"A gala is a gala. It's there to celebrate, not to challenge. So, it's to the credit of Ballet Icons, the organisation behind the annual Ballet Icons Gala, which marked its 20th anniversary at the Coliseum on Sunday, that, side by side with gala staples such as Le Corsaire and Diana and Actaeon, it makes a point of programming new and less familiar works."
"Antonia Francheschi's Asylum, set to music by Ezio Bosso, had its UK premiere, danced by Edward Watson in a rare and welcome return to the stage following his 2020 official retirement. Watson has an uncommonly flexible body, which he uses in a uniquely expressive way. Here, in a grounded piece where he embodied the manifold shapes of the natural world, Watson dazzled."
"A second world premiere came from Mthuthuzelu November, formerly of Ballet Black. Set to his own tribal music and danced by Northern Ballet principal Sarah Chun, Uhuru was inspired by ancestral African dances and imbued with vitality and mystery. Surely we thought we'd seen all possible permutations of The Nutcracker, but this gala brought us yet another: the delightful Nutcracker Duet, choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot for his Les Ballets de Monte Carlo"
Ballet Icons Gala 2026 at the Coliseum presented 14 pieces performed by international stars from the UK, continental Europe and the USA. The programme combined gala staples such as Le Corsaire and Diana and Actaeon with three premieres, including the world debut of Postscript by James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight. Postscript featured a gripping duet set to Vivaldi and live mezzo-soprano singing. Edward Watson returned for the UK premiere of Antonia Francheschi's Asylum, showcasing his flexible, expressive movement. Mthuthuzelu November's Uhuru drew on ancestral African dances, and Jean-Christophe Maillot's Nutcracker Duet offered a fresh, delightful permutation.
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