The recent performances of the New English Ballet Theatre were a breath of fresh air for its spread of audiences. Opening night at the Peacock Theatre, London, saw a multitude of audiences vying for a taste of the company’s work, still reasonably new and fresh on the dance and ballet scene. The cast were all a credit to the company, well trained dancers who ate up the stage.
The company began as a summer festival of productions, looking to becoming a full time company. It is neo-classical in genre and encompasses a huge variety of styles and vocabulary in as wide a spectrum as possible. The company employs over one hundred classical dancers, giving them lots of support from the dance world at a high level. This company of emerging dancers was born from the huge talent pool of the industry and the lack of jobs available.
The company is solely dedicated to producing neo-classical work but as a cross-discipline company, commissioning a number of young artists, musicians and designers to work alongside the company. It is clear the company is going from strength to strength, especially evident from the mixed programme recently presented in London. Following the Peacock Theatre, the company will be performing at the Lantern Studio Theatre in Canary Wharf: it has recently been rehearsing five world premieres!
In terms of long-term goals, the company aims to expand its programming and build up the company’s repertoire of commissioned works of exciting new neo-classical choreography, becoming the number one company for this style of work. It has been lucky recently to receive an arts council grant for audience development and touring to arts festivals in Europe, and delivering larger programmes in the UK.