New English Ballet Theatre Presents 'Remembrance | The Four Seasons'

New English Ballet Theatre presents its most ambitious season to date this autumn with Remembrance | The Four Seasons - a visual and musical feast of passion, hope and remembrance in a new double bill which opens at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury on September 18th and tours till October 1st with London dates at the Peacock Theatre on September 27th, 28th, and 29th.

Remembrance is a brand new ballet created for the company by the world renowned choreographer Wayne Eagling.

The Four Seasons is by the multi-talented choreographer Jenna Lee and was first performed by NEBT in 2017

Remembrance: Wayne Eagling's first piece made specifically for NEBT commemorates the centenary of The Armistice of 11 November 1918. Remembrance was inspired by the romance between the great Marie Rambert and the dashing playwright Ashley Dukes and the personal anguish created by their sudden separation as Dukes is called back to the horrors of the battlefield. This beautiful piece is set to Handel's Ode for St Cecilia's Day which will be played live at the Peacock Theatre performances on September 27th, 28th and 29th by The English Concert orchestra on period instruments with soloists and chorus. The English Concert will be conducted at the Peacock by their Artistic Director, Harry Bicket, who is especially noted for his interpretation of baroque and classical repertoire.

Says Wayne Eagling: "Marie Rambert's experience was symbolic of many women's experiences during the war - although her story had a happy ending. I wondered what it must have been like for those separated by the war, the lack of communication, the dread of opening the door and being handed a telegram to say your loved one wasn't coming home. While 'Remembrance' isn't a strictly a biography, I hope audiences will engage with the story and enter into a tiny slice of history while enjoying the performance of our beautiful dancers. I've been wanting to work with New English Ballet Theatre since they performed my piece 'Resolution' a few years ago and I'm absolutely delighted to be on board!"

The Four Seasons: Jenna Lee's bold, stylish ballet is set to Max Richter's recomposition of Vivaldi's much-loved classic, The Four Seasons. The piece will be re-staged for this autumn's season April Dalton's dazzling costumes representing each season.

"Making ballet accessible to everyone is extremely important for the development of ballet and I love that NEBT constantly performs to new audiences," says Jenna. "What's more, the dancers at NEBT are talented, versatile, full of tenacity and ready for a challenge; they are the perfect company for me to create The Four Seasons on. Max Richter's Vivaldi Recomposed is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music too so it's been a dream to create this piece and work on it with such a talented company."

The critically acclaimed NEBT is one of Britain's most exciting ballet companies; run by its visionary founder and Artistic Director Karen Pilkington-Miksa, NEBT commissions new work from choreographers for dancers from the UK and beyond and promotes young talent in performance, choreography, music, and design.

Says Karen: "We've been keen to work with Wayne Eagling for quite a while so I was absolutely delighted when he agreed to make a piece especially for NEBT for this year's Armistice commemoration. Wayne's a superb choreographer and I think audiences will be very moved by Remembrance; it's a beautiful ballet and audiences will undoubtedly feel a fraction of what Rambert and Dukes went through as they enjoy watching first class ballet. I'm also thrilled that The English Concert with soloists and chorus will be joining us at the Peacock in September.

"The Four Seasons was one of our most popular pieces last year which we performed at the Cheltenham Music Festival; audiences loved the relationship between Jenna's lively choreography and Richter's brilliant re-interpretation of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Jenna has developed a wonderfully visual style and with April's gorgeous costumes, the audience is in for a treat."

*On September 27th the special gala performance of Remembrance | The Four Seasons will be in support of The Royal British Legion and NEBT. Hosted by Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, one of the company's patrons, the evening includes a VIP reception, special guest artists, live auction and the performance in honour of the centenary of the WW1 Armistice. The Royal British Legion is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Tickets are now on sale at: www.nebt.co.uk

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