English National Ballet School's Winter Showcase Filmed at The Roundhouse

English National Ballet School's Winter Showcase will premiere online (via website, YouTube and Facebook) from Monday 21 December from 7.30pm GMT and be available for 30 days thereafter. Filmed at The Roundhouse by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, the Winter Showcase gives audiences around the world the chance to witness the future stars of ballet showcase their incredible talent.

Performance opportunities for the School's students are key to their development as world-class artists. In a concept by and under the direction of Viviana Durante, Artistic Director, the Winter Showcase sees the School's three year groups work with choreographer Andrew McNicol and contemporary dance teacher Hannah Cameron.

Viviana Durante, Artistic Director at English National Ballet School said: "I am delighted to be able to showcase our immensely talented students on the magnificent Roundhouse stage. Giving our students the opportunity to work with our wonderful choreographers, Andrew McNicol and Hannah Cameron, and experience performing in a professional setting is vital to ensure they continue to develop as well-rounded artists. Throughout this challenging year our students have shown their strength, dedication and passion and I couldn't be happier to see them perform for audiences around the world."

English National Ballet School continues to adapt to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which is having a substantial impact on how the School operates and the lives of its students. It recently launched a COVID-19 Appeal to help ensure its talented and resilient young dancers can continue their training in a safe environment, generate performance opportunities and provide additional financial support for students who need it most. Click here for more information.

Of Space and Time, choreographed by Andrew McNicol, is a socially distanced ballet in masks, set to music by some of the great classical composers, Beethoven, Rossini, Weber, Glazunov and Tchaikovsky with costumes by Omar Bayoumi.

Conceived to build on the work the students have learnt during the first term, Of Space and Time is a response to the restrictions posed by COVID-19. The challenge of choreographing while observing COVID measures involved creating in bubbles, rehearsing with masks and maintaining social distancing while working.

Andrew McNicol said: "I wanted to capture something of the strangeness of this moment in time, contrasted with the resilience of the young dancers who despite the current challenges remain passionately committed to our art-form and developing themselves as individual artists.

"At this point in time, the opportunity to bring together the whole school towards a shared goal, and crucially experience the pure joy of being back in the theatre felt more vital then ever. I wanted to honour the fact these students have chosen to study ballet specifically and create a new work that celebrates the pure beauty and power of ballet as a creative language, enabling them to move fearlessly in the space once again."

McNicol previously worked with the School when he created the 'deeply moving' (Sunday Express) Gradus for its Virtual Summer Performance earlier this year. He also created two works for its 2019 Winter Showcase, Splendour and Grand Finale, hailed as a 'classical blowout' (Dance Europe).

Throughout his career McNicol has choreographed for a range of companies and schools across the world including the Joffrey Ballet, The Royal Ballet, BalletX, NYCB's Choreographic Institute, and Royal Ballet of Flanders among others. This year he founded the McNicol Ballet Collective, a modern ballet company to forge new artistic collaborations across the arts disciplines.

Following the contemporary assessments this term Hannah Cameron has brought together various Extracts from contemporary classwork. The students have been working with styles and techniques ranging from Cunningham-based to improvisation and release. The focus was to bring these different elements together whilst responding to the dramatic and inspiring space of the Roundhouse. Accompanied by live musician, Ronen Kozokaro, this work celebrates the opportunity of collaboration and the shared experience of dancing together.

Winter Showcase generously supported by Charles Holloway, The Linbury Trust, and Adrienne Waterfield.

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