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Swan into spring with the English National Ballet

4th October 2007 Print
English National Ballet English National Ballet’s 2008/09 season opens with Swan into Spring, a selection of short ballets which will tour to Southampton and Bristol. Swan into Spring opens in Southampton and includes Act II from Derek Deane’s Swan Lake, Harald Lander’s Etudes and a selection of pas de deux.

Act II from Swan Lake is visually stunning, featuring 30 swans gliding across the stage in unison. It is the first time we see Odette, and the first time Odette and Siegfried meet. The climax of Act II is the passionate White Swan pas de deux, when Seigfried and Odette declare their love for each other. Tchaikovsky’s famous music will be played by the full orchestra of English National Ballet.

Dancers are athletes as well as artists, and every day they undergo rigorous training that is designed to give their bodies strength, agility and speed, but also elegance. Harald Lander's Etudes is a glamorous celebration of how daily ballet class moves from simple stretching at the barre to the steps showcasing virtuosity and bravura – jumps and pirouettes – which make performances so exciting. Etudes was premiered in 1948 and became almost a signature piece for English National Ballet following the Company's first performance in 1955. The music is taken from a Karl Czerny study and arranged by Knudage Riisager.

To finish off the programme a selection of pas de deux will be performed throughout the tour with differed repertoire each night. These will include Trois Gnossiennes, Three Preludes, Grand pas de deux from Don Quixote, Concerto, and the Bedroom pas de deux from Manon.

Also on tour in Spring 2008 will be Hynd’s Coppélia returning to the Company’s repertoire after five years. Ronald Hynd first created this enchanting production of Coppélia for the Company in 1985, and it has remained a major work in the repertoire. Coppélia provides a challenge for all the dancers in the Company, but particularly for the female principal dancer in the role of Swanilda.

This role is not only technically demanding, requiring full use of classical technique, but provides a showcase for the ballerina’s comic and character acting skills. Hynd has had a strong relationship with English National Ballet since 1970 and we are delighted to be working with his ballet once again.

English National Ballet’s full Company of dancers will be performing, and Leo Delibes’ score is played by English National Ballet’s full orchestra.

English National Ballet is delighted to perform throughout the season with the full Company of 64 dancers and full orchestra. The international line up of dancers includes popular husband and wife partnership Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur, as well as Daria Klimentová and Dmitri Gruzdyev; Elena Glurdjidze and Arionel Vargas; Erina Takahashi and César Morales, Fernanda Oliveira and Yosvani Ramos.

For the latest national and international touring information and to book online, visit English National Ballet’s website at Ballet.org.uk.

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English National Ballet