Press Release: ENB and ENBS present My First Ballet: Cinderella

[Jan McNulty]

English National Ballet and English National Ballet School present
My First Ballet: Cinderella
National Tour
Thursday 9 April – Sunday 31st May
Performance times and ticket prices vary (see below for details)
www.ballet.org.uk/my-first-ballet-cinderella/

 

English National Ballet and English National Ballet School present a new version of the much-loved fairy-tale ballet, Cinderella, as part of its My First Ballet series created especially for children as young as three. Adapted to an hour in length and with a narrator to help young audiences follow the story, My First Ballet: Cinderella is the perfect introduction to the magic of ballet. 

 

 

My First Ballet: Cinderella opens at The Peacock, London on 9 April until 18 April 2020 before embarking on a tour to Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe (25 & 26 April), Churchill Theatre, Bromley (9 & 10 May) and Richmond Theatre, Richmond from 27 May until 31 May. 

 

This is a new production of the well-loved story of Cinderella, featuring choreography by Ruth Brill.

 

Ruth Brill, Choreographer of My First Ballet: Cinderella, said: “I’m looking forward to creating My First Ballet: Cinderella for English National Ballet. I trained at English National Ballet School and danced for ENB for the first five years of my performing career. It’s great to be returning home to where it all began and working with the next generation of dancers from ENBS.

 

“I’m passionate about making ballet accessible to everyone. I hope this production will provide an opportunity for some of our audience members to catch the ‘ballet bug’. It is important for the story to be well told and for everyone to feel comfortable in a theatre environment. It’s really rewarding when you hear genuine spontaneous reactions from children in the audience.

 

“Cinderella is my favourite fairy-tale, it has such a brilliant range of characters. Prokofiev’s beautiful score is inspiring music to create to. I’m intrigued by the magic in the story, arsing from Cinderella’s dreams and enduring hope, despite her circumstances. The moral of our story is – never give up, be kind to each other and you will find happiness one way or another – and what’s more inspiring than that?”

 

The My First Ballet series is performed by students of English National Ballet School, providing them with valuable rehearsal and performance experience within a professional touring company.

 

Since its creation in 2012 the My First Ballet series has been enjoyed by over 320,000 people. The series has included the hugely successful performances of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

 

To coincide with My First Ballet: Cinderella, English National Ballet will host on-stage family dance workshops, aimed to provide a gateway into the world of ballet and the production. Children and their parents/guardians will have the opportunity to learn extracts from the production and bring the characters to life with English National Ballet dance artists, and get up close to costumes and scenery.

 

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

 

Notes to Editors

 

Listings

Peacock Theatre, London
9 April – 18 April 2020
Box Office: 020 7863 8222
Tickets: £10.00 – £37.00

 

Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe
25 & 26 April 2020
Box Office: 01494 512 000
Tickets: £13.50 - £28.50

 

Churchill Theatre, Bromley
9 & 10 May 2020 
Box Office: 020 3285 6000
Tickets from £20.50

 

Richmond Theatre, Richmond 
27 May – 31 May 2020
Box Office: 0844 871 7651
Tickets from £12.00

 

My First Ballet: Sleeping Beauty Symbol Resources 

English National Ballet is delighted to once again be commissioning Widgit to create a range of symbol resources alongside My First Ballet: Cinderella. These resources aim to make ballet more accessible, supporting written text to make the meaning clearer and easier to understand, aiding literacy and learning for all ages and abilities. Available to download online for free (PDF format) and extra activities are printed in programmes at venues throughout the My First Ballet: Cinderella tour. English National Ballet’s My First Ballet: Cinderella symbol resources are designed for use before, during and after performances.

 

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.

 

English National Ballet School 

English National Ballet School is a world-renowned specialist training centre for aspiring and highly talented young ballet dancers aged 16 to 19. Founded in 1988 by English National Ballet, today the school exists as a separate entity but maintains strong links with its parent company, sharing its commitment to excellence and access. Its mission is to nurture and develop the next generation of world-class dance artists; artists who are confident and versatile, able to push boundaries and bring their creativity to the fore. Students participate in a three-year programme, validated by Trinity College London, with graduates joining prestigious dance companies worldwide. Currently a third of the dancers at English National Ballet are graduates of the School. The School also offer weekly children’s ballet classes, ENBS Juniors, for 3 – 10 year olds. 

 

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

[Janite]

Booked already and greatly looking doers to taking my guests to see this.