English National Ballet will have a new home from autumn 2018. The company is currently based in Kensington, with only two rehearsal studios. As part of the new development at London City Island E14 – a short distance from Canning Town – the company’s new headquarters will offer state-of-the-art training facilities and teaching and rehearsal studios alongside a unique production space.

English National Ballet was founded in 1950 by English dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, and has played a major role in the growth and history of ballet in the UK. Today, it’s renowned for taking world-class ballet to the widest possible audience, giving offsite performances at festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude, and being involved in flagship programmes such as English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s. 

The English National Ballet School was founded by the company in 1988 as a specialist training centre for young dancers aged 16 to 19, and is currently based in Fulham with limited space. As part of the new development, the school will co-exist with the company under one roof, thereby having access to the extensive rehearsal and training facilities on offer. There will also be a dedicated music room allocated to the English National Ballet Philharmonic, the company’s distinguished orchestra.

Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet and English National Ballet School, said: ‘I want to create a new space that allows us to produce and rehearse amazing work. Not only that, I want a building that will be available for other artistic organisations to rehearse too, whether they are staging opera, musicals or theatre. I want the space to echo to the sound of creative Britain.’