. http://www.ballet.org.uk Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:07:15 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.ballet.org.uk/images/M_images/english-national-ballet-logo-black-on-white.jpg http://www.ballet.org.uk . http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-10-october.html It's the last week of rehearsals before the start of the Autumn tour and with not one but two full-length ballets to rehearse we've hardly seen the dancers or the ballet staff as they have all been in mammoth full-run rehearsals. Opening the tour with Beauty in Oxford means that getting new ballet Manon on in Bristol will be a huge task. The dancers will only be able to rehearse next week in-between shows while still having Beauty fresh in their minds for every evening or matinee performance. As we are returning to Oxford in the Spring the dancers will be able to get a great idea of how Manon will eventually fit onto the smallest stage of all our touring venues. The cast of Angelina's Star Performance have enjoyed a week off and are refreshed to start the second half of their tour in Bristol on Tuesday. The cast have this week welcomed the good news that they will be travelling to Australia in January to take the dancing mouse to even more eager children, they're especially pleased they'll be missing the awful British weather! Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:03:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-3-october.html Casting has just been announced for the Autumn tour and everyone is getting excited about the new partnerships forming for Manon and The Sleeping Beauty. While usual partners Daria Klimentová and Dmitri Gruzdyev will be dancing together in Beauty they take a break for performances of Manon; Daria will dance with Guest Artist Friedemann Vogel and Dmitri will join with Principal Fernanda Oliveira who together wowed the Indian Travel Association conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Hall last week. There are also lots of debuts for younger dancers; Esteban Berlanga strikes up a partnership with Erina Takahashi who open proceedings in Southampton. James Forbat also makes his debut as Prince Desiré with Begona Cao in Southampton, click here (the-sleeping-beauty/the-sleeping-beauty-performance-times.html) for full casting. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-6-june.html Due to a World War II bomb being found, English National Ballet were evacuated from 3 mills studios where we were rehearsing new ballet Strictly Gershwin, this has caused a huge delay in rehearsal time - the dancers will now have to rehearse on Monday on their much needed day off and no one has yet rehearsed with the orchestra or with the singers. We've been encouraged by our Artistic Director, Wayne Ealing, to get into that 'war time spirit' and all pull together to make next week's show a success! It really will take all hands on deck; the technical crew will be working all of Sunday and through Sunday night to ensure the Royal Albert Hall is ready for when the dancers arrive on Monday - our sets and props being held hostage by an unexploded bomb really is a first for us! Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-30-may.html Strictly Gershwin is outgrowing our studios, the Company can't wait to move to 3 mills studio next week to rehearse with sets, props, orchestra and singers - it will be the first time the whole show has come together so even the performers will only just be getting to grips with how the show will finally be staged! The Department of Learning also have their work cut out for them - Summertime, a project linked to Strictly Gershwin, involves 12 secondary schools each performing a different dance style to a Gershwin song before coming together and performing the finale Rhapsody in Blue, a balletic ending involving all 120 school children! Thu, 29 May 2008 17:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-23-may.html This weekend English National Ballet make their second appearance at the Hay Festival, this time members of the Company will be encouraging you to get involved - on Saturday there will be four different workshops to choose from ranging from Ballroom to Classical Ballet. We hope the weather stays fine, last year it was the worst downpour of the year! Thu, 22 May 2008 17:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-16-may.html Lilia Kopylova and Darren Bennett have joined the Strictly Gershwin team as our featured Ballroom couple, making the show bursting even more with special guests; luckily the Royal Albert Hall has no shortage of dressing rooms! Lilia and Darren are British National Professional Champions and have appeared in all of the BBC series, Strictly Come Dancing. The technical department are busy watching reheasals of Strictly Gershwin to plot where the dancers are going, where they'll need costumes positioned and are doing lots of shopping trips to source the many props from the 20s, 30s and 40s needed for this mammouth production - they have to take special consideration that the props are light enough to be danced and won't damage the costumes or dancers! Fri, 16 May 2008 06:44:38 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-2-may.html This weekend six dancers are preparing to collaborate with Rob da Bank at Bandstand a new music festival at Old Billingsgate Market celebrating musical creativity. The dancers are performing classical and modern ballet to a DJ set including Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, we hope there will be some pictures next week as the event is completely sold out! Strictly Gershwin continues in rehearsals, An American in Paris is the next number that Derek Deane is tackling, using the whole Company as the finale to Act I. Tickets are selling extremely fast - booking early is a must to experience this star studded extravaganza! Fri, 02 May 2008 04:21:20 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-25-april.html Guillame Cote and Tamara Rojo joined us this week in preparation for Strictly Gershwin as rehearsals continue for ballet, tap and rollerblading! Festival Ballet at the Royal Festival Hall in July keeps getting more exciting - with more workshops and opportunities to watch and meet the dancers being organised every day - keep checking the website for announcements. The dancers' daily ballet class for example will be free to watch in the Ballroom on performance days. Our website continues to develop - Learning workshops and interaction events are now being sold via our shop enabling safe and efficient booking through Barclays, look out for autumn events on sale soon! Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-18-april.html The first week of rehearsals for Strictly Gershwin have begun and the Company is so focused only wardrobe fittings can tear people away from the studios! With so many costumes required makers from all over the country are coming to Markova House to fit all the dancers into the test costumes which must be completed in just two months - an astonishing feat. Also just beginning rehearsals is Wayne Eagling's first creation for the Company, Resolution performed to a song cycle by Mahler to be premiered at our return to the Royal Festival Hall in July. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0100 http://www.ballet.org.uk/ballet-blog/friday-11-april.html The Company have arrived back from Leeds and are exhausted but in good spirits - Swan Lake was played to a packed house at the Leeds Grand Theatre where the dancers return after a ten year gap. The Company really enjoyed the city too so this week we have had lots of calls to return to this great city soon. Highlights of the tour included Adela Ramirez's debut as Odette/Odile and the preview of Manon in Swan into Spring. After a very hectic Spring tour the dancers have had few rehearsals this week in order to prepare for the creation of Strictly Gershwin which starts first thing on Monday - with the breathtaking and very balletic finale Rhapsody in Blue. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0100