English National Ballet rehearsals for Cinderella to take place at Here East

• English National Ballet has chosen Here East to prepare for their performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella
• The tech and innovation campus will be home to the company until June as they rehearse for their production of Cinderella in-the-round

London 25th APRIL 2019: Here East has today announced that rehearsals for its upcoming production of Cinderella will be held at the tech and creative campus in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As of last week, the world-renowned ballet company moved their dancers into multiple studio spaces using more than 50,000 sq ft at Here East for nine weeks whilst they prepare for their production of Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, ahead of a run at the Royal Albert Hall in June.

The decision for English National Ballet to choose the tech and innovation campus for their full-scale rehearsals illustrates the growing attraction of Here East to creative and artistic businesses and the versatility of the space available on the campus.

As the most successful post-Olympic transformation of an International Press and Broadcast Centre in the world, Here East is now home to a curated community of tenants, spanning start-ups, global corporates, creative businesses and academic institutions.

The ballet company will be joining a community of creative organisations on the campus that includes Studio Wayne McGregor.

Award winning choreographer Wayne McGregor CBE first opened the doors at Here East in 2017. The state-of-the-art studios brings together artists from across dance, film, music and visual art, establishing a creative hub at the heart of the campus which fosters innovation and collaboration between arts and technology.

The V&A is another major cultural institution that is also preparing for a site at Here East. Last year, it announced the decision to move its archive collection to a brand new V&A Research and Collection Centre on the tech campus. The centre, described as an immersive cabinet of curiosities, will be a purpose-built home for 250,000 objects and an additional 917 archives spanning the breadth of the V&A’s collection from fashion, textiles, furniture, theatre and performance, to painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, design, architecture, and digital.

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, comments: “As one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, we are delighted that Here East is able to accommodate English National Ballet while they prepare for their summer production and are excited to welcome the Cinderella company to Here East. Our expansive studio spaces on the campus allow us to cater to the unique needs of creative businesses and provide flexible solutions, we value our ability to support cultural institutions in such a way and the range of community activities into schools that this residency will support.”

Patrick Harrison, Executive Director of English National Ballet said: “The company are already enjoying their time at Here East, and we are happy to be a part of their cultural community as we prepare our upcoming production of Cinderella.”