ENB Events

[LinMM]

Last Wednesday I attended an ENB Masterclass at their new premises on City Island.

This was for Friends and their guests and well worth the trip over there......though we no longer get provided with wine and nibbles etc at least the new premises has a cafe so can obtain refreshments from there .....which Markova House didn't use to have of course. 

In one of the huge light and airey new studios we were treated to a rehearsal of Le Corsaire with the young dancer ......who recently won the ENB Emerging Dancer Award....Julia Conway.

She danced a bit from the role of Medora and was then coached by Mayumi Ganley ( originally from Tokyo Ballet) who is ENB Ballet mistress and Repetiteur. 

On the piano was the delightful Gavin Sutherland. 

It must be very difficult for dancers to get into performing spirit in the glare of a fully lit studio even if the audience is largely appreciative! 

But Julia was able to take on board advice given by the coach who was gentle and informal and make the improvements to her performance. Sometimes advice was given on technique and very precise ....even down to a head position ....and sometimes on stage direction ....where to start and finish the solo and the precise diagonal to use! 

After the coaching session Julia, Mayumi and Gavin were then interviewed by Jennie Harrington who has now retired as a dancer from the Company and since has the job of Assistant Artistic Co-ordinator. 

Jennie is a clear speaker ( and used to be excellent on ENB dance workshops) and started by asking each of them what Corsaire meant to them. 

Of course for the dancers it was the excitement of the piece and the beauty of the costumes but Gavin Sutherland was explaining it took a long time to assemble the music for the current production. I had no idea that Adolph Adam ( Giselle) for example was the main original composer but these days there are bits by Delibes and other quite a few other  composers and  bits arranged by Gavin himself of this ENB production.

There was then some discussion  on the role of the conductor for ballet performances and it was obvious that at ENB the dancers are well served by Gavin and they talked about the collaboration between himself and them before performances. .....they are all in it together is what was expressed and he feels it is part of his job to support the dancers on stage. 

I don't think I misheard this but it seems as if he keeps scores marked for different dancers!! And then told a story about how he had just been chatting  with one dancer ( sorry didn't get her name) ready set for her performance when who should actually walk out on stage but Tamara Rojo.....the dancer he was expecting had got injured literally just before the performance....so a bit of a shock to which he had to quickly adjust!! 

It was obvious he really loves his job and the dancers I feel are very lucky to have him. 

After the interviews there was a short Q and A for the audience before the session was concluded.

A really nice evening ...not too long ....and a bonus to bump into some dancing friends ...there to attend classes (highly recommended) for a quick catch up before heading out into a rather damp evening out there in City Island!  Inspite of the drizzle it was rather enjoyable to walk across the red bridge at night time with all the surrounding building lights from Canary Wharf and beyond. This also my first venture up to London since August! 

 

One thing I noticed is that when you come off the jubilee line into Canning Town you could be at a complete loss as to where to go as although we knew the way if it was your first time it could take a while to find out where to go to get to City Island! There is a small sign when you are nearly there anyway but I do feel for such a busy little hub there should be larger and clearer signs for all directions out of the station including City Island. 

 

 

[alison]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

One thing I noticed is that when you come off the jubilee line into Canning Town you could be at a complete loss as to where to go as although we knew the way if it was your first time it could take a while to find out where to go to get to City Island! There is a small sign when you are nearly there anyway but I do feel for such a busy little hub there should be larger and clearer signs for all directions out of the station including City Island. 

 

Yes, I too found this when I went there for Open House in September: the sign for the exit from the Jubilee line is largely masked by displays showing the trains, or something.

[Geoff]

Not having yet made it to the new ENB on City Island I just checked on Google Maps. The website got confused (giving two different spots on City Island) but this seems to be the shortest route:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/ncvcs7o8SaA7bkxdA

 

Does anyone have any tips to stop one heading off in the wrong direction? 

Edited November 18, 2019 by Geoff

[annamk]

Does this from ENB help ? You can't miss the red bridge if you come out of the Bow Creek exit - the slightly confusing thing was taking the lift after the barriers to get to the Bow Creek exit. 

 

We would advise that guests use public transport as Canning Town tube station (Jubilee Line and DLR) is less than 5 minutes walk from our new building.

On exiting the tube barriers, take the lift, following the directional signage to Bow Creek. You will see ENB’s new building on Hopewell Square as you cross the red bridge.

 

 

[LinMM]

It’s easy once you get to where the lift is...was the only place I saw a very small sign to City Island and Bow Creek! As when you come out of the lift or walk up the stairs beside it you can’t fail to see the red bridge over to the Island and as soon as you are up on the bridge you can see the ENB building.

The problem is on the platform when you get off the tube...that’s where there seem to be no signs! 
You actually go DOWN the escalator from the platform to get to the Bow Creek exit and lift etc 
I think we got off the back end of the train and we needed the other end to find that escalator so being on front end of tube may be a bit more helpful. The thing is we did know which way to go but were saying that if we didn’t we would have had to ask as the signage was not there or not obvious or clear enough especially for such a modern station

Its only 5 mins from the station though so not far at all.

[LinMM]

There is no parking on City Island by the way only a drop off point for ENB 

[Peanut68]

LinMM, thank you for your detailed review (& travel tips!) 

I was especially interested by the insights you shared from the exceptionally wonderful & charming Gavin Sutherland... 

I had the pleasure to chat to him once years ago in the Coliseum Foyer whilst in queue to try get cast rush tickets as my daughter was fortunate to be one of the kids dancing in Nutcracker.... he was so lovely with time to chat & I was touched how he seemed to ‘know’ even the youngest cast members. ENB make the effort to include the children as company members from rehearsal to stage.... my DD still cherishes  the memory of getting accidentally knocked by Alina Cojocuru’s Pointe shoe clad foot in rehearsal!! And I cherish the teeny little ENB t-shirt saying ‘future star’ on the back that Tamara Rojo personally handed out to the children in the cast!!

But getting back to the consummate conductor Gavin....

To hear how he uses individual annotations to the score for specific dancers is a stunning revelation! And actually no doubt explains how his conducting always achieves a mesmerising merging of the dance & music....

I had the joy to see Cojocuru in Swan Lake not too long ago & the fouettés were absolutely perfectly matched by the pace of the music.... or was the music perfectly matched by the speed of her fouettés????

Complete sensory performance perfection! 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by Peanut68
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[Jan McNulty]

I first became aware of Gavin when he conducted and often played for class at Northern Ballet.  His classes were amazing to listen to ... he just doodled on the piano rather than played recognisable tunes and it was utterly brilliant.

 

We always felt that he had an intuitive understanding of the dancers and their needs while still staying true to the music.

 

He is always very approachable and very erudite.

 

English National Ballet are lucky indeed to have him as their Music Director.