Jennie completed the Diploma of Higher Education at LSC in 2002, then graduated from the One Year Professional Diploma in 2003 as a member of Images Ballet Company. She was offered a position as a performer in the English National Ballet (ENB) immediately upon graduating, and performed in many memorable and acclaimed productions with them.
Highlights of Jennie’s performing career include Concert for Diana (2007), the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympic Games (2012) and Akram Khan’s Dust at Glastonbury Festival (2014), Swan Lake in-the-round at The Royal Albert Hall and ENB’s performance of Le Corsaire at Palais Garnier in Paris, the first performance at the Opera House by a British company since 1970.
Jennie Harrington in Swan Lake, choreography by Derek Deane for English National Ballet. Photo by Laurent Liotardo
No stranger to awards, Jennie won the first Corps de Ballet Award at the ENB’s Emerging Dancer Competition in 2016.
In 2018, Jennie became the Artistic Coordinator for the ENB. At time of writing, Jennie still works with the ENB as Artistic Scheduling Manager.
Jennie’s MBE is for Charitable Service, and her long record of charitable work proves her dedication to philanthropic causes. Jennie regularly donates her hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment, alopecia or other conditions. Jennie regularly promotes the trust through her work and social media. Part of Jennie’s work with the ENB includes the Dance for Parkinson’s programme, which takes a research-based approach to using dance, music and socialisation to support people living with Parkinson’s.
We are incredibly proud of Jennie for all her accomplishments and contributions to the UK Ballet industry, as well as her charity work. We are very glad to see such valuable achievements recognised in this year’s honours.