January 3rd, 2020, Dubai (UAE): – Sisters Grimm Co-founders Pietra Mello-Pittman and Ella Spira have been awarded MBEs for ‘Services to International Trade and to the Creative Industries’ in the New Year Honours list which recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom.
Ella Spira and Pietra Mello Pitman
The prestigious recognition comes after a year of mammoth achievements for Sisters Grimm. 2020 saw Ella and Pietra’s relocation to UAE with dual residency between their Head Quarters in London and Dubai with a home writing and recording studio set up in Burj Khalifa. Throughout the pandemic, Sisters Grimm used the time productively continuing to produce authentic international collaborations, this time with the Middle East.
“We’ve been developing a new Arabic production in Dubai routed in the UAE to be a pan Arab World celebration. We have employed many artists in the region, following the COVID social distancing rules, keeping everyone safe, and are delighted to be able to share the work has exceeded all expectations and the region responded to our honest desire to firstly play a part in giving Arab culture a voice internationally and secondly help grow the industry on the ground in the UAE,” comment Ella and Pietra.
In 2020 Sisters Grimm released five songs; ‘Just Saying Hi’, ‘Together Let Go’, ‘The Way Home’ filmed at Dubai Opera, ‘Between the Stars’, and ‘United’ released to celebrate UAE National Day and featuring paintings and their own unique artistic response to celebrate the natural beauty of the Emirates. The songs have amassed more than 3.5 million views and saw Sisters Grimm work with leading musical talent from across the Middle East including DB Gad, Arqam Al Abri, Shamma Hamdan, Don Abdullah (Abdullah Andeezn), Madyan Hamza and Layla Kardan.
End to An Incredible Year for The Team Who Released Five Songs in The UAE Accumulating Millions of Views, Set Up Studio in Burj Khalifa, and with a New Arabic Production in The Works
Ella Spira at Dubai Opera
“The impact the arts can have should not be undervalued, it allows people the opportunity to tap into their emotions they do not usually give themselves time to feel. It creates memories for our company of performers on the stage and the audience members whether they are in a theatre – or now due to coronavirus they are digital – is invaluable. We take great pride in the social importance of our work, creating a space for everyone equally. Through 2020 we have continued this messaging through our music videos and in 2021 we will launch our first Sisters Grimm Social Impact Programme digitally in the UAE,” continued Ella and Pietra.
Launched in 2009, Pietra and Ella had a vision to create a theatre company that broke all the rules. Sisters Grimm celebrates cultures and inclusivity, collaborating with both traditional and contemporary performance artists from all around the world to create stylistically diverse and transformational live experiences, which speak to diverse audiences and embrace the principal themes that are the centre of the social conversations of today. An ever-expanding portfolio drawing influence from Africa, Europe, Asia and South America and now the Middle East Sisters Grimm has already achieved a wealth of success in both creativity and performance.
The company has toured domestically and internationally to both mainstream success and critical acclaim, receiving glowing reviews from the BBC, ITV, The Independent and the Telegraph, as well as achieving a Grammy nomination in the US and the Brazilian International Press Award for Best Show. The company’s debut production featured in the UK’s Royal Variety Performance, Prince Harry’s Hampton Court Palace concert and has been hosted at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, to a standing ovation.
Please visit the Sisters Grimm YouTube to enjoy the latest song United.
About Ella Spira
Ella Spira is a British composer who was born and raised in Gloucester. She feels a strong connection to and is inspired by her musical and artistic family history. Both her British parents are fine artists, her father was Senior Lecturer at the University of Arts in Cheltenham and her grandfather Emile Spira, was a Jewish refugee from Poland, a pianist and composer.
At 16 she started writing music for short films. Her professional career within the entertainment industry began when alongside writing, she chose to leave school in favour of employment by the BBC at age 17. As a composer she has worked for companies including BBC, BAFTA, the Royal Ballet, Arakan Creative and Universal Music with Steve Smart & Westfunk.
Adept at collaborating across cultures and artistic disciplines, Ella’s music is the seed for all Sisters Grimm productions and Ella has composed all the music for Sisters Grimm’s slate of cultural shows and digital content since 2009.
About Pietra Mello-Pittman
Pietra Mello-Pittman A.R.A.D. was born in Rio de Janeiro to a Brazilian mother and English father. Growing up in England she trained in both Ice skating and Ballet to the point at which Pietra had to choose her path.
Pietra was one of the rare few to win a place with the Royal Ballet Company after entering full time ballet training, with the Royal Ballet School, at the latest possible stage at 16 years old. She performed all the classics, created roles in new productions and has performed all over the world with the Royal Ballet including at The Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres in Russia and in Cuba with Carlos Acosta.
After winning the Ursula Morton Choreography Competition in 2001, while at the Royal Ballet School in London, Pietra started on the path to becoming a producer through her subsequent choreographies. Passionate about cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary collaborations and carrying with her, the high standards she is accustomed to from her 13-year professional life as a ballerina, Pietra retired from the Royal Ballet in 2015 to focus on producing for Sisters Grimm.
About Sisters Grimm
Sisters Grimm is a dynamic and creative partnership between ex Royal Ballet ballerina Pietra Mello-Pittman and Grammy nominated composer Ella Spira.
In 2009, they had a vision to create a theatre company that broke all the rules. Sistes Grimm was born.
The company celebrates cultures and inclusivity, collaborating with both traditional and contemporary performance artists from all around the world to create stylistically diverse and transformational live experiences, which speak to diverse audiences and embrace the principal themes that are the centre of the social conversations of today. An ever-expanding portfolio drawing influence from Africa, Europe, Asia and South America and now the Middle East Sisters Grimm has already achieved a wealth of success in both creativity and performance.
The company has toured domestically and internationally to both mainstream success and critical acclaim, receiving glowing reviews from the BBC, ITV, The Independent and the Telegraph, as well as achieving a Grammy nomination in the US and the Brazilian International Press Award for Best Show. The company’s debut production featured in the UK’s Royal Variety Performance and has most recently been hosted at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, to a standing ovation.
