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Our new Autumn 2020 season
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a new digital season and on-demand platforms, plus the live stream of Emerging Dancer 2020.
What were our original plans?
Autumn 2020 was going to be an exciting time for us: we planned to premiere Creature by Akram Khan (a postponement from April 2020), and a new version of Raymonda, choreographed by Tamara Rojo after Marius Petipa.
These premieres have been postponed owing to the closure of venues, and the difficulty in achieving the original timeline for the creation of these two new large-scale ballets under lockdown. Creature will now have its premiere in September 2021 at Sadler’s Wells, whilst Raymonda’s premiere date is to be announced. If you had bought tickets for these productions on our Autumn tour, the theatres’ box offices will be in touch soon to arrange your credit or refund.
While we’ve had to change course, we’re very excited about what we’ll be bringing to you in the next few months – and we hope you will be too!
Emerging Dancer 2020: watch live online on 22 September
In our first major live event since January, we will be streaming our annual competition, Emerging Dancer, from our studios in East London. Tickets will be £5 per device.
Our six finalists – Ivana Bueno, Carolyne Galvao, Miguel Angel Maidana, Victor Prigent, Emily Suzuki and William Yamada – are now back in the studio. They’re being mentored by their peers, are rehearsing their classical pas de deux, and also working with Jeffrey Cirio, Stina Quagebeur and Mthuthuzeli November on new contemporary pieces.
Mark your calendars for 22 September, and come watch them perform in front of a panel of eminent judges including Edward Watson, Kerry Nicholls and Kenneth Tindall. You’ll also be able to vote for the People’s Choice award winner by text!
Our new digital season
We’re working on a season of short works for camera from a fantastic roster of choreographers:
- Russell Maliphant, who created Second Breath for us, as part of Lest We Forget, in 2014
- Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, in his first work for our main Company
- Former star of the Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, Yuri Possokhov, who will choreograph for a UK company for the first time ever
- Rising star Arielle Smith, who also choreographs for our main Company for the first time
- Stina Quagebeur – our own Associate Choreographer, and a recent National Dance Award winner
The pieces will be created, rehearsed, and performed by Company dancers in our studios in East London within COVID secure guidelines. They will premiere in November and December 2020, and be available to rent on ENB at Home, our new video on demand service (more below).
For Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, “it is testament to the talent of our dancers and the spirit and reputation of our Company that we have such incredible choreographers working with us on our digital season. I’m thrilled that not only will we have new pieces by renowned choreographers to share with our audiences, but that even in these challenging times we are also continuing to support young talent too. I can’t wait to see what they create.”
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Our new digital platform
We will launch a new digital platform this Autumn (exact date to be announced), so you can enjoy more of ENB in the comfort of your home.
- On ENB at Home, you will be able to rent filmed performances, starting with Akram Khan’s Giselle and Le Corsaire. We will also host filmed performances of new works from our digital season, and special events like Emerging Dancer 2020. We’re also working to offer you the opportunity to rent some of the recordings we shared earlier this year during our Wednesday Watch Parties.
- The ENB at Home platform will also build on the popular series of at-home classes we made available during lockdown. By paying a monthly or annual subscription, you will gain access to over 100 hours of material including ballet classes, yoga, and fitness sessions, wherever you are in the world.
Sign up to our e-newsletter to be notified when we launch ENB at Home.
A new online service to bring you more ballet than ever; nine new commissions; and, with Emerging Dancer 2020, an exciting event to kick off our Autumn season: we hope you’re excited and that you’ll connect with us!
Plans for our Winter Season 2020/2021 will be confirmed in due course. With changes in government guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic now allowing indoor performances with socially distanced audiences, we are exploring options with partner venues.
We have also announced changes to our Company: read more about promotions and departures for the 2020/2021 season here.