As the centenary of World War One approaches we are constantly being asked to remember so that those who sacrificed their lives did not do so in vain. Although the Great War was undoubtedly a tragedy it also inspired a plethora of literature and art, which continues to influence modern culture. In prompting the creation of so many paintings, poems and performances those who have contrived over the last one hundred years to prevent the dead from having died needlessly have succeeded.
On May 16th the English National Ballet will be premièring their contributions to the WWI cultural legacy. In two spectacular performances as part of the Museums at Night festival they will evoke the experiences of soldiers during World War One. The first performance, choreographed by English National Ballet Associate Artist George Williamson, will be held in London at the National Portrait Gallery. Inspired by David Jones’ epic poem In Parenthesis it follows the story of John Ball as he served on the Western Front. David Jones himself fought with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers from December 1915 to March 1918 and like his protagonist was wounded at the Battle of the Somme. Described as ‘a work of genius’ by T.S. Elliot; his poem, which took twenty years to complete, will be performed every fifteen minutes under the gaze of John Singer Sargent’s ‘General Officers of World War One’. The English National Ballet will then travel to Salford for its second performance held at the Imperial War Museum North on Saturday 17th May. Featuring Second Breath created by award-winning choreographer Russell Maliphant and part of the English National Ballet’s April production Lest We Forget it will also be filmed by the BBC as part of their coverage of the Museums at Night festival. Second Breath inspired by the museum’s collection of diaries, letters and photographs from the Front explores the idea of sacrifice. The ballet will be performed amongst some of the most iconic objects that survived the First World War, including the field gun that fired the British Army’s first shot of the war.