November 2009
12-year old Royal Ballet School student, Thomas Bedford, is to make his début in the central role of Fritz on the opening night of Sir Peter Wright’s production of The Nutcracker on Thursday 26 November 2009. Leeds-born Thomas will be performing on stage alongside the stars of The Royal Ballet including Miyako Yoshida as The Sugar Plum Fairy and Steven McRae as The Nutcracker Prince. Thomas started dancing at the age of four at the Mullen Theatre in Leeds and later
became a Royal Ballet School Leeds Junior Associate with teacher Melanie Agar. After a successful audition, he joined The Royal Ballet Lower School at White Lodge,Richmond Park in September 2008.

Commenting on his début, Thomas said:
‘I am a little nervous, but I am also really excited to be dancing with The Royal Ballet. Most of my family will be travelling down to London to see me on the opening night so I want to show them, as well as my teachers, what I can do!’

Thomas will share the role of Fritz at alternate performances with 13-year old Thomas Cooper from North Somerset and 14-year old Kilian Smith from East Molesley Surrey. More than seventy Royal Ballet Lower School students will be performing a variety of other roles in this popular production including party children,gingerbreads, mice, soldiers and rabbit drummers.

Live performance is a key element in the training offered at The Royal Ballet School. Each year, students are given numerous opportunities to dance publicly at both Lower and Upper Schools as well as at other special events in the UK and overseas.The experience of performing with The Royal Ballet on the stage of the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden – one the world’s great lyric theatres – is a particularly important one in the training of students of The Royal Ballet School.

For further information, interviews or photographs, please contact
Jim Fletcher, Development Manager at The Royal Ballet School on
020-7845 7074, mobile 07768 455667 or email jimf@royalballetschool.co.uk