Agony & Ecstasy: A Year With The English National Ballet

This is an exciting, beautifully filmed, access-all-areas documentary following one of the world’s most respected and successful arts institutions: The English National Ballet. Filmed during the 60th anniversary year Agony and Esctasy reveals the complexities of staging world class ballet.

This beauftiful, elegant and rarified world is traditionally one of poise, serenity and calm, but this raw and enlightening series follows the Company during one of its toughest and most dramatic years to date. There’s the extravagant production of Swan Lake. The in-Company battles about Romeo and Juliet. The turbulent creation of an all-new Christmas Nutcracker. Every production has to be an artistic and commercial success and the dancers and staff are under increasing pressure to deliver against an increasingly challenging financial landscape.

Agony and Ecstasy travels from the rehearsal room to the boardroom and on to glittering first night premiers. These are the fruition of months of hard work that make it all tears, dramas and tantrums worthwhile.