ENB principal Erina Takahashi bids farewell

Erina Takahashi, Lead Principal of the English National Ballet (ENB), bid farewell in London Coliseum after 29 years with the company.

Erina’s retirement from the stage was announced in October 2024. She danced the title role of Mary Skeaping’s Giselle on the opening night of the programme on 15th January 2025 and the closing night on 18th January, which marked her final performance in the United Kingdom.

Erina Takahashi as Giselle | source: English National Ballet Instagram post

Lucky audience in Taiwan can see her in Akram Khan’s Giselle in May. She then will take on a full-time role as Repetiteur with ENB, the company said.

Erina, from Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan, joined ENB in 1996 after graduating from the ENB School. She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2000, and to Lead Principal in 2007. She has joined the company’s Artistic Team as Repetiteur since autumn 2024 alongside her Lead Principal role.

The Financial Times, The Times, The Guardian and other dance critics unanimously applauded Erina’s performance. I personally enjoyed the article penned by Matthew Paluch on Gramilano.

The article also carries this movie clip.

I wish I had been there. I never had an opportunity to see Erina as Giselle. But I saw her Odette/Odile in Swan Lake in ENB’s tour to Tokyo, Japan, immediately after she was promoted to Principal. I also watched her as Medora in Le Corsaire, in ENB’s 70 year anniversary gala, No Man’s Land and possibly many other productions in London.

You can see her Gulnare in this on-demand Le Corsaire.

Thank you, Erina san!