Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt founded George Piper Dances in January 2001 with an aim to dispel the elitism that surrounds classical dance. "There are some companies I’m sure that struggle, because people very much consider them as high-art," said the companies co-director Billy Trevitt. "You really need to know what you’re watching and to know dance intimately before you can get something out of one of their shows. That’s not the case with us." With a goal to promote accessibility to a new and wider audience, George Piper has developed a repertoire that bridges the classical idiom with the contemporary. 
Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt |
Their fresh, demystifying approach to the life of a classical dancer captivated the public’s attention, notably entrancing those with no knowledge or experience of dance. "In the way our programme works there’s definitely something in there for everyone and you’ll find yourself being introduced to work you wouldn’t normally consider," enthused Trevitt. "The first piece we do in the evening is called Critic’s Choice. The idea was to get these critically acclaimed choreographers to all make us a short piece,the other twist was to film the process. "For us the really interesting part is the time spent in the studio rehearsing and collaborating, but the audience always miss out on that. So we show the films during the performance so the audience gets to see a little bit about what goes into making dance. "Because you understand a bit of the process and to meet the people and understand the collaboration and the fun we have in the studio, I think it make it much easier to watch." Following 12 years with The Royal Ballet and a subsequent two years with K Ballet, Michael and Billy are known as the Ballet Boyz where their film diaries shown on Channel 4 have received huge audience figures. "One of the reasons we went out on our own is that a big company like The Royal Ballet has to keep reproducing Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. 
Michael and Billy |
"I’m sure you can imagine there’s only so many times you can dance those pieces without being bored. "New choreographer is what keeps dancers interested and if there isn’t enough of that you start to look elsewhere. "We wanted the chance to take control and commission people ourselves who we wanted to work with. That just wasn’t happening for us their so we took the bull by the horns and did it ourselves. "The music is fascinating, a wonderful mixture of compositions. The lighting is spectacular and very different throughout the performance and of course the dancers are beautiful too." The George Piper Dances perform at Norwich's Theatre Royal on Thursday 26 June, 2003. | 
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