ENB School Announces Partnership With CW+ Charity of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

English National Ballet School has announced a new partnership with CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to share the School's performances to patients both in-hospital and isolating at home in the community.

The School's performances - and access to classes, rehearsals and talks - will be available via Virtual Connections, the charity's digital platform that delivers their award-winning arts in health programme. Launched in May 2020 in response to the pandemic, Virtual Connections is designed to support the health and wellbeing of patients, staff, and those self-isolating in the wider community, providing the opportunity for patients to engage with artists as part of their physical, mental, and emotional recovery.

English National Ballet School performances on Virtual Connections will initially include its critically acclaimed virtual Summer Performance featuring students dancing works by world renowned choreographers including Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Didy Veldman, as well as its Winter Showcase, filmed at The Roundhouse by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt and featuring a socially distanced ballet by Andrew McNicol and a contemporary work by Hannah Cameron.

Artistic Director of English National Ballet School, Viviana Durante said: "I am delighted to be entering this exciting partnership with CW+. Ballet and the arts have such a positive impact on our health and wellbeing, and I hope that with this work we can bring some joy and comfort to the hospital's patients, their families and carers, and the doctors, nurses and staff. At the School we are always trying to find opportunities for our students to grow and learn about the possibilities of their art form and for them to witness the transformational power of ballet."

Trystan Hawkins, Director of Patient Environment at CW+ explains: "We are thrilled to be working with the English National Ballet School to share their performances on Virtual Connections. It's important for us that patients have access to such rich, creative content. We know that watching dance seems to evoke an emotional response in people, often relaxing patients especially if dancers perform more rounded movements like ballet."

Planned future activity will see the School open up its studios and share the creative process ahead of its upcoming performances and showcases as well as hosting talks and discussions on a range of subjects. Once lockdown restrictions ease the School will also deliver live performance elements in the hospital.

English National Ballet School has operated out of Hortensia Road in Chelsea for most of its 33-year history. The School is a specialist training centre for the finest young dancers aged 16 to 19, transforming highly talented dancers into world-class performers over a three-year programme of training. Graduates of English National Ballet School dance with all of the major UK companies and international companies.

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