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English National Ballet
Song of the Earth & La Sylphide
Romeo & Juliet / Akram Khan’s Giselle / Nutcracker
National Tour
Wednesday 11 October – Saturday 2 December 2017
Performance times and ticket prices vary
 
Continuing its commitment to taking world-class ballet to audiences across the country, this autumn English National Ballet presents five productions on its national tour.
 
Two works new to English National Ballet’s repertoire, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s masterwork, Song of the Earth and August Bournonville’s La Sylphide recreated by Frank Andersen and Eva Kloborg, will be performed at the Manchester Palace Theatre (11-14 Octoberand Milton Keynes Theatre (17 – 21 October).
 
First performed in 1965, MacMillan’s choreography for Song of the Earth was different from anything he had previously devised. Featuring three central figures, a Woman, a Man, and a Messenger, this powerful, moving exploration of life, death, and renewal is set to Mahler’s song cycle, Das Lied von der Erde, performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic. These performances of Song of the Earth coincide with the 25th anniversary of MacMillan’s death.
 
Devised by one of the world´s leading producers of Bournonville ballets, Frank Andersen and Eva Kloborg’s faithful version of the 1830s Romantic ballet La Sylphide sees James wake from a dream on the morning of his wedding to Effy to encounter a mysterious sylphide before him, setting off a fateful sequence of events.
 
Song of the Earth and La Sylphide will also be performed at the London Coliseum in January 2018.
 
Winner of the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Dance, Akram Khan’s Giselle comes to Liverpool for the first time, with performances at the Liverpool Empire Theatre (25-28 October). Hailed as “a masterpiece of 21st century dance” (Mail on Sunday), Khan’s Giselle is one of a community of migrant workers cast out of their jobs in a condemned garment factory. Last season over 40,000 people saw Akram Khan’s reimagined Giselle performed on tour.
 
The world’s greatest love story, Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet returns this autumn with performances at the Bristol Hippodrome (21-25 November). Featuring inventive and passionate choreography, and set to Prokofiev’s famous score, performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, these performances mark the 40th anniversary of the production, which was originally created for English National Ballet in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
 
English National Ballet had its most successful Nutcracker run on record last season, when over 100,000 people came to see the production on tour or at the London Coliseum. This year sees Wayne Eagling’s Nutcracker tour to the Mayflower Theatre Southampton (29 November – 2 December) before returning to the London Coliseum, continuing the Company’s tradition of presenting a Nutcracker production each year since 1950.
 
Listings information:
 
Song of the Earth / La Sylphide
Manchester Palace Theatre
Wednesday 11 October - Saturday14 October 2017
Press night: Wednesday 11 October 2017
For more information, see: www.ballet.org.uk/song-sylphide
 
Song of the Earth / La Sylphide
Milton Keynes Theatre
Tuesday 17 October - Saturday 21 October 2017
Press night: Tuesday 17 October 2017
For more information, see: www.ballet.org.uk/song-sylphide
 
Akram Khan’s Giselle
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Wednesday 25 October - Saturday 28 October 2017
Press night: Wednesday 25 October 2017
For more information, see: http://giselle.ballet.org.uk
 
Romeo & Juliet
Bristol Hippodrome
Tuesday 21 November - Saturday 25th November 2017
Press night: Tuesday 21 November
For more information, see: www.ballet.org.uk/romeoandjuliet
 
Nutcracker
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Wednesday 29 November - Saturday 2 December 2017
Press night: Wednesday 29 November 2017
For more information, see: www.ballet.org.uk/nutcracker
 
Booking fees may apply.
 
About English National Ballet
English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English Dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has played a major role in the growth and history of ballet in the UK. Today, English National Ballet is renowned for taking world-class ballet to the widest possible audience through its national and international tour programme, offsite performances at festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude, its distinguished orchestra English National Ballet Philharmonic, and being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice and delivery, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s. Under the artistic directorship of Tamara Rojo, English National Ballet has gained new acclaim as it introduces innovative new works to the Company’s repertoire while continuing to honour and reinvigorate traditional ballet.
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I can remember the heady days when ENB, BRB and NB all toured to Bradford, when BRB (probably still SWRB), ENB and NB all toured to Leeds, when ENB and BRB both came to Liverpool - sometimes both twice in a year.

 

Speaking of the North East, NB seem to have a regular gig at Newcastle now and hopefully BRB will be back in Sunderland next year.

 

The Arts Council carved the country up at least 20 years ago.  If companies go outside their "allocated" areas it is at their own risk.  I am just glad that we still get ENB in Liverpool and that this year they are bringing Akram Khan's Giselle!

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5 hours ago, MAX said:

Why Song of the earth with La Sylphide ?  it seems weird to have those ballets together plus the evening is going to be very very long !  Has Rojo explained why she made this choice ?

I don't think ADs usually explain why they choose mixed bills.  They put them together, then the public can decide for themselves whether to see them or not.  In some cases, such as ENB's Lest We Forget triple bill and the one by female choreographers, where there was a salient theme, or where it's a tribute to a certain choreographer,  mixed bills are discussed in public by the AD.  Personally, I enjoy coming to my own theories about why or how a mixed bill is conceived.

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12 hours ago, Sim said:

I don't think ADs usually explain why they choose mixed bills.  They put them together, then the public can decide for themselves whether to see them or not.  In some cases, such as ENB's Lest We Forget triple bill and the one by female choreographers, where there was a salient theme, or where it's a tribute to a certain choreographer,  mixed bills are discussed in public by the AD.  Personally, I enjoy coming to my own theories about why or how a mixed bill is conceived.

 

I agree with this, but it's also usually possible to have some sort of idea even on paper about the thinking behind a bill. With this one, I still find it quite mystifying. Perhaps the proof of the pudding will be in the seeing (so to speak). i.e. it'll be interesting to see how they do work together in practice and whether or not that clarifies the thinking.

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4 hours ago, capybara said:

ENB's shows are never longer than 3 hours.

And they keep their intervals brief, on paper if not always in practice, so with two ballets which usually run around 65 / 75 minutes, plus two intervals of 15 minutes, it's do-able. Theme: at a basic level, loss, fate, regret?  

I'm so glad they are plugging the "La Sylphide" gap, I miss the Royal Ballet's Kobborg production, and I doubt I'll manage to get to their ROH "Song of the Earth" so I welcome this opportunity.

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On 21/08/2017 at 19:59, Jan McNulty said:

Speaking of the North East, NB seem to have a regular gig at Newcastle now and hopefully BRB will be back in Sunderland next year.

 

 

It's been pointed out to me that Scottish Ballet also tour regularly to Newcastle and they even made it to Liverpool for the first time in many years last year.  Of course, touring across the border requires cross-border funding to be available or the companies must be prepared to perform at their own risk.

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22 hours ago, MAX said:

Why Song of the earth with La Sylphide ?  it seems weird to have those ballets together plus the evening is going to be very very long !  Has Rojo explained why she made this choice ?

 

Presumably there's a connection with the MacMillan 25th anniversary.  Maybe she wanted her dancers to have the opportunity to dance it - or possibly she herself has unfinished business with it.  Or both.

 

Which leaves me to wonder how the various UK companies made their choices: were they all offered one or more picks from a list, did they submit their own wishlists, or what?

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