English National Ballet | |
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General information | |
Name | English National Ballet |
Previous names |
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Year founded | 1950 |
Founders | |
Patron | HRH The Duke of York |
Principal venue |
Markova House 39 Jay Mews London England SW7 2ES UK |
Website | www.ballet.org.uk |
Senior staff | |
Chief Executive | Patrick Harrison |
Director | Tamara Rojo |
Répétiteurs | Associate Artist Director: Loipa Araújo Repetiteurs: Hua Fang Zhang Yohei Sasaki Associate Artist: George Williamson Artistic Co-ordinator: Jane Haworth |
Artistic staff | |
Artistic Director | Tamara Rojo |
Music Director | Gavin Sutherland |
Other | |
Official school | English National Ballet School |
Formation |
Lead Principal Principal Character Artist First Soloist Soloist Junior Soloist First Artist Artist |
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great Britain. English National Ballet is one of the foremost touring companies in Europe, performing in theatres throughout the UK as well as conducting international tours and performing at special events. The Company employs approximately 67 dancers and a symphony orchestra, (English National Ballet Philharmonic) and there is also an associate school, English National Ballet School, which is independent from the ballet company. The Company regularly performs seasons at the London Coliseum and has been noted for specially staged performances at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2014 English National Ballet became an Associate Company of Sadler's Wells. The Patron of English National Ballet is HRH The Duke of York.
English National Ballet was originally founded in 1950 by the British dance couple, Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin.
Markova and Dolin were leading stars of the Ballets Russes, one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century. After the death of its director Serge Diaghilev in 1929, the Company was disbanded and in 1931, one of its dancers, Ninette de Valois, founded the Vic-Wells Ballet Company in London, with Markova and Dolin as Principal dancers, Markova becoming Prima Ballerina in 1933. Markova and Dolin left the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1935 to tour as the Markova-Dolin Company and following the success of their performances, they decided to form their own company with the sole purpose being to tour both nationally and internationally, taking ballet to audiences that had not had the opportunity to see the art form.