Press Release: English National Ballet kicks off its 2019-2020 season rehearsals from new home

[Jan McNulty]

English National Ballet kicks off its 2019-2020 season rehearsals from new home

 

Today (Tuesday 13 August 2019) English National Ballet dancers arrived at the Company’s new building on London City Island, Canning Town, to begin rehearsals for their 70th Anniversary Season.

 

Photo caption: English National Ballet dancers and staff gather in the Dorfman Foyer to mark the start of the new season in Company’s new building on London City Island. 

 

The new building is home to seven full-sized rehearsal studios as well as the five-storey, state-of-the-art Production Studio which is fitted with a fly tower allowing for productions to be rehearsed with full set and lighting. Some studios have been named in recognition of individual artists who have been an important part of English National Ballet, and others after significant supporters of the capital campaign who helped to make the building a reality. The Studios are the Grey Studio, Hynd Studio, Linden Studio, the Markova/Dolin Studio, Nureyev Studio, Wall Studio and Weston Studio. 

 

Wood for the feature staircase and all seven dance studios was kindly donated by Worktop Express. 

 

The first productions to be rehearsed in the new building include the return of Akram Khan’s Giselle, Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, and Le Corsaire before performances this Autumn.

 

English National Ballet’s new home on London City Island will open to the public in mid-September, further details to follow.  

 

-ENDS- 

English National Ballet is a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England. 

 

Notes to Editors

 

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.
www.ballet.org.uk  

 

About Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
www.artscouncil.org.uk

[alison]

Wow, what will they do with all that space?  I do hope nobody gets agoraphobic.

[LinMM]

Hoorah that means that at last you can go straight across the red bridge onto the Island and into the new square....it really is only a 3-4 min walk from the tube. 

Ive been following this for what has turned out to be years now!

First visit whole place a building site can't even get access to the red bridge.

second visit you can cross the bridge but have to turn right and walk all the way around to the only place open ....an Italian Restaurant and Delicatessen ....first hot chocolate on the Island ..but no access to THE Square.....and where is the ENB building? 

third visit similar to above but now people are living there and some landscaping has been done. Where is the ENB building ....aren't they moving in in two months? 

Fourth visit they defo not moving in been postponed .....but finally some sort of ENB building taking shape! Still no direct access to,the Square from the red bridge and still only one place for hot choc.

Fifth visit pretty much as above but there's a full building there looking more promising ....but no direct access tothat bit even though moving in finally in six months.

sadly could have reported back on a sixth visit last week when hoping to go and find direct access to the New Square finally open and a new place for hot chocolate? But just have to wait now to open that champagne bottle. 

I had booked a whole load of classes for adults for the Autumn term....they start mid October already.....but will be a while before dancing in that building been waiting so long for.

I do have the November Masterclass on Corsaire to look forward to so guess that will be the champagne day!! 

Somebody told me there's a new Sainsburys next door to ENB so can at least buy a reasonably priced sandwich now though I believe eventually there will be a cafe inside the building.