English National Ballet is a

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

company founded by

Dame Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring international ...

and

Sir Anton Dolin Sir Anton Dolin (27 July 190425 November 1983) was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Biography Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-Kay but was generally known as Patrick Kay or "Pat" to h ...

as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...

Northern Ballet Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet. The company ...

and

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1969, ...

, it is one of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain. English National Ballet is one of the foremost touring companies in Europe, performing in theatres throughout the UK as well as conducting international tours and performing at special events. The Company employs approximately 67 dancers and a symphony orchestra, (English National Ballet Philharmonic). In 1984 Peter Schaufuss became director and changed the name to English National Ballet and founded the school

English National Ballet School English National Ballet School is a specialist classical ballet school based in London in the United Kingdom. The School was founded in 1988 by Peter Schaufuss as the official school of English National Ballet. The School's current Artistic Di ...

, which is independent from the ballet company but joining the company premises in the new building. The Company regularly performs seasons at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

and has been noted for specially staged performances at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. In 2014 English National Ballet became an Associate Company of Sadler's Wells.

History

English National Ballet was founded in 1950 as Gala Performances of Ballet by the British dance couple,

Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring international ...

and

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) Sir Anton Dolin (27 July 190425 November 1983) was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Biography Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey ...

. The Company later adopted the name Festival Ballet, then London Festival Ballet, and in June 1989, English National Ballet. Markova and Dolin were leading stars of the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

, one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century. After the death of its director

Serge Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...

in 1929, the Company was disbanded and in 1931, one of its dancers,

Ninette de Valois Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, ...

, founded the

Vic-Wells Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Company in London, with Markova and Dolin as Principal dancers, Markova becoming

Prima Ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

in 1933. Markova and Dolin left the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1935 to tour as the Markova-Dolin Company and following the success of their performances, they decided to form their own company with the sole purpose being to tour both nationally and internationally, taking ballet to audiences that had not had the opportunity to see the art form.

''London Festival Ballet'' was founded in 1950 with the financial backing of the Polish impresario Julian Braunsweg. The name was inspired by the then imminent Festival of Britain, however the Company would later be renamed to today's English National Ballet. Dolin was the Company's first Artistic Director and established the Company as a touring group both nationally in the UK and Internationally, touring abroad for the first time in 1951. Dolin also introduced a number of educational programs in the early years, designed to make ballet accessible to new audiences. Dolin remained as Artistic Director until 1962, succeeded by

John Gilpin John Gilpin (18th century) was featured as the subject in a well-known comic ballad of 1782 by William Cowper, entitled '' The Diverting History of John Gilpin''. Cowper had heard the story from his friend Lady Austen. Gilpin was said to be ...

, who was also principal dancer with the Company from 1950 to 1960 and 1962 to 1971. The Company grew in size and status, undertaking extensive national and international tours, presenting a new generation of dancers—all while repeatedly facing bankruptcy. Braunsweg left in 1965 and Donald Albery took over until 1968, stabilising the budget with safer programming. Former Royal Ballet dancer

Beryl Grey Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey (née Groom; 11 June 1927 – 10 December 2022) was a British ballet dancer. Early life Born in Highgate, London, she began dance classes at the age of four while attending Sherbourne Preparatory School, and by age eig ...

directed the Company (now named ''London Festival Ballet'') from 1968 to 1979, raising technical standards, touring widely and inviting prominent guest stars and choreographers including

Leonide Massine Leonide or Léonide is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Leonide or Leonid of Georgia (1861–1921), Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia * Leonid Berman (1896–1976), Russian Neo-romantic painter and theater and opera designer * Léoni ...

and

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

, who picked ballerina

Eva Evdokimova Eva Maria Evdokimova-Gregori (December 1, 1948 – April 3, 2009) was a Bulgarian-American ''Prima Ballerina Assoluta'' with the Royal Danish, Berlin Opera Ballets, English National Ballet and guest artist with virtually every major ballet co ...

to be his first Princess Aurora in his production of ''The Sleeping Beauty'' in 1975. In 1979 John Field became director of the company until 1984. In 1984 Peter Schaufuss who had won both the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards as a dancer and for his production of La Sylphide with the Company, became its director and revitalised the company. During his directorship he succeeded in changing the name to English National Ballet, founding the school, inviting princess Diana as patron and presenting many important choreographers ballets with the company for the first time such as Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Christopher Bruce, Michael Clarke, John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Roland Petit, Maurice Bejart, and John Cranko. This period is considered by many the golden age where the company reached a new and higher level. In 1990 Ivan Nagy became director (until 1993),

Derek Deane Derek Deane (born 18 June 1953) is a British dancer and choreographer. Biography Derek Deane was raised in Redruth, Cornwall and trained in the Royal Ballet School. As a dancer, he eventually became a Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet, lat ...

(until 2001) and Matz Skoog (until 2006) and directed the Company before

Wayne Eagling Wayne Eagling (born 27 November 1950) is a Canadian ballet dancer, now retired. After more than twenty years as a popular member of The Royal Ballet in London, he became well known as an international choreographer and company director. Early li ...

, former head of

Dutch National Ballet The Dutch National Ballet (Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. History The Dutch National Ballet was formed in 1961 when the Amsterdam Ballet and the Nederlands Ballet merged. The company h ...

who took over in 2006. In April 2012, following the February sudden announcement of resignation by Eagling, principal dancer for The Royal Ballet

Tamara Rojo Tamara Rojo CBE (born 17 May 1974) is a Spanish ballet dancer. She is the English National Ballet's artistic director (2012–2022) and a lead principal dancer with the company. She was previously a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. She ...

was announced to become his successor at the end of the 2012 season, in August of that year. In November 2019, Prince Andrew, who had served as Patron of the English National Ballet since 2001, resigned amid the

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American sex offender and financier. Epstein, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, began his professional life by teaching at the Dalton School in Manhattan, des ...

scandal fallout. In January 2022, Rojo announced that she will leave the company at the end of the year to takeover the

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

. In August of that year, it was announced that

Aaron S. Watkin Aaron S. Watkin (born ) is a Canadian ballet company director and former dancer. He became the artistic director of the English National Ballet in 2023. He began his dance career in 1988 at the National Ballet of Canada, and went on to perform ...

will become the artistic director beginning in August 2023.

People

Artistic Directors: *

, 1950–1962 *

, 1962–1968 *

Dame Beryl Grey Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey (née Groom; 11 June 1927 – 10 December 2022) was a British ballet dancer. Early life Born in Highgate, London, she began dance classes at the age of four while attending Sherbourne Preparatory School, and by age eig ...

, 1968–1979 *

John Field John Field may refer to: *John Field (American football) (1886–1979), American football player and coach *John Field (brigadier) (1899–1974), Australian Army officer *John Field (composer) (1782–1837), Irish composer *John Field (dancer) (192 ...

, 1979–1984 *

Peter Schaufuss Peter Schaufuss (born 1949 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish ballet dancer, director and choreographer. Biography He is the son of ballet dancers Frank Schaufuss (1921–1997) and Mona Vangsaae (1920–1983). Schaufuss trained at the Royal Dan ...

, 1984–1990 * Ivan Nagy, 1990–1993 *

, 1993–2001 *

Matz Skoog Matz Skoog (born 1957) is a Swedish dancer and director, and the artistic director of English National Ballet from 2001 to 2005. Skoog was born in Stockholm on 10 April 1957. He trained with the Royal Swedish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet School. ...

, 2001–2006 *

, 2006–2012 *

, 2012–

Dancers

The Company's dancers are listed on the official website with photographs and linked biographies.

Lead principals

Principals

Character artists

* Michael Coleman

First soloists

*Aitor Arrieta *Emma Hawes *Katja Khaniukova *Alison McWhinney *Adela Ramirez *Fabian Reimair *Ken Saruhashi *Junor Souza *James Streeter

Soloists

*Rina Kanehara *Skyler Martin *Daniel McCormick

Junior soloists

Precious Adams Precious Adams is an American ballet dancer who currently dances with the English National Ballet. Early life Adams was born and raised in Canton, Michigan. Training Adams began dancing at the age of seven at a competitive jazz dance studio. ...

*Julia Conway *Tiffany Hedman *Anjuli Hudson *Senri Kou *Daniel Kraus *Erik Woolhouse

First Artists

*Jung ah Choi *Isabelle Brouwers *Henry Dowden *Sarah Kundi *

Van Le Ngoc Van Le Ngoc (Lê Ngọc Vǎn) is a ballet dancer and a choreographer. Born in Hanoi, Vietnam, he moved to live and study in France in 1996. From 1996 to 1998, he followed his study to become a ballet dancer at National Superior Conservatory of Mus ...

*Stina Quagebeur *

Francesca Velicu Francesca Velicu is a Romanian ballet dancer. She is a junior soloist at the English National Ballet. In 2018, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Early life Velicu was born in Bucharest, Romania. She trained ...

Artists of the Company

*Matthew Astley *Clare Barrett *William Beagley *Alice Bellini *Rebecca Blenkinsop *Georgia Bould *Ivana Bueno *Emilia Cadorin *Fernando Carratala Coloma *Noam Durand *Eireen Evrard *Breanna Ford *Carolyne Galvao *Giorgio Garrett *Amber Hunt *Chloe Keneally *Pedro Lapetra *Adriana Lizardi *Miguel Angel Maidana *Josue Moreno *Rentaro Nakaaki *Maeve Nolan *Victor Prigent *William Simmons *Lucinda Strachan *Emily Suzuki *Anna-Babette Winkler *Angela Wood *William Yamada *Rhys Antoni Yeomans

Notable Productions

Rudolf Nureyev’s award-winning production of ''

Romeo & Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' was especially created for the English National Ballet (then the London Festival Ballet) in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. ENB gave the world premieres of Christopher Bruce´s Land, The World Again, Swansong and Symphony in Three Movements. English National Ballet commissioned Akram Khan, who had never worked with any ballet companies before, to create a one-act ballet about World War I. His ballet, titled ''

Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...

'', premiered in 2014 and received rave reviews. It was brought to

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

later that year, making it English National Ballet's debut at Glastonbury. In 2016, English National Ballet presented ''She Said'', an all-female choreographer mixed bill, which includes

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (born 30 April 1973) is a Belgian-born international choreographer based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dance background Ochoa, who is half-Colombian and half-Belgian, completed her dance training at the Royal Ballet Acad ...

's '' Broken Wings'', which was based on

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

's life.

References

External links

*
Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert HallYouTube: English Ballet Company

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

{{authority control 1950 establishments in England Dance companies in the United Kingdom Ballet in London Cultural organisations based in London National Dance Award winners Performing groups established in 1950