Birmingham Royal Ballet returns to China for the first time in nearly 20 years
Five dancers and musicians from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia will lead a flagship festival event in Shenzhen before taking masterclasses to Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing.
Birmingham Royal Ballet is going back to China for the first time in nearly two decades. The company’s China Cultural Engagement Tour 2026, announced today, runs from 16 to 24 October and takes in four cities – Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing.
This is not a conventional touring production. BRB describes the visit as a cultural diplomacy and educational exchange, designed to strengthen artistic collaboration, educational partnerships and people-to-people links between the UK and China. Organised with the UK-based 88 Education, it features five of the company’s dancers alongside musicians from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, BRB’s permanent orchestra.
A gala in Shenzhen
The tour opens at the Shenzhen–Birmingham International Arts Festival 2026 (16–18 October), where BRB has been invited to lead a flagship UK–China cultural event. Dancers, musicians, educators, cultural leaders and young artists from both countries will come together for masterclasses, educational activities, public engagement and professional exchanges, and the festival will end with a gala performance.
Masterclasses in three cities
A delegation of BRB artists and educators will then travel on to Chengdu (19–20 October), Shanghai (21–22 October) and Beijing (23–24 October). There they will give masterclasses, make institutional visits, work on collaborative projects and meet leading schools, conservatoires, universities and cultural organisations.
The company calls it “more than a performance tour”. The aim is a lasting legacy: partnerships between educational institutions, cultural organisations, government bodies and corporate stakeholders that create frameworks for future cooperation, artistic exchange and talent development. With 88 Education, BRB hopes to build a long-term platform for UK–China exchange that reaches well beyond the tour itself.
“To the world”
Carlos Acosta, BRB’s Director since January 2020, said he was extremely proud of the company’s world-renowned productions, its “magnificent dancers and musicians” and everyone who contributes to its work.
As Director of this prestigious Company, it is one of my ambitions to take the Company’s name, and the name of our home city of Birmingham, to the world, especially at this momentous time in our history as we approach our centenary.
The city is behind the trip too. Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture at Birmingham City Council, called BRB “one of the jewels in the city’s cultural crown”. In China, she said, its members would be ambassadors as well as dancers, showcasing the creative talent, industries and opportunities that Birmingham has to offer. She wished the company well, adding that she was sure the tour would “further strengthen the existing relationship between two countries, as well as with our city”.
Birmingham Royal Ballet China Cultural Engagement Tour 2026
Shenzhen–Birmingham International Arts Festival, 16–18 October; Chengdu, 19–20 October; Shanghai, 21–22 October; Beijing, 23–24 October.
brb.org.uk
