#OnThisDay in 1913, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring premiered: paired with Nijinsky's choreography, it famously caused a riot. The iconic #ballet continues to inspire choreographers: check out this extract from Mats Ek's striking version, which we premiered last year. 🩰 James Streeter and Artists of English National Ballet 🎶 Stravinsky performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic #EnglishNationalBallet #riteofspring | English National Ballet

On This Day – May 29, 1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring" premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. With pounding rhythms, jarring harmonies, and Vaslav Nijinsky’s raw, angular choreography, the ballet stunned the audience… and sparked a near-riot. "'The Rite of Spring.' Now that was a revolutionary piece: It changed the history of music with its strange new rhythms, its barbaric grunting and howling, and its massive dissonant chords." - Leonard Bernstein, Young People's Concerts: H

The Rite of Spring || Behind the scenes The Rite of Spring’s 1913 premiere shocked Paris audiences of the time, evoking more controversy and wielding more influence than almost any other piece of music or dance in history. Nicolo Fonte’s 2014 version maintains the power and drama of the original, pairing Stravinsky’s iconic score with a libretto that dives into themes of community, ritual sacrifice and birth and re-birth in subtle and abstract ways. Join us as this one of a kind double bill take