OUR TEAM

One of the foremost dance artists of her generation, Viviana was born in Rome and trained at The Royal Ballet School from age 11. She joined The Royal Ballet aged 17 and two years later attracted national media coverage when she took over as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake in mid-performance, never having been taught the role. Promoted to Principal Dancer at 21, she danced all the major roles, winning equal acclaim in the classics and in dramatic ballets by MacMillan, creating roles in his Winter Dreams and The Judas Tree among many new works. She guested with leading companies worldwide and, after leaving The Royal Ballet in 2000, was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, La Scala Milan and Japan’s K-Ballet while also acting on stage and screen. In 2017, she founded Viviana Durante Company to bring bold and innovative dance events to audiences around the world.

Viviana was appointed Director of Dance at English National Ballet School in 2019 and the following year became Artistic Director. She holds diplomas in dance teaching from The Royal Ballet School and Trinity College London and has taught internationally. She has coached for The Royal Ballet, ENB and ABT and is a frequent judge at competitions including Beijing, YAGP and Lausanne, where she was Jury Vice-President in 2022. She was consultant editor of the 2018 DK book Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated Story and is a regular guest on radio and TV arts programmes.

Viviana has received numerous international honours and awards including being named Dancer of the Year in four countries. She is president of World Ballet School Day, which she instigated in 2020, has served as a Board member for Dancers Career Development and One Dance UK, and is a patron of the Hammond School and New English Ballet Theatre.

Dance has played a significant role in Amanda’s life; she has demonstrated a passionate commitment to the dance sector and enabling creativity through her work as a performer, an educator, a producer and as Executive Director of two dance companies – one classical and one contemporary. Amanda was awarded the equivalent of an MBE - Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit - for Services to Ballet, and in addition to being the Executive Director of ENBS, Amanda currently serves as Chair of One Dance UK, the national body for dance in the UK.

Before joining ENBS, Amanda was Senior Producer with The Royal Ballet. Amanda’s remit included choreographic development and working with the huge range of Visiting Companies that perform in the Linbury Theatre. She went on to produce new work on the Main Stage including Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project and Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate. Prior to this, Amanda worked as Chief Executive for Shobana Jeyasingh Dance and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She has worked as a dance educator for English National Ballet (where she also worked as a professional dancer), as Assistant Director of Central School of Ballet, and also ran Dance Aotearoa New Zealand – an organisation that was modelled on One Dance UK.

Amanda has a proven ability to deliver positive results to both public and private sector stakeholders, based on a developed and practical understanding of the cultural, business and government sectors. She knows and understands the business from many sides. Her passion is to see ENBS working in a building that reflects the amazing work delivered in the studio and to ensure its financial stability well into the future.

Michael Berkin trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced with Royal New Zealand Ballet, Ballet Ireland, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Northern Ballet. He performed group and soloist roles in a variety of repertoire including works by Mark Baldwin, Javier De Frutos, David Bintley, Christopher Hampson, Cathy Marston, David Nixon, John Cranko, Kenneth Macmillan, and George Balanchine.

After performing, Michael undertook his teacher training with The Royal Ballet School and cofounded Professional Dance Experience with his wife, Kimberley. Together they delivered weekly Ballet Associate programmes, Summer, Easter and Christmas ballet courses, the Youth Ballet Theatre, and annual Ballet Teacher Seminars. Michael also managed a team of teachers who delivered ballet workshops and masterclasses for over 250 local dance schools across the U.K.

Michael has been a guest teacher at The Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst Ballet School, and Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He has also taught on the Professional Graduate Programme at Northern Ballet Academy and has been a guest ballet master at Northern Ballet.

Michael joined English National Ballet School in 2019 as the First Year Men’s Tutor.

Senri started dancing at the age of 4 and trained in Japan and England. She then danced professionally for 18 years. Firstly, with the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in Denmark, for 2 years, and then with English National Ballet (ENB) for 16 years, where she performed corps de ballet, soloist, and principal roles in major classical and contemporary works.

Senri has over 10 years of dance teaching experience and completed her Diploma in Dance Teaching from the British Ballet Organization (bbodance). She taught at institutions such as London Studio Centre, London Junior and Senior Ballet, Central School of Ballet, and conducted workshops for ENB. She was also nominated as a coach for the finalists in ENB’s Emerging Dancer Competition in 2016, 2017, and 2020.

Senri joined English National Ballet School in 2021.

Juan trained as a dancer in Madrid with Carmen Roche, Tony Fabre, Lázaro Carreño and Gonzalo Zaragoza, graduating from the Dance Conservatory of Madrid with Distinction. He was a finalist in the prestigious Prix de Paris before having an international career in Zurich Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, where he performed group, soloist and principal roles in many classical ballets, as well as in works by choreographers such as Forsythe, Balanchine, Cranko,  Van Manen, Ek, Kylan and MacMilan amongst many others.

After retiring from the stage, Juan was awarded the Diploma in Dance Teaching and Choreography by the Ministry of Culture of Spain, a Masters Degree in Cultural management by Universidad de Alcalá de Henares and a certificate as a Gyrotonic/Gyrokinesis instructor by Gyrotonic Headquarters in Germany.

As a Ballet Teacher, Juan has been a guest teacher for various ballet companies such as Zurich Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Croatian National Ballet as well as a teacher/choreographer in many ballet Institutions around the world. Since 2015 he works in  ENBS as a ballet tutor and has created various choreographic works for the school.

Originally from Italy, Luca Braccia is a London-based dance artist and academic with over ten years of international experience in education, performance, and choreography. Currently, he is Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the first UK's 2-year accelerated BA (Hons) in Dance at the University of Suffolk, delivered in partnership with DanceEast, in Ipswich. Luca also works as Contemporary Dance Technique Tutor at the English National Ballet School and Kings International Ballet Academy, and as a Lecturer in Reflective Practice for the Imperial Society of Teachers Dancing. Moreover, Luca collaborates with Blanca li Company, LîLa Dance, Fuora Dance Project and Dora Frankel Ensemble as performer and facilitator. Since 2015, he has directed BARBERDANCE / lucabraccia&Co, delivering learning and engagement activities alongside performances in China, Italy, Portugal, and the UK. Since 2019, together with Leila McMillan and Julia Testa, he has hosted and curated the first-ever Passing Through sessions in London at Studio Wayne McGregor.

Luca's teaching portfolio includes Trinity Laban, London Contemporary Dance School, National Dance Academy of Rome, DanceEast, DanceCity, DanceXchange, TripSpace, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Newcastle College, the Northumbria University, Liverpool Hope University, and the University of Arts London.

Born in Barcelona, Estela is a London based dance artist and certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. She began her studies in ballet, contemporary and flamenco at Escola de Dansa Madó and moved to London in 2001 to continue her training at Central School of Ballet. Upon graduation she danced with Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower (2004- 2006, France) and IT Dansa (2006 - 2008, Spain) before joining Rambert (2008 - 2014, UK). Throughout this time, she performed repertoire by internationally celebrated choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Christopher Bruce, Carolyn Carlson, Lucinda Childs, Itzik Galili, Siobhan Davies, Jean-Christophe Maillot, and contributed to the creation of new works by Alexander Ekman, Rafael Bonachela, Javier de Frutos, Barak Marshall, Marguerite Donlon, among others.

Since 2014 Estela has worked on a wide range of projects across dance, film, theatre and opera collaborating as a performer and/or assistant director, with artists such as Shobana Jeyasingh, Marcos Morau (La Veronal), Boris Charmatz (Terrain), Didy Veldman, Merce Cunningham Trust, Russel Maliphant, New Movement Collective, Opera National du Rhin, National Theatre, Alice Oswald, Avatara Ayuso, Miguel Altunaga, Patricia Okenwa.

In April 2019 she was invited to perform in the worldwide presentation Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in celebration of Merce Cunningham's 100th birthday at the Barbican Theatre.

As a choreographer she has received commissions from Palau de les Arts Valencia, Dansox, TORCH, Swindon Dance, Pavilion Dance Southwest, Wilton’s Strike Festival, Ignition Festival, British Spanish Society, Valencia Dancing Forward, Rambert’s New Evening of Choreography. In 2017 she was appointed Swindon Dance Associate Artist together with dance artist Thomasin Gülgeç whom she continues to collaborate with since 2015. One of their latest works was supported by Arts Council England.

Estela teaches to professional companies, vocational and pre-vocational schools, international competitions and outreach programmes, including Rambert, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance, Scottish Dance Theatre, La Veronal (Spain) The Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Swindon Dance, Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition Summer School (China), Prix de Lausanne (Switzerland), Moving Assembly Project (SA), Sadler's Wells Company of Elders, Streetwise Opera (UK).

Estela is passionate about promoting awareness and sustainable practice through movement and dance. Her approach draw inspiration from principles within martial arts and somatic education.

David is a Nottingham based dancer, teacher, and choreographer, who since graduating from the Laban Centre has danced and taught with companies across the UK and America including Burklyn Ballet Theatre and Kim Robards Dance (where he performed at the Joyce Soho and other American theatres), Secret Cinema, Aegis Live Arts and Gleich Dances. David now works as Assistant Director to Chantry Dance Company; a midlands based theatrical contemporary ballet company.

David teaches many disciplines, including classical and contemporary Ballet, Cunningham, Graham, and Release based contemporary techniques, as well as improvisation and choreography.  Whilst in America he taught as part of Kim Robards Dance teaching faculty, during this time guest teaching at Colorado Ballet School. As a freelance teacher he has taught at schools and colleges including, London Studio Centre, Italia Conti, London Boys Ballet, Highgate Ballet School, West London School of Dance, and the Cecchetti Society.  He now holds the position of Associate Principal at Chantry School of the Contemporary and Balletic Arts and is a core tutor in contemporary techniques and creative practices.

As a choreographer David founded Collisions Dance Company in the UK in 2008, the company presented work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for several years, as well as part of Resolutions! Festival (The Place), and at The Actors Church in Covent Garden.  He also collaborated with Lush Cosmetics and Gorilla Perfume, choreographing, and creating works that ranged from traditional dance to multi-sensory performance events across the UK. 

Henry began his musical education at the world renowned Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. From there he joined the Royal Academy of Music, London on a scholarship where he studied with Russian concert pianist Rustem Hayroudinoff. Henry then moved back to Manchester to continue his studies at postgraduate level at the Royal Northern College of Music with Colin Stone. 

Henry gave solo recitals and concerto performances across the UK and abroad throughout his time as a student and continues to do so now. Notable performances include performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the final round of the 2021 James Mottram International Piano Competition. 

Henry worked at several ballet schools across London during his time as a student gaining valuable experience in dance education. He developed a real passion for working with dancers and young people and was thrilled to be appointed the Head of Music at ENBS in 2023. He takes pride in providing musical accompaniment for some of the most promising young dancers in the world. Above all Henry tries to improve as an accompanist every day by learning from the people around him, be it other musicians, ballet teachers or students.

Zhu was a major scholarship holder at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studied piano solo performance with Joan Havill. She is also a multi-prizewinner -- she won top prizes in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Oxford Music Festival, Concerto Prize of the Worthing Music Festival 2017, the Guildhall Romantic Prize 2018, and lately she won the Zhejiang Lanhua prize for starting-out professional musicians in 2020.

As a soloist, Zhu has been performing regularly throughout China, HK, the UK, France and the Netherlands. In May 2018, Zhu was presented by the Guildhall School’s keyboard department to give a recital at St. Martin-in-the-fields, one of the major London concert venues. Recently she collaborated with dancers from the Place to create a contemporary dance production with the music of Chopin's Piano Sonata No.3, and it was performed in the Bloomsbury Festival, Chancellor’s Hall, UCL as part of her PhD research on the relationship between music interpretation and dance.

Zhu joined the ENBS pianist team in 2023 after completing a traineeship at the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden.