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Cathy Marston is a choreographer who excels in narrative ballets but seldom in a literal sense. 

Rudolf Nureyev was born in 1938 and died in 1993, making 2013 the 75th anniversary of his birth and the 20th of his death. English National Ballet have cause to be deeply grateful to Nureyev: he gave them (in their previous incarnation as London Festival Ballet) their popular Romeo and Juliet, and lent his box-office appeal as a principal dancer to numerous other productions.

For their second show in the London Coliseum this year, English National Ballet has presented the first programme entirely designed by its new artistic director Tamara Rojo. In the line of her vision of enriching the company’s repertory with new works, while at the same time honouring the classics, the triple bill built for the occasion is a fascinating combination of old and recent masterpieces.

ENB’s highly anticipated triple bill of works by the French master craftsman Roland Petit was tinged with sadness when the news of his death was announced on July 10th at the age of 87. He had hoped to oversee the rehearsals and attend the UK premiere. Instead, however, the London season became a powerful tribute to him, one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century.