Meet the Yorkshire ballerina bringing her new production to the grounds of opulent Wentworth Woodhouse

It is one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful stately homes – and for ballerina Tala Lee-Turton, Wentworth Woodhouse is practically home turf.

So it is no surprise that the creative producer and dancer is thrilled at the prospect of premiering her new production No Time Like The Present in the grounds today.

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The Wombwell-born Ms Lee-Turton is debuting the female-led production before taking it to Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens next week.The show comes 10 years after Ms Lee-Turton made history when she began her training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. She was the third British female to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in its then 245-year history, and the first from Yorkshire.

The idea of an outdoor performance started to take shape for Ms Lee-Turton during the pandemic after she returned to the UK from Russia, as she began to think of where and

The show comes 10 years after Ms Lee-Turton (second left) made history when she began her training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in MoscowThe show comes 10 years after Ms Lee-Turton (second left) made history when she began her training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow
The show comes 10 years after Ms Lee-Turton (second left) made history when she began her training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow

how she could dance for audiences again, and this led to the creation of her own production company.

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Now she has pulled together a diverse, international team for No Time Like The Present, collaborating with choreographer and soloist of American Ballet Theatre, Zhongjing Fang.

Ms Lee-Turton said: “It’s a real privilege to be able to bring this production to Wentworth Woodhouse and Sheffield 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.”

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Sarah McLeod, CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse, said of Tala’s work: “After completing her research and development at Wentworth Woodhouse last summer, it is wonderful to see everything come together in this exciting performance.

“We’re always keen to support local talent and offer new experiences to the people of Rotherham and No Time Like The Present is the perfect example of this.”

The event is supported by both Arts Council England and Sheffield City Council.

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The production will take place at Wentworth Woodhouse today and tomorrow, with performances for the Botanical Gardens planned for Wednesday August 24 and Thursday August 25.

The one-act production is set a pop-synth score and depicts five women exploring what makes them who they are and presents their stories in dance form.

Food and drink will also be available during the performances, with Ms Lee-Turton expressing her desire for it to feel “festival-like”.

Ms Lee-Turton 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, which she joined at 16 years old.