Preview: Sol León and Paul Lightfoot make their Royal Ballet debut
The Royal Ballet is the first British company to perform the work of the contemporary choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. The So Are We double bill includes a work especially made for The Royal Ballet.
León and Lightfoot have created over 50 works in their career, primarily during their time as house choreographers for Nederlands Dans Theater. Their unique movement language is full of atmosphere – fluid yet angular, soft and weightless – while also simmering with tension. They present two works with The Royal Ballet: Shoot the Moon and Salle de danse.
Shoot the Moon celebrates its 20th anniversary, having been first performed by Nederlands Dans Theater in 2006. The work is set to Philip Glass’s Tirol Concerto, and explores relationships and the solitude within them.
Two casts perform this work, with the opening night cast featuring Matthew Ball, William Bracewell, Lauren Cuthbertson, Fumi Kaneko and Lukas B. Brændsrød, and later performances with Francesca Hayward, Vadim Muntagirov, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Calvin Richardson and Denilson Almeida.
Salle de danse was originally choreographed as a film by Lightfoot during the Covid pandemic, and is now recreated for the stage as a world premiere for The Royal Ballet. It takes inspiration from a dancer’s ballet class, an energetic homage to the dancer’s daily study. It will feature over 45 members of the Company drawn from across all ranks, from Artist to Principal. A freshly composed score by Ilya Demutsky will accompany the ensemble on the bare stage of the Royal Opera House.
The Royal Ballet
SO ARE WE: LEÓN AND LIGHTFOOT
Main Stage, 11 – 20 June 2026
Choreography Sol León, Paul Lightfoot
Shoot The Moon
Music Philip Glass
Designers Sol León, Paul Lightfoot
Lighting Designer Tom Bevoort
Salle de danse
World Premiere
Music Iliya Demutsky
Designers Sol León, Paul Lightfoot
Lighting Designer Sol León, Paul Lightfoot
Conductor Matthew Rowe
Orchestra of The Royal Opera House
For more information, and to book, visit: So Are We: León and Lightfoot (rbo.org.uk)
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
