English National Ballet's Wednesday Watch Parties on Facebook and YouTube continue into June with a celebration of Sir Kenneth MacMillan, with Song of the Earth on 17 June and Manon on 24 June, with recordings available for 48 hours.
First performed in 1965, MacMillan’s choreography for Song of the Earth is set to Mahler’s song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic. The streamed performance was filmed at the Palace Theatre Manchester in October 2017 in the 25th anniversary of his death.
MacMillan’s Manon to Jules Massenet’s music features the young and naïve title character torn between two lives: privilege and opulence with the wealthy Monsieur GM, or innocent love with the penniless student Des Grieux. It was recorded at the Manchester Opera House in October 2018.
ENB has announced the ending of Artistic Director Tamara Rojo’s daily ballet classes. She has recorded 40 classes since 20 March which have been watched more than 1.7 million times on YouTube and Facebook and are still available alongside the full range of classes that form the ENB at Home programme.
Rojo said, “on behalf of ENB I would like to thank everyone who have been enjoying our online classes and Wednesday Watch Parties. Thank you for sharing this time with us and for your encouragement and support, it really means the world to us.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to bring daily class to you all and I can hardly believe we have reached 40 classes broadcast from my kitchen. This marks the end of my series of classes as it is now time for me and my colleagues at ENB to concentrate on the future of the company and, together with the government and our other colleagues in the performing arts, to find ways to return safely to our studios, theatres and to our work.
“Around the world, things are slowly going back to normal, which is encouraging, so when it is safe and appropriate to do so please return to your teachers, return to your schools, return to your training and return to the theatres near you so that you can continue to support our beloved art form.”
ENB at Home will continue with new Wednesday Watch Parties, a weekly ‘Ballet for Summer Fitness’ class and more.