Thousands of local children create and perform new ballet and opera celebrating Bradford
Published June 18, 2025
- Today more than 2,000 Bradford children joined together for Sing, Dance, Leap – a new ballet and opera project based on the hopes and dreams of Bradford’s young people.
- Led by the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), Opera North (ON) and Northern Ballet (NB) Sing, Dance, Leap is the first time many of these children have ever experienced ballet and opera.
- Sing, Dance, Leap is the biggest moment of mass participation created by and for young people commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
- The children performed original music and choreography for Sing, Dance, Leap alongside renowned local and international artists.
- The RBO, ON and NB will continue to work with young people across Bradford to help widen access to arts education and activities.
Today, more than 2,000 Bradford children filled the newly refurbished Bradford Live to perform a new ballet and opera inspired by their own hopes and dreams as part of a new cultural project, Sing, Dance, Leap.
Led by the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), Opera North (ON) and Northern Ballet (NB) Sing, Dance, Leap is the biggest moment of mass participation created by and for young people commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. For many of the children involved, this was their first time ever experiencing ballet and opera.
Using ballet, opera and the arts to teach children how to creatively express how they feel about themselves and their city, Sing, Dance, Leap celebrates Bradford’s rich cultural history through the eyes of the city’s young people. The thoughts and feelings of the Bradford primary school students involved inspired and shaped the original music by Will Todd, lyrics by Kadijah Ibrahiim, and choreography by Carlos Pons Guerra featured in today’s final performance.
Joining the thousands of Bradford students today to bring the performance to life were a group of renowned local and international artists, including dancers from The Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet, professional opera singers, and Opera North’s chorus and orchestra.
One of the artists involved in Sing, Dance, Leap, Tom Whitehead, is a Bradford-born Royal Ballet dancer who returned to his hometown for the project.
Working with schoolchildren from right across Bradford, Sing, Dance, Leap has been as much about driving access to artistic opportunities for the region’s young people as it has been about creating this celebratory performance.
The importance of young people accessing creative education and experiences has been well documented, with reports showing that access to the arts can improve children’s wellbeing and give young people crucial life skills including teamwork and problem solving (Cultural Learning Alliance, 2023).
Projects like Sing, Dance, Leap give arts organisations like the RBO, ON and NB the chance to give more young people those critical opportunities, while also helping to grow the next generation of theatre and art lovers across the country.
Sing, Dance, Leap is one part of a 4-year long community partnership between the RBO and Bradford that launched in 2023. Following Sing, Dance, Leap, the RBO, ON and NB will continue to widen opportunities for young people, teachers and schools to access ballet and opera inside and outside the classroom.