Restaurant Seeks Ballet Help
Date Posted: 16 Dec 09
Posted By: Christian Rose-Day
Keywords: little bay restaurant farringdon battersea croydon kilburn london christmas ballet school train waiter party teach dancer peter ilic owner staff nutcracker swan lake little bay restaurant farringdon battersea croydon kilburn london christmas ballet school train waiter party teach dancer peter ilic owner staff nutcracker swan lake little bay restaurant farringdon battersea croydon kilburn london christmas ballet school train waiter party teach dancer peter ilic owner staff nutcracker swan lake li
There are four Little Bay restaurants throughout London: Kilburn; Battersea; Croydon; and Farringdon.
A London restaurant owner has recruited dancers from Central School of Ballet to get his waiters into shape ahead of the Christmas party rush. Peter Ilic, owner of Little Bay Restaurants, hit the headlines across the globe in February this year by telling customers to pay what they thought his food was worth. The campaign was an overwhelming success.
For the past month the staff at Little Bay have been put through their paces by the school’s Ballet Mistress Carole Gable (wife of the School’s founder, the late Christopher Gable) to improve stamina, dexterity, grace and agility using routines from some of the world’s most famous ballets including Swan Lake and Christmas favourite, The Nutcracker Suite.
The techniques are designed to help staff navigate through the packed restaurants where revellers, in the party mood, can be prone to unpredictable movements.
“It’s worth the investment in the savings on broken china and glasses alone,” said Peter Ilic, Owner of Little Bay. “Christmas is a very busy time for us and office workers are determined to have fun. Extra training is required for all staff, especially the front of house team who sometimes have to swerve and leap between excited customers.”
Sara Matthews, Director at Central School of Ballet said: “ Little Bay is only down the road from us in Farringdon and we often enjoy lunches there. So when Peter asked me if we could help the staff prepare for the Christmas rush, we jumped at the chance. After all, ballet isn’t just for ballerinas it’s something everyone can enjoy.
“We are not suggesting that the front of house team pirouette across the dining room, but ballet is all about graceful and agile moves. Ballerinas are among the fittest people in the world and a good training programme is exactly what you need to survive a busy restaurant environment.”
Ballet Central the touring company of Central School Ballet will be performing around the country in 2010 from March through to the end of July, with London performances taking place at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre, RADA, the Unicorn Theatre, Southwark and Stratford Circus.
There are four Little Bay restaurants throughout London: Kilburn; Battersea; Croydon; and Farringdon.
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