Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Principal Dancer Cèline Gittens, First Soloist Rosanna Ely and Artist Regan Hutsell, have teamed up to help launch the company’s 2024 Pointe Shoe Appeal.

The appeal is running alongside the UK tour of Sir Peter Wright’s The Sleeping Beauty, which was recently performed at Birmingham Hippodrome, the company’s home base.

The appeal aims to raise funds to keep dancers on pointe during BRB’s forthcoming national and international tours later this year.

Pointe shoes are fundamental to a dancer, helping to showcase their strength, grace and agility. From their very first pair, to the shoes worn for their most cherished performance, a dancer’s connection with their pointe shoes is special.

Each pair of shoes costs £50 and BRB dancers use up to 4,000 shoes each year.

On average a BRB dancer can go through up to 10 pointe shoes each month, some of which can wear out within just an hour of a performance depending on the demands of the role. In BRB’s much-loved classical ballets such as Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, Principal dancers can use up 20 pairs of shoes every month! BRB dancers have several pairs of pointe shoes in use at any one-time during rehearsal and performance. Each pair are custom made and altered for the perfect fit for all performances and career longevity.

The Pointe Shoe Appeal is in addition to the generous support the company receive from donors and supporters for its ongoing programming. This is a fundamental part of the work of the Development Team’s vital fundraising activity and is not related to Birmingham City Council’s recent announcement of cuts in arts funding.

For further information on how to donate please visit Pointe Shoe Appeal at brb.org.uk. BRB’s tour of Sir Peter Wright’s The Sleeping Beauty, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, continues across the UK until 27 April.