Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball in To & Fro Credit: Jack Devant
Grace here, stretching me calves and pretending I’ve got the posture of a principal ballerina (I haven’t), because Ballet Icons Gala is back and having a proper birthday do. The Gala celebrates its 20th anniversary at the London Coliseum on Sunday 15 February 2026 at 7pm, right there on St Martin’s Lane, and if you’re going to turn twenty you might as well do it somewhere grand enough to make you stand up a bit straighter just walking in.
Now, this isn’t your average night of polite clapping. Ballet Icons Gala has long been one of the big hitters on the global dance calendar, the sort of evening that casually brings together the world’s best dancers and choreographers like it’s no big deal at all. This anniversary edition comes with the added sparkle of live music from the English National Ballet Philharmonic Orchestra, which feels like the right way to mark two decades of world-class ballet – none of that tinny recorded stuff, thank you very much.
The 2026 programme is shaping up to be a bit of a feast, mixing classical favourites with contemporary works, plus world premieres and exclusive anniversary commissions made especially for this occasion. It’s one of those evenings where you get the comfort of recognisable brilliance alongside the thrill of seeing something brand new being let loose on stage for the first time. The cast pulls in dancers from some of the world’s leading companies, including The Royal Ballet, Berlin State Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, La Scala Theatre Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, which is frankly more international air miles than my entire year of deliveries.
One moment that’s particularly caught my eye is a special collaboration with New York non-profit Vildwerk Foundation, bringing the UK premiere of Asylum by award-winning choreographer Antonia Franceschi. It’s a piece that tackles the world’s environmental crisis, proving ballet can be both beautiful and pointed at the same time – all grace on the outside, big questions underneath.
There’s plenty more to look forward to too, with much-loved classical highlights, rarely performed gems and contemporary works by choreographers including Edwaard Liang, Wayne McGregor, Angelin Preljocaj, Marco Goecke, Jason Kittelberger, Mthuthuzeli November and Jean-Christophe Maillot. In other words, it’s not just about who’s dancing, it’s about what they’re dancing, and there’s a lot to get excited about.
As for the dancers themselves, the 2026 Gala really does read like a who’s who of ballet royalty and rising stars, featuring Eleanora Abbagnato, Timofej Andriyashenko, Braylon Browner, Antonio Casalinho, Sarah Chun, Reece Clarke, Travis Clausen-Knight, Margarita Fernandes, Mathew Golding, Francesca Hayward, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Fumi Kaneko, Jason Kittelberger, Lucia Lacarra, Maia Makhateli, Nicoletta Manni, Paul Marque, Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Núñez OBE, Natalia Osipova, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, James Pett, Patricio Reve, Marcellino Sambé, Yana Salenko, Riho Sakamoto, Daniil Simkin, Timothy van Poucke and Edward Watson MBE. I got out of breath just reading that lot, never mind dancing it.
Away from the stage, there’s also an exclusive photography exhibition running alongside the event, capturing highlights from the last twenty years of Ballet Icons Gala, which is ideal if you like your ballet memories frozen mid-leap rather than disappearing in a blur.
Founder and Artistic Director Olga Balakeets has marked the anniversary by reflecting on how it all began, with a gala celebrating the 80th birthday of legendary prima ballerina Maia Plisetskaya. Twenty years on, the focus remains on discovering and presenting the ballet icons of today, while still honouring the extraordinary art form that keeps audiences coming back, legs crossed neatly, programmes clutched, and hearts very full
Ballet Icons Gala 20th Anniversary – London Coliseum
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