Reunion

English National Ballet returns to live performances with five world premieres by renowned choreographers and rising talents.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui reimagines Laid in Earth as a “torn apart” quartet. It is set to Purcell’s famous aria from Dido and Aeneas – sung live by mezzo soprano Flora McIntosh, as well as new electronic music composed by Olga Wojciechowska.

Russell Maliphant creates ever shifting choreography and uses light as an integral partner in the creative process. Collaborating with video artist Panagiotis Tomaras and with commissioned sound design by Dana Fouras, the result is mesmerising.

A former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, world-renowned choreographer Yuri Possokhov works with a UK company for the first time. His piece for four dancers, Senseless Kindness, is based on Vasily Grossman’s great novel, Life and Fate, about a Russian family caught in the Second World War, and set to Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No1.

In Take Five Blues, ENB Associate Choreographer Stina Quagebeur responds to two of her favourites pieces of music: Bach’s Vivace and Paul Desmond’s jazz standard, Take Five. Her eight dancers seem to play with their rhythms and echo their melodies, feeding off each other’s energy.

Arielle Smith’s Jolly Folly is like your favourite dance number in an old movie musical: fast-paced, surprising, and full of uncontainable energy. Driven by the Klazz Brothers’ latin-infused covers of Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Mozart, it will make you grin from ear to ear.

The music for Laid in Earth, Take Five Blues and Senseless Kindness is performed live by musicians of English National Ballet Philharmonic.

Performances will be to socially-distanced audiences in strict compliance with UK Government guidance. More information can be found here.

English National Ballet is an Associate Company of Sadler’s Wells.

“After what will be nearly 9 months without performing in theatres, I am thrilled that English National Ballet is going to be back on stage with a live audience this Winter. It’s been wonderful to see our studios back in action for the creation of these five exciting new works and we can’t wait to share them with our audiences.”

Tamara Rojo