English National Ballet (ENB)

Jerome Robbins. William Forsythe. Aszure Barton. Three generations of choreographers in New York. Each with a distinct style, but with work infused with the raw, in-your-face attitude of American-style neo-classical ballet.

World premiere: A New Creation by William Forsythe
The world premiere of a new work by one of the most revered choreographers working today, created especially for English National Ballet, this is his first creation for a UK ballet company in over 20 years.

Approximate Sonata 2016, William Forsythe
Originally created in 1996, Forsythe recently reworked this piece for Paris Opera Ballet. A series of pas de deux that deconstruct the classical ballet vocabulary, Approximate Sonata 2016 is accompanied by a new version of the original score by Thom Willems.

The Cage, Jerome Robbins
Animal desire, predatory instinct and natural selection come together in Robbins’ powerful work, where a female ‘insect’ comes to see the male counterpart as prey. This arresting piece is performed to Stravinsky’s haunting Concerto in D, played live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.

Fantastic Beings, Aszure Barton
The programme concludes with a reworked version of Aszure Barton’s inventive Fantastic Beings. Originally created as part of English National Ballet’s She Said programme in 2016, Fantastic Beings is a vigorous, energetic work for 16 dancers, accompanied by Mason Bates’ dynamic score performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.