Visit to ENBS rehearsal of their Summer 2025 show

Visit to English National Ballet School

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Members and their guests assembled at ENBS’s studios in Hortensia Road to watch the students rehearse for their forthcoming Summer Performance at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Paulo Gomes, Head of Development, welcomed the audience before handing over to Artistic Director Lynne Charles who has choreographed a number of pieces for the show.

The first piece was a segment from Etudes on a Theme of Satie. Five female students from the 3rd Year Graduating class took their places, four at one bar and a solo dancer at the other. The four dancers performed the same steps and the solo dancer’s movement and steps more intense to reflect her thoughts and her struggle for perfection. The piece was then repeated with a different dancer in the solo role and Lynne Charles explained that this resulted in different interpretations of the choreography. This led to an interesting discussion about the future of ballet with Lynne explaining that the school’s mission was to not only train dancers in technique but to allow them to be creative, such as using different phrasing. The next piece was performed by a solo female student and three male students and showed the differences and similarities of male and female dancing. Lynne commented that gender has become more fluid in society and this dance reflected on the differences in choreography: choreography for the male dancers was powerful through jumps and leaps yet gentle at times. Lynne further expressed her concern that ballet could become “more physical and acrobatic and movement with no meaning was not great”.

The next two pieces were also choreographed by Lynne Charles and had a Spanish style. Six female students used fans as an accessory to enhance the dance whilst the boys used capes in the next dance. The final dance was performed by four females again using fans but movement of the fans were gentle and inspired by Japanese dancing.

Following a break the audience was treated to two couples performing the 3rd Adagio Pas De Deux from Ronald Hynd’s Coppelia. Lynne explained that this ballet was the version performed by English National Ballet and the choreography represented a transition between Romantic and Classical Ballet. Juan Eymar, Men’s Tutor, gave corrections and explained that this was the first time the dancers had been in costume and so the rehearsal was very valuable as the male dancer is unable to see the female dancer’s legs and hips.

Two third year students performed Aphiemi, choreographed by Lynne Charles to the music Elergy for Strings by Tchaikovsky. This piece was part of the recent programme at the Next Generation Festival at the Royal Opera House. The choreography is based on classicism and themed on the fourth act pas de deux in Swan Lake. Lynne explained that she wanted the dancers to be “challenged” and “feel abandoned” and deliberately chose neo-classical costumes for this ballet.

After a further break the Level 2 students rehearsed Graduation Ball in costume. Lynne Charles explained this was one of her favourite pieces which was part of English National Ballet’s repertoire. Lasting 42 minutes the Ballet is about a girl’s Boarding School and the themes of young adulthood depicted transcend across time. She particularly liked the range of characters in the ballet for example the Teacher’s Pet and the Naughty One and the sub-plot of the relationship between the General and the Headmistress.

We watched the students dance the segment when the Cadets arrive for the end of year dance. It was danced with joy, and I personally look forward to seeing the whole ballet at the Summer Performance – Bloomsbury Theatre 10 -12 July 2025.

Our visit concluded with thanks from the Executive Director Amanda Skoog, who was delighted to inform us that all the graduating male students have contracts and all the female students have jobs.

Susan Dalgetty Ezra, our Chair thanked the staff and pupils for a very entertaining and informative afternoon.

Jill Samuels (Membership Secretary)