English National Ballet - Reunion

English National Ballet returns to live performances with five works by renowned choreographers and rising talents, performed on stage for the first time.

Laid in Earth by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, expands his moving duet to four dancers. The piece is set to Purcell’s famous aria from Dido and Aeneas – sung live by mezzo soprano Flora McIntosh.

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, Russell Maliphant creates ever shifting choreography and uses light as an integral partner in the creative process. Collaborating on this project with video artist Panagiotis Tomaras and with commissioned sound design by Dana Fouras, the result is mesmerising.

Yuri Possokhov choreographs for a UK company for the first time. Senseless Kindness is based on Vasily Grossman’s great novel, Life and Fate, about a Russian family caught in the Second World War, and set to Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No1.

In Take Five Blues, Stina Quagebeur responds to Bach’s Vivace and Paul Desmond’s jazz standard, Take Five, both performed live.

The Klazz Brothers' latin and jazz-infused covers of Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Mozart set the tone for Arielle Smith's Jolly Folly. The piece is like your favourite dance number in an old movie musical: fast-paced, surprising and full of uncontainable energy.

Live music for Laid in Earth and Senseless Kindness is performed by musicians of English National Ballet Philharmonic.

This programme was created and released as films as a part of ENB’s critically acclaimed Digital Season in late 2020.

This programme contains haze effects and projections.