Dancing with Titian and Velázquez

What happens when ballet takes inspiration from the language of painting?

Join us for a special Members’ presentation of 'Pictures in Motion’, an exciting new creative project presented by the English National Ballet School (ENBS).

Featuring over 20 dancers and 12 new choreographies, the project was conceived by art historian Siân Walters and developed through a 12-week cross-disciplinary programme led by ENBS tutor Juan Eymar. Taking inspiration from two paintings in the National Gallery’s collection, 'Diana and Actaeon' by Titian and 'The Rokeby Venus' by Velázquez, the students channelled the powerful storytelling that underpins both works, translating them into living motion.

The event will include a specially commissioned film, performance excerpts, and a discussion with co-curators Lynne Charles, Siân Walters, and Barbara, one of the choreographers.

Lynne Charles is Artistic Director at English National Ballet School and an internationally renowned dancer, teacher and creator of the 4Pointe training method. She trained in New York before performing with companies around the world, including Hamburg Ballet. She has worked globally as a Guest Artist, Ballet Mistress, Guest Ballet Mistress and Dance Teacher, including a tenure from 1991-5 as Guest Artist at the English National Ballet.

Barbara grew up in Lisbon, Portugal. Starting ballet classes from a young age, Barbara excelled in many activities including gymnastics, swimming, and guitar. Classical ballet continued to be her greatest passion. Barbara joined English National Ballet School in September 2024 after a successful audition when she was awarded the Viviene Durante Scholarship for excellence. Approximately 60% of students at ENBS need financial support to train at this elite level and are helped through the School’s Scholarships and Bursaries programme. Barbara’s choreographic work for the National Gallery was selected due to its creative interpretation and storytelling showing her natural talent for artistry.

Siân Walters is an art historian and the director of Art History in Focus. She studied at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge and has been a lecturer at the National Gallery for over 20 years. Her specialist areas of research are Italian painting, Spanish art and architecture, Flemish and Dutch painting and the relationship between dance and art. Siân also lectures for The Arts Society and leads specialist art tours abroad. She was a lecturer at University of Surrey for many years and has lived and worked in France and Venice. Siân has recently published a book for the National Gallery on Still Life paintings in the collection.

A recording of this event will be made available to all ticket holders in the days following the event.

This recording will be available for two weeks.

Automatic closed captioning is available for this event.