Georgina Butler sees London’s Ballet Icons Gala 2026 – an outstanding international cast of elite dancers from top-tier companies with a UK premiere and two world premieres.
| Title | Ballet Icons Gala 2026 |
| Company | Ballet Icons Gala |
| Venue | London Coliseum, London |
| Date | 15 February 2026 |
| Reviewer | Georgina Butler |
Ballet Icons Gala 2026 provided a star-studded, celebratory evening of ballet with a programme of fourteen works, including a UK premiere and two world premieres.
Established in 2006, by Olga Balakleets, this annual, one-night-only event presents an outstanding international cast of elite dancers from top-tier companies. Featuring live music from English National Ballet Philharmonic and rounded off with a post-show reception for VIP ticketholders, it is a highlight of the cultural calendar.
Following an introductory video showing assorted leading lights paying tribute to two decades (and counting!) of passion, planning and performances, the twentieth-anniversary edition opened with gala staple Le Corsaire. Danced by Iana Salenko (principal dancer at Berlin State Ballet), wearing a dazzling royal blue tutu, and Daniil Simkin (formerly a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Berlin State Ballet), the mere promise of its virtuosic technical displays sent the audience into raptures. As the high-seas adventure became reality, the applause intensified. Both stunning and refined – unshakeable fouettés and quicksilver footwork from Salenko; quintuple pirouettes and explosive jumps from Simkin – they sailed through flawlessly.
The first contemporary offering of the evening, Asylum, was a UK premiere that saw astonishing former Royal Ballet principal Edward Watson MBE shapeshifting in response to the natural world. Choreographed by former New York City Ballet dancer Antonia Franceschi, to Ezio Bosso’s stirring ‘Concerto No.1 for Violin, Strings and Timpani’, this piece was created for non-profit organisation Vildwerk, which is dedicated to raising environmental conservation awareness through the performing arts. Watson, in a peach-toned primitive-style costume, dramatically emerged from darkness to become one with nature. Against a backdrop of projected landscapes – from dismal deforestation to flora in full bloom – he surrendered to a trance-dancing ritual for healing. Wildly rejoicing in the beauty of our planet and intensely reinforcing the urgency to preserve it.
Humanity’s symbiotic bond with nature affirmed, Spring Waters, danced by Royal Ballet principals Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Reece Clarke, burst centre stage. This short, sunny, Bolshoi ballet piece conjures the joyful energy released upon awakening from winter-induced hibernation. Levitating leaps and breathtaking lifts were performed with carefree athleticism and assured partnering. Flamboyant but all too fleeting – perhaps O’Sullivan and Clarke could have made a return appearance later in the programme?
Finding Light, Edwaard Liang’s lyrical duet set to Vivaldi, revealed the full expressive force of Spanish ballerina Lucia Lacarra’s legs and feet. She fluidly moved around, and draped herself across, Canadian dancer Matthew Golding (formerly a Royal Ballet principal). He ably supported her. Their exquisitely entwining bodies effortlessly evoked the ethereal and the earthly.
Next, the Diana and Actaeon pas de deux, danced by San Francisco Ballet principals Madeline Woo and Francesco Gabriele Frola – the thrills were all there, but hesitancy seemed to hang in the air.
Uhuru, the first of two world premieres commissioned for Ballet Icons Gala 2026, was a fusion of classical and contemporary danced by Northern Ballet principal Sarah Chun. The title is a Swahili word meaning freedom. Choreographed by Mthuthuzeli November, to cacophonous electronic music by Alex Wilson, this solo was striking, with Forsythe undertones and a final jump into oblivion. Fiercely danced, and watchable in the moment, but not the most memorable.
The prolonged, flying kiss in Le Parc (created for Paris Opera Ballet by Angelin Preljocaj in 1994), could not be more memorable. Eleonora Abbagnato and Paul Marque (former and current Paris Opera Ballet étoiles, respectively) danced their barefoot neoclassical pas de deux, to Mozart’s poignant music, with sensuality, elegance and deep emotion. Then came the pivotal moment. Their lips locked. Abbagnato wrapped her arms around Marque’s neck. Marque lifted Abbagnato, shifting her weight onto his chest as he sent their bodies whirling around together. She was almost horizontal, her legs stretched out. He was solidly supporting her while spinning, his arms outstretched.
What could possibly have sufficient wow factor to be presented after this kiss? Royal Ballet principals Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov in the ‘Black Swan’ pas de deux from Swan Lake, of course! The newly married ballet power couple gave a superlative interpretation. The audience was so appreciative that it was a relief there was an interval so everyone could reset.
Cancellation of previously billed Natalia Osipova and Jason Kittelberger, in Kittelberger’s Gravity Orphan, meant more Tchaikovsky as the second-half opener. Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux was choreographed by George Balanchine in 1960 (to music originally composed for Odile in Act Three of Swan Lake that did not get used) and celebrates speed, technique and musicality. The exuberant piece was danced beautifully by Margarita Fernandes and António Casalinho, both principal dancers at Vienna State Ballet. They are shining examples of how Ballet Icons Gala is succeeding in its mission to showcase the next generation of stars.
Back to contemporary with Postscript. This same-sex duet, featuring an on-stage mezzo-soprano, was the second of the two world premieres. Choreographed and danced by James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight (collectively PCK Dance) to a haunting aria by Vivaldi (with live singing from Elizabeth Lynch), it was an engaging exploration of loss.
From grief to the grandeur of the third-act Raymonda pas de deux. Dutch National Ballet principals Maia Makhateli and Young Gyu Choi sparkled serenely in costume, in character and in classical precision.
Nutcracker Duet is from Casse-Noisette Compagnie, Jean-Christophe Maillot’s modern take on the Christmas classic, which transposes the festivities to a ballet studio run by Clara’s parents. La Scala Ballet principals Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko playfully embodied a sense of golden-age Hollywood in this fun and flirty number. Big cheers when he slid, on his knees, across the floor and between her legs.
Celebrating its own twentieth anniversary this year, Sir Wayne McGregor’s enigmatic one-act contemporary ballet Chroma pushes dancers to extremes. Sae Maeda and Marcelino Sambé (Royal Ballet first artist and principal, respectively) poured energy and excitement into their performance of the central duet from this exhilarating work.
The Royal Ballet was wonderfully represented throughout the evening. Principal Marianela Nuñez opened last year’s gala, so it seemed fitting that she closed this edition. She brought her signature sincerity of spirit to the Don Quixote suite. Glittering variations by English National Ballet’s Chloe Keneally (first artist) and Anna Nevzorova (first soloist) framed the grand pas de deux, performed by Núñez and Patricio Revé (currently a Royal Ballet guest artist, he joins the company as a principal dancer next season). Classical ballet to savour.
What a logistical challenge getting all these ballet stars together in London for one night only must always be. But what a treat it is for London to welcome them! Happy twentieth anniversary Ballet Icons Gala. Thank you for the dancing.
Georgina Butler is an editor, a dance writer and a ballet teacher.
Georgina is a first class honours graduate and registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance (BA (Hons), RAD RTS). Following further training at the Royal Ballet School, she also holds the ‘Inspire’ professional development certificate for classical ballet teachers.
Outside of dance, Georgina is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (BSc (Hons) LSE), a qualified journalist (National Council for the Training of Journalists) and a certified editor (Publishing Training Centre).
Georgina is a fellow of Advance HE (FHEA). This is a professional status awarded in recognition of her expertise in teaching and learning and her commitment to enhancing the student experience.