Last Updated on June 10, 2026
A Showcase for the UK’s Major Dance Schools
3.0 out of 5.0 starsFor its latest edition, Ballet Nights went off piste: instead of assembling a cast of seasoned professionals and up-and-coming dancers and choreographers, as it’s done over the past 11 editions, director Jamiel Devernay-Laurence brought together the top seven ballet schools in the UK for an unprecedented joint show, with mixed results.
On the plus side, all the participating student dancers – and there must have been close to 100 – showed tremendous commitment and professionalism, which augurs well for the future of the art form. A few outstanding talents shone through, whom I’m sure we’ll see in professional companies before too long. Most of the twelve works on show, which ranged from pure classical ballet to cutting-edge contemporary with a touch of ersatz Broadway thrown in for good measure, had something to offer.
There were a few minuses, though: given the wide-ranging scope of the material, the evening didn’t quite coalesce as a show, and the apparent failure to give each school a clear (dare I say strict) time slot meant that a few overstayed their welcome by what seemed like an eternity.
The list of participants was as follows: The Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst School of Ballet, Northern Contemporary Dance School, English National Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, Rambert School and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As a bonus, a charming 14-year-old Indonesian girl, Aiko Larasati, appeared as Young Ambassador for Ballet Nights’ outreach programme. Slender and leggy, and looking younger than her age, she performed a variation from Raymonda with impressive assurance and endearing charm.
Word count prevents me from passing comment on all seven schools, so below is a selection of my favourite moments of New Futures.
As was to be expected, the Royal Ballet School, this year celebrating its centenary, came off well. It opened the evening with ‘A Class Demonstration’, showing the build-up of every dancer and dance student’s daily class, from simple floor steps and port de bras to grand allegro jumps.
It was performed by second and third year students, and while both boys and girls danced impeccably, two young men caught my eye: Fabrizio Ulloa, a veritable bundle of energy and showmanship, who I was happy to learn has already been hired by The Royal Ballet, and Keenan Mentzos, who has a thrilling jump and limbs that drew lines of the utmost classical purity.
It fell to all 50 second-year students of Rambert School to close the evening, and they did so with the vibrancy and discipline we’ve come to expect from this excellent institution. Throughout the year, they’ve been working with the maverick choreographer Hofesh Shechter, and for New Futures they picked a section from his apocalyptic work, Grand Finale. Laden with foreboding, blending rhythmic, jerky movement inspired by Middle Eastern folk dances with bouts of frenzy and violence, and danced to Shechter’s own loud and ominous music, this is a demanding work, and it was really inspiring to see how the students made it their own.
Of the two offerings from Central School of Ballet, I much preferred Solitaire, a delicate Kenneth MacMillan pas de deux, danced with great sensitivity and elegance by a young man in an acid-green jerkin and a young woman in a short tutu with a salmon-coloured bodice, her head encased in a soft, flowery helmet.
The young men of Elmhurst Ballet School, which is associated with Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), were better served by their choreography than the women: their Dance of the Argonauts from Orpheus, choreographed by the former BRB director David Bintley, was a high-octane, fast-moving jazzy piece, with plenty of virtuoso jumps, which the dancers positively relished.
English National Ballet School showcased the impressive technical proficiency of its first-year students, with director Lynn Charles’ adaptation of the Jewels section from The Sleeping Beauty, performed by four women in bejewelled, glittering classical tutus and one man.
Choreography being one of the central disciplines of all the schools’ curricula, I would end with a brief, appreciative mention of Anima Mea.
It was a beautiful, fresh, flowing and witty pas de deux choreographed by RBS student Milan de Benito, who also introduced it, and joyfully danced by two of his colleagues. I want to see a lot more dances made by this young man.
Ballet Nights New Futures was at Cadogan Hall on 9 June
Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ
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