A Centenary Celebration – Royal Opera House, London

About this event

This production marks the centenary of The Royal Ballet School, founded in 1926 and renowned for training generations of world‑class dancers. The evening unites dancers from The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and The Royal Ballet School in a single showcase honouring the School’s 100‑year legacy of training and artistic development. It is a rare gathering of all three branches of the de Valois‑founded ballet ecosystem on the Royal Opera House Main Stage. The programme travels through the School’s past, present and future: it opens with a suite from Ninette de Valois’s Checkmate (1937), continues with Frederick Ashton’s celebratory Birthday Offering (1956) performed jointly by dancers from The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and concludes with works by Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon, representing the contemporary and future‑facing strands of the School’s influence. Further programme details for the final section will be announced.

Cast & creative

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  Choreographer

  Ninette De Valois
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  Choreographer

  Frederick Ashton
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  Choreographer

  Wayne McGregor
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  Choreographer

  Christopher Wheeldon
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  Artistic Director

  Iain Mackay
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  Composer

  Arthur Bliss