The dance writer, and former dancer, Deborah Weiss is joined in the studio for a special Voices of British Ballet round table discussion. Anita Landa, Pamela Hart, Joyce Lyndon and…
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Podcast » David Wall
David Wall was one of the greatest male dancers of his era, with an extraordinary stage charisma, range, theatricality and honesty. In this interview he talks to Frank Freeman, a…
Podcast » Beryl Grey
Beryl Grey talks to Frank Freeman about her early training, first with Madeleine Sharp and then with Phyllis Bedells before going to the Sadler’s Wells School at the age of…
Podcast » Anita Landa
From a start in Flamenco, Greek dancing and a bit of ballet, Anita Landa describes here not only how her dancing life took off, but how Festival Ballet started. The…
Timeline Event » 1989 – London Festival Ballet renamed English National Ballet
Peter Schaufuss was instrumental in changing London Festival Ballet’s name to English National Ballet. It better reflected the company’s touring schedule, spending less time in London and increasing the number…
Podcast » Cassa Pancho
When Cassa Pancho decided to interview Black female ballet dancers in the UK for her degree dissertation in 1999, she could not find any. So she seized the moment, setting…
Podcast » Kevin Richmond
This interview is a reminder of how lucky we in Britain have been with our great choreographers – in this case Christopher Bruce. Talking to Deborah Weiss, dance writer, editor…
Podcast » Christopher Bruce
Christopher Bruce is one of the great names in British dance. Here, in a conversation with the dance critic Mark Monahan in 2017, he describes his early days in Ballet…
Podcast » Brenda Last
Brenda Last achieved distinction as a ballerina with The Royal Ballet, but this was after a successful and multi-facetted career in many theatrical disciplines. Here, she tells Patricia Linton, founder…
Timeline Event » 1997 – The first Royal Albert Hall ballet-in-the-round mounted
Now a regular fixture in Britain’s dance calendar, English National Ballet staged its first in-the-round production at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1997 with Derek Deane’s staging of Swan Lake….
With music by Philip Chambon, Christopher Bruce’s Swansong is a stark male trio that evokes the physical and mental torture of political prisoners. The ballet was first performed in 1987…
Timeline Event » 1990 – Ivan Nagy becomes director of English National Ballet
After Peter Schaufuss stepped down as artistic director of English National Ballet, Ivan Nagy was appointed his successor….
Timeline Event » 1993 – Derek Deane becomes director of English National Ballet
Derek Deane, the choreographer and former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, was appointed artistic director of English National Ballet. He created a number of new productions for the coming,…
Timeline Event » 2016 – Premiere of Akram Khan’s Giselle by English National Ballet
Akram Khan’s version of Giselle, performed by English National Ballet at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, in 2016, was a brilliant reimagining, fusing his own dance vocabulary with classical ballet to…
Timeline Event » 1997 – New premises for dance companies
The millennium years and the 2010s can be seen as a time when investment within British dance went not to artistic output, but to infrastructure in the form of new…
Timeline Event » 2001 – Premiere of Christopher Hampson’s Double Concerto by English National Ballet
A hugely enjoyable abstract work set to Francis Poulenc‘s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Double Concerto sealed Christopher Hampson’s reputation as a choreographer of real promise and talent. He…
Timeline Event » 2005 – Wayne Eagling becomes director of English National Ballet
Wayne Eagling was appointed director of English National Ballet in 2005, where he stayed until 2012. During Eagling’s tenure, the company extended its repertory to perform such works as Kenneth…
Timeline Event » 2017 – Kenneth MacMillan Celebration
From the 18 October until 1 November 2017, the Royal Opera House combined the talents of all five of Britain’s major classical ballet companies for the first time to celebrate…
Timeline Event » 2012 – Tamara Rojo becomes director of English National Ballet
In 2012, Tamara Rojo became artistic director of English National Ballet. Among her achievements were the company’s relocation to purpose-built premises in London City Island, the invitation for English National…
Timeline Event » 2001 – Matz Skoog becomes director of English National Ballet
Swedish-born Matz Skoog, a former principal with English National Ballet, was appointed the company’s artistic director in 2001. Remaining until 2005, Skoog commissioned new works for the company from Christopher…