English National Ballet today announces the Royal Albert Hall as a Hub Partner for their acclaimed Dance for Parkinson’s programme.
Classes will be held once a month at the Royal Albert Hall, starting in February 2019. Led by specialist English National Ballet Associate Artists, in a designated space looking out over Kensington Gardens and fitted with a professional dance floor, the classes will be accompanied by live music and take inspiration from the Company’s diverse repertoire. There will also be the opportunity for participants to attend cultural events and performances, including Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella in-the-round, which English National Ballet performs at the venue in June 2019.
A UK leader for Dance for Parkinson’s, English National Ballet has been working with people living with Parkinson’s since 2010, the first major dance company in the UK to do so. Its national Dance for Parkinson’s programme, which sees classes held in London and at regional Hub Partner venues, offers people with Parkinson’s, their carers, friends and family members the opportunity to engage in high-quality artistic dance activity. English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme has proven to support people with Parkinson’s to exercise, develop confidence, strength, and potentially lessen the interference of symptoms on everyday life. Classes are expressive, creative and promote feelings of freedom from the physical and social constraints of having Parkinson’s.
Fleur Derbyshire Fox, Director of Engagement at English National Ballet said:
We’re delighted to be working with the Royal Albert Hall as a Hub Partner. The Hall offers us a beautiful space in which to continue to deliver classes in West London and extend our offering for people with Parkinson’s to engage with dance in an expressive, creative, and supportive environment.”
English National Ballet moves from its current premises in South Kensington to a new purpose-built home in Canning Town, East London, in Spring 2019. The hub partnership with the Royal Albert Hall sees growth in English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme, allowing for a continuation of the delivery of classes in West London, in addition to those to be held in the new premises and across the UK.
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