This week’s presentation in English National Ballet’s Wednesday Watch Parties features Derek Deane’s version of Swan Lake – and marks the first time that audiences around the world have an opportunity to watch this free-to-view full-length production online.
Filmed during a live performance at the Liverpool Empire in 2018 – during ENB’s annual Autumn tour of the United Kingdom – this production stars Lead Principals Isaac Hernández as Prince Siegfried and Jurgita Dronina as Odette/Odile, with Tchaikovsky’s utterly gorgeous score played by the English National Ballet Philharmonic conducted by Gavin Sutherland.
It’s now more than two decades since the premiere of Derek Deane’s Swan Lake, at the Royal Albert Hall in 1997. It delighted audiences then, and has continued to do so ever since. A graduate of The Royal Ballet School, Derek Deane became a principal dancer for The Royal Ballet, and following his retirement from the stage, he became artistic director of the English National Ballet in 1993. In 2000 he was honoured with an OBE. Deane has created works for a number of other ballet companies, as well, including The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Teatro alla Scala and Shanghai Ballet.
Russian dancer Jurgita Dronina joined English National Ballet in 2017, following an appearance as guest artist with the Company in the title role of Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. Having danced with the Royal Swedish Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, Ms Dronina was Resident Guest Principal with the Hong Kong Ballet from 2015 – 2017, and has appeared as a guest artist with the National Ballet of Canada – where she remains a Principal Dancer. The most recent of Ms Dronina’s honours are the 2014 Alexandra Radius Award, and the Order of Merit to Lithuania, Cross of the Knight, in 2018.
Isaac Hernández joined English National Ballet following a guest appearance as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake in 2015. In autumn 2016, he created the role of Albrecht in Akram Khan’s Giselle, and other leading roles he has danced for the Company include Ali and Conrad in Le Corsaire, Romeo in Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet, Franz in Ronald Hynd’s Coppélia, the Nephew/Prince in Eagling’s Nutcracker and Aszure Barton’s Fantastic Beings.
English National Ballet’s Swan Lake will premiere online at 7.00 pm BST on Wednesday, 27th May, on Facebook and YouTube and will be available for 48 hours thereafter.
Information sourced from:
English National Ballet programme notes