Northern Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet has survived fire, flood and the changing fashions of more than three decades. Ahead of the 2024 revival of this classic production, we discover the turbulent tale behind it.

Director of the University’s Cultural Institute Wieke Eringa hears from Daniel de Andrade and Pippa Moore MBE, who danced the title roles and are now passing their knowledge on to the next generation as members of Northern Ballet’s artistic staff.

Romeo & Juliet will return to the stage from 8 March, and you can visit the University of Leeds exhibition Preserving the Passion: Northern Ballet's Romeo & Juliet' in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery until 23 March.

The Northern Ballet Archive, donated to the University of Leeds in 2021, tells the 50-year story of the company from its foundation to the present. Bringing together drawings, props, costumes and photographs, this exhibition documents the production, the evolution and sometimes the complete recreation of a cornerstone of the company’s repertoire.