A spectacular programme for an unmissable celebration with English National Ballet’s 70th Anniversary Gala at the London Coliseum.
Celebrate the countless dancers, choreographers, artists, musicians, artisans, technicians and audience members who, over 70 years, have been a part of the English National Ballet family, as the English National Ballet School join them for this once-in-a-lifetime event.
In the first half, the English National Ballet present a non-stop programme of some of the most important, enjoyable and iconic works that make up their history and ground-breaking repertoire.
Classics of the Ballets Russes melt into modern productions; archive footage of the Company dissolves into live action on stage; and extracts from great masters – Balanchine, Petit, MacMillan and many more – follow one another to create an astonishing, dream-like look back at our history, and that of modern ballet.
The evening concludes with a stunning showcase of the great talent across all the ranks of English National Ballet, with Harald Lander’s Etudes. First performed by the English National Ballet in 1955, this piece begins with traditional ballet exercises and steps and ramps up to a show-stopping display of dancing.
For 70 years, English National Ballet has been known for artistic excellence, innovative collaborations and bringing world-class ballet to the widest possible audience.
Extracts from the following works will be performed live, with incorporated archive film footage arranged by Dominic Best:
- Apollo, George Balanchine
- Who Cares?, George Balanchine
- La Sylphide, August Bournonville
- Swansong, Christopher Bruce
- Strictly Gershwin, Derek Deane
- Playlist (Track 2), William Forsythe
- Coppélia, Ronald Hynd
- Dust, Akram Khan
- Giselle, Akram Khan
- Broken Wings, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
- The Sleeping Beauty, Kenneth MacMillan
- Romeo & Juliet, Rudolf Nureyev
- Carmen, Roland Petit
- Three Preludes, Ben Stevenson
International dance star Sergio Bernal will be joining the Company as Guest Artist for the 70th Anniversary Gala, performing Farruca (Three-Cornered Hat).
ENBYouthCo will also perform a short piece choreographed by their Creative Director, Richard Bermange.
The gala performances conclude with a nod to English National Ballet’s early years, with a performance of one if its signature pieces, Etudes by Harald Lander, first performed by the Company in 1955.