July 16-20
NEW ENGLISH BALLET THEATRE are thrilled to announce their USA debut in July with performances at the Newport Dance Festival, Rhode Island.
Newport website here
Presented by Newport Contemporary Ballet,
Newport Dance Festival takes place on the lawn of
the 17 th century Great Friends Meeting House in
Newport. The Great Friends Meeting House is an
historic Quaker building which is now a museum and
home to the 2025 Newport Dance Festival.
NEW ENGLISH BALLET THEATRE is one of the UK’s
most respected and critically acclaimed ballet
companies, known for its innovative and diverse
programmes and prodigious talent spotting of dancers, choreographers and musician. Its participation in the Festival is a noteworthy event.
(photo above: ‘Summer Storm Pas de Deux’ photo by Deborah Jaffe)
Since Karen founded the company over ten years ago, NEBT has solidified its UK position as a highly dynamic ballet company dedicated to producing programmes that represent the versatility and significance of ballet today. The company is committed to developing and working with outstanding talent and to a uniquely honed holistic approach to ballet making. Led by the visionary Pilkington-Miksa, NEBT has been performing to increasing audiences in the UK and, most recently, in France while dates in the Bahamas are planned for later this year. While the company is dedicated to fostering new ballet creations, it is also committed to strengthening connections with international festivals and venues, ensuring that the work reaches and inspires the widest possible audience.
Adds Karen: “We curate our programming every season to resonate with diverse audiences and, for the Newport Dance Festival, the selection was no exception. We have a cast of five superb dancers who will be performing By A Thread: Calypso by Marika Brussel, a choreographer renowned for her socially conscious and narrative-driven ballets. Marika’s piece re-sets the traditional male-centred view of Greek mythology by focusing a light on Penelope, wife of Odysseus and heroine of ‘The Odyssey’.
“In keeping with the theme of putting female characters front and centre we will also perform Baroque Encounters by Daniela Cardim (NEBT’s former Associate Choreographer, now Artistic Director of Ballet Arizona in the US), and Summer Storm Pas de Deux – excerpt from The Four Seasons by choreographer, director and producer Jenna Lee. Summer Storm features an enigmatic section of Vivaldi’s score by the world-renowned composer Max Richter. Together these works form a programme that not only showcases our excellent dancers but also celebrates our commitment to feature the work of female choreographers.” (photo: NEBT in ‘By A Thread: Calypso’, photo by Maximilian Clarke)