoyz is also exploring opportunities to screen the film in cinemas as part of a wider effort to bring dance films to larger audiences.