Rehearsals March 22, 2015

Six Reasons Why We Love ENB’s Modern Masters

Laurretta Summerscales and Junor Souza

English National Ballet has just wrapped its first official season as a Sadler’s Wells associate ballet company. The programme, Modern Masters, brought together acclaimed works by three of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century: Jiří Kylián, John Neumeier and William Forsythe. To highlight their styles, influences and roots, we had the honour of making this interactive infographic which was published on ENB’s blog.

We also had the opportunity to catch the opening night of Modern Masters at Sadler’s, so here are our six reasons why we loved the programme:

Alina Cojocaru in John Neumeier's Spring and Fall.

Alina Cojocaru in John Neumeier’s Spring and Fall. Photo: © Alice Pennefather

1) ENB added two new ballets to its ever-increasing repertory.

2) Kylián’s skill in blending the physical with the theatrical. Plus, crinolines! Foils! Silk!

3) We finally got to see a John Neumeier ballet in the UK, led by his muse Alina Cojocaru, no less. It was particularly moving to see Alina take a curtain call with him, there was so much love and respect between these two.

Begoña Cao in Forsythe's In the Middle Somewhat Elevated.

Begoña Cao in Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated. Photo: © Alice Pennefather

4) ENB put its up and coming stars centre stage…

5) … and established dancers also got the chance to really devour the stage.

6) They did FORSYTHE!!!

Some more beautiful images of Modern Masters courtesy of Alice Pennefather:

Adela Ramírez and Fabian Reimai
Junor Souza, James Forbat and Max Westwell in Kylián's Petite Mort
James Forbat, Adela Ramírez and Max Westwell in Kylián's Petite Mort
Alison McWhinney, Laurretta Summerscales, Ksenia Ovsyanick, Tamara Rojo and Adela Ramírez
James Forbat and Ksenia Ovsyanick
Laurretta Summerscales and Junor Souza
Tamara Rojo and Max Westwell in Kylián's Petite Mort
Alejandro Virelles in John Neumeier's Spring and Fall
Alina Cojocaru and Alejandro Virelles in John Neumeier's Spring and Fall.
César Corrales and Artists of English National Ballet in Neumeier's Spring and Fall
Alina Cojocaru and Alison McWhinney
Alina Cojocaru and Alejandro Virelles
Laurretta Summerscales in Forsythe's In the Middle Somewhat Elevated.
Begoña Cao and Alejandro Virelles
Laurretta Summerscales and Junor Souza
Alina Cojocaru in Forsythe's In the Middle Somewhat Elevated
Alina Cojocaru and Alejandro Virelles

All Photos: © Alice Pennefather

We started The Ballet Bag in April 2009 with the mission to prove that ballet is not stuffy, old fashioned and inaccessible; that it is quite the opposite: relevant, fresh and topical. With the aim to Give Ballet a New Spin we try to show it under a different light. When writing our capsule biographies, ballet fact cards, review roundups and commentary on social media, we cross it over with other art forms and cultural references (pop culture, cinema, rock music – ie. other things we love!).

You may also like

Comments are closed.