News / 20 Jul 2026
Animation graduate and Senior Lecturer create artwork for Elmhurst Ballet
BA (Hons) Animation
Katie Holland, a recent BA (Hons) Animation graduate, and Ben Simpson, BA (Hons) Animation Senior Lecturer, have produced an animated scene for a new ballet, The Great Race of the Zodiac.
Choreographed by George Liang, Coryphée at Northern Ballet, The Great Race of the Zodiac is an ambitious new multidisciplinary stage production that merges ballet, shadow puppetry, and animation, set to an original score.
George Liang approached the University to create an animation for part of the performance. Senior Lecturer Ben Simpson and then-student Katie Holland worked alongside George to create a 1.5min animated sequence to accompany the performance.
“This project has been an absolute joy to be part of. I am thrilled to have contributed to such a wonderful expression of creativity. Thank you.”
Katie Holland, BA (Hons) Animation graduate
The Great Race of the Zodiac was created for the Elmhurst Ballet School, one of the UK’s first vocational dance schools, and featured 65 dancers from years 7-9. The work premiered at this year’s Summer Show.