High Points Youth Ballet CIC (HPYB) was founded in January 2011 by Rana O’Brien with three of her ballet students with funding from UnLtd. The initial purpose of HPYB was to provide supplementary training for exceptionally talented and committed students in Northern Ireland. 

From 2011 to 2017, HPYB organised monthly masterclasses for students who were scoring ‘high points’ in their ballet examinations. These workshops were taught by respected teachers such as Kenny Burke of The Dance School of Scotland and Julianne Rice-Oxley of English Youth Ballet (EYB).

In 2017, the arrival of American dancers Jake Allison and Anna Carapellotti in Northern Ireland marked a transformative moment for our organisation. With their expertise and passion, they joined forces with HPYB to launch its Pre-Professional Training Programme, supported by a small grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Jake became the organisation’s founding Artistic Director with Anna serving as Répétiteur. Since then, HPYB gained remarkable momentum, propelling the organisation to a new level of impact and excellence. 

From 2018, Jake and Anna have offered weekly, rather than monthly, ballet technique classes for students, who began to select HPYB as their primary dance school. Classes were based on the Vaganova-method and integrated into them the learning of repertoire. A tradition of biannual performances, including a yearly production of The Nutcracker and a Spring Gala featuring selections from important classics like Swan Lake or Giselle, transformed HPYB into a Youth Ballet Company. 

In 2020, when the Covid-19 crisis hit, HPYB adapted its training to be delivered via Zoom. Despite this, student numbers continued to grow during that time. Masterclasses with world class artists, like Melissa Hamilton, were delivered to improve morale and keep the students motivated during this difficult time. In 2021, classes resumed in person.

In 2022, Jake founded HPYB’s competition team, with the inaugural group (Georgia Crawford, Amelia Larmour, Kristina Murphy, Leah McNally, & Aoife Stafford) traveling to Barcelona for a 2023 Youth Grand Prix Semi-Final, where Georgia was awarded a scholarship to the Nervi Festival in Italy. In 2023, Argyro Tsampazi created the piece ‘Initiation’ with Senior competition dancers, securing an invitation for the team to the 2024 Youth America Grand Prix Finals and 25th Anniversary Celebration in New York. 

In 2024, the HPYB Team launched the Belfast International Ballet Festival with support from the Belfast City Council. The inaugural Festival featured a week of masterclasses for dancers and culminated in gala performances featuring choreography by Oona Doherty, a lecture by Ballet Historian Amy Growcott, and many beloved favourites from the classical repertoire.