Beyond Ballets Russes

Celebrating the legacy of Diaghilev’s legendary company.

English National Ballet celebrates the legacy of the Ballets Russes with performances inspired by some of the troupe’s great works. Ballets Russes productions were collaborations with major choreographers, composers, artists and dancers of the time including Pavlova, Picasso, Debussy, Chanel, Matisse, Nijinsky and Stravinsky.

Programme 1
22-27 March

L’après-midi d’un faune, Faun(e), Firebird, The Rite of Spring

 

“Ballet is powerful, in beauty and horror, as this outstanding programme demonstrates” The Daily Telegraph

  

This programme sees the World Premiere of a new Firebird choreographed by young British choreographer George Williamson with designs by David Bamber. David Dawson’s Faun(e) which was described as “rapturous” by The Sunday Times, is performed alongside Dawson’s inspiration, Nijinsky’s L’après-midi d’un faune which caused huge controversy at its premiere with its hauntingly beautiful Debussy score. The finale is MacMillan’s magnificent reworking of the visceral The Rite of Spring

 

Programme 2

28 March – 1 April

World Premiere of new Toer van Schayk work, Apollo and Suite en Blanc

 

“****…dazzling”, The Financial Times on Suite en Blanc

 

“****…every ballet company in Britain will be gnashing its teeth that they aren't dancing it." London Evening Standard on Suite en Blanc

 

The Chanel legacy lives on with Balanchine’s Apollo where “The Muses’ Lagerfeld tutus are beautiful, and a happy link with the fact that Gabrielle Chanel designed costumes for the Muses in 1928” (The Financial Times). This ballet by George Balanchine – himself a Ballets Russes dancer – is a neo-classical masterpiece which marked the young Balanchine’s first collaboration with Stravinsky.

 

Following hit performances by English National Ballet in 2001, Suite en Blanc returns to the London Coliseum. It is a glittering heritage ballet which was choreographed by one of Diaghilev’s star dancers Serge Lifar – “as flamboyant and proud, and life-enhancing a confection as any made before or since” (The Independent on Sunday).

Toer van Schayk creates a new work especially for this season in the spirit of the Ballets Russes.

In the run up to the Beyond Ballets Russes season, English National Ballet and Tate Britain will partner in a project inspired by the exhibition Picasso in Britain.  Further information about this collaboration will follow in the Autumn.