Creating moving, meaningful experiences – on stage and beyond

This autumn, we’re on the road with Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty. Visiting Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton, we’re whisking audiences away to an enchanted land and a story of good versus evil.

We kicked off our national tour in Liverpool at the end of October, followed by performances in Manchester and Southampton this month. We’ve already welcomed over 17,500 people to a show and we’re looking forward to sharing this magical ballet with even more audiences around the country.

The Sleeping Beauty is part of our commitment to honouring the great tradition of classical ballet. With its expressive choreography, soaring score and beautiful designs, the production offers audiences plenty to enjoy. 

Artistic Director, Aaron S. Watkin, describes the work as:

“One of the hardest technical full-length classical ballets to dance.”

He goes on to invite seasoned ballet attenders and first-timers alike to join us at a performance and “experience just how extraordinary classical ballet can be”.

Find out more about our upcoming performances here.

Alongside the performances, our Engagement team offer a range of experiences and opportunities to connect with ballet.

These events are all inspired by the productions taking place on stage and offer those taking part a chance to explore and experience more.

Our Liverpool-based Dance for Parkinson’s classes are just one example. Dance for Parkinson’s recently celebrated 15 years since launching and now sees over 5,000 attendances at classes each year.

The Engagement Team tell us more…

How does Dance for Parkinson’s benefit participants and what’s involved?

English National Ballet have been delivering Dance for Parkinson’s in Liverpool since 2014, and as of 2023, partner with Liverpool Hope University to deliver classes at the University’s Creative campus.

The programme supports people living with Parkinson’s through dance, music, and socialisation, contributing to better health and wellbeing. At weekly classes participants creatively explore the themes, music, and choreography of our classical and contemporary repertoire. Classes support fluidity of movement, develop strength, postural stability, flexibility and improve balance for those taking part.

Classes in Liverpool are accompanied by live music and led by experienced Associate Dance Artists and musicians based in the Northwest. The are also supported by volunteers from the University’s creative courses and have a very inclusive, welcoming atmosphere. There is a real camaraderie across the programme for everyone involved.

The classes we ran whilst on tour in Liverpool were directly inspired by The Sleeping Beauty, with music and movement from the production. Alongside the class, our participants also had the opportunity to watch the show and meet some of the dancers at the theatre which was very special.

Find out more about our industry-leading Dance for Parkinson’s programme here.

Other examples of our Engagement team’s offer include workshops and creative sessions for schools and families.

Can you tell us more about your programme in Manchester?

We work with partner schools across the region. One part of this offer is our Dynamic Drawing event which took place at Manchester Palace Theatre. It begins with a discussion session, led by specialist visual artist, Heidi Wigmore, on live drawing and the different skills required to capture the moving body.

The group then watch our dancers in their daily Company class and take part in a drawing session with a unique viewpoint. After observing class, they review their work and receive professional feedback on what they’ve created. At a similar event in Liverpool, we had over 80 secondary school students in attendance.

We also welcomed people to our Matinee Morning, inviting them to step into the world of the ballet. They heard from English National Ballet creatives about what it takes to bring this stunning production to the stage. They learnt about the ballet’s history, Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score and got the chance to get up-close to the costumes. And they also heard exclusive insights into the making and technical side of the production.

This event was open to families with children aged 12 and above and took place before our matinee performance at the theatre.

Will you also be working with schools in Southampton?

In Southampton we’re participating in Discover! Creative Careers Month, for the second year in a row.

We will offer free insights into The Sleeping Beauty and practical ballet workshops to schools in Southampton. We’re visiting three schools and expect to engage with approximately 90 students. The ballet workshops will be inspired by Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music and the wonderful choreography from the production, for dancers to respond to creatively. Over 60 of the students will also attend a live performance to see the magic of the production first-hand.

Feel inspired?

Find out more about our Engagement programme and ways to move with us here.