English National Ballet School


English National Ballet School is a specialist classical ballet school based in London in the United Kingdom. The School was founded in 1988 by Peter Schaufuss as the official school of English National Ballet. The School's current Director of Dance is Viviana Durante.

Overview

English National Ballet School is a specialist training centre for young ballet dancers aged 16 to 19. Many graduates become dancers with English National Ballet as well as with other international ballet companies.

History

The School was founded in 1988 by English National Ballet as a feeder school for the Company. It began with just 12 students, sharing premises with the Company. The School grew rapidly, and in 1995 Diana, Princess of Wales opened its new premises in Chelsea, enabling it to train many more dancers.
Today the School exists as a separate entity but maintains strong links with its parent company, around a third of whose dancers are graduates of the School. Students perform in ENB's touring productions of My First Ballet as well as in the Company's main stage productions. The School's own performances are widely noted, with Dance Europe describing the Winter 2019 performance as 'a terrific show...both entertaining and thoughtful.'
In 2019 the School announced plans to move to London City Island to custom-built premises shared with English National Ballet.
English National Ballet School has an associate programme, ENBS Juniors, for girls and boys aged 3 and up.

Notable alumni