Culcheth dancer to tour UK in Swan Lake after years of sacrifice

George-Murray Nightingale grew up in Culcheth and found a love of dance when he was a young boy.

Being the youngest of his siblings, George-Murray often had to travel with his mum to pick up his sister from dance classes.

Rather than wait outside, he would stand at the door of the studio and copy his sisters dance moves, sparking a life-long love for the art form.

“People always ask me what inspired me to become a dancer, and for me it just felt like it was a calling from a young age,” he said.

“I was quite a shy kid, so it was a way of expressing myself without having to use words. It was like a form of expressing myself that was comfortable.”

The Twiss Green Primary School alum successfully auditioned for The Hammond, a performing arts school in Chester which he attended for five years before going to the English National Ballet in London.

George-Murray found that dance helped him express himself (Image: Supplied)

Since then, he’s performed in Romania, Germany and Australia – where he was a dancer at the Australian National Ballet in Melbourne.

His successful career hasn’t just been handed to him, though, as George-Murray admits that he’s made tough sacrifices in order to chase his dream, including being away from his family for more than a decade.

“There’s so much sacrifice, I’ve been away from home since I was 11 and then all my work has been overseas,” he said.

“My mum and dad have worked a lot to send me to ballet school and put me through training, they’ve been as invested in it as I have.

“This is the first time I’ve come back to dance in the UK. My family have missed out on 10 years of my career, and it’s already a short enough career so it’s tough, but when you hear the applause at the end of a show it’s so worth it.”

The hard work and determination needed to make it as a ballet dancer can often be overlooked by misconceptions, which George-Murray says are tiring.

“The misconception that we don’t eat is just so boring or asking if we can dance on our toes or do the splits,” he said.

“That kind of thing can get tiring, and people just think I run around a studio in a tutu all day.

“I’m an athlete and people don’t take that as seriously as an Olympian on the TV, just because I’m not in the mainstream as much doesn’t mean the work I do isn’t valid.”

The 28-year-old has made many sacrifices to chase his dream (Image: Supplied)

Despite the sacrifices and long days, George-Murray says that getting to perform and live his dream has all been worth it.

“I don’t regret anything,” he said.

“Even as a kid there were so many sacrifices even beyond my age, I didn’t really know what I was doing.

“I was making the sacrifice without knowing it was a sacrifice. Every time I would choose dance, without question.”

George-Murray has made his return to the UK after he successfully auditioned to be part of the 30th anniversary tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, which is renowned around the world.

The 28-year-old wrote his dissertation on Matthew’s work and has been a lifelong admirer, even giving up his role in the Australian Ballet to audition for the tour.

“I’ve admired this company and Matthew Bourne’s work from afar my whole life,” he said.

“I just had such a feeling and calling for the work and I knew I wanted to be a part of it some day in whatever capacity it was, so it feels meant to be. “

George-Murray will be performing at The Lowry in November (Image: Supplied)

George-Murray is currently rehearsing in London for the tour, which will commence on November 11 in Plymouth before it moves up north on November 19 to The Lowry in Salford.

After a decade of not being able to see him dance, George-Murray’s family will finally be able to see him perform once again.

“I think my mums booked a ticket in every single venue,” said George-Murray.

“For the last 10 years I’ve had nobody in the audience - I mean I’ve had a theatre of 2,000 people watching, but not a familiar face that I knew was there.

“It’s going to be good to know I’ve got someone I know in the audience.”

George-Murray hopes that other inspiring dancers in Warrington continue to chase their dream of performing and has offered some advice.

“Look at all performing arts that will let you express yourself because every kind is so valuable,” he said.

“Don’t lose yourself in what you’re doing, it’s so easy to take on what your teacher says but it’s also you doing it so make sure you keep your essence and what makes you special.”