Royal Ballet School Summer Performance

Royal Ballet & Opera, London
July 12, 2025

Completing his first year as Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet School, Iain Mackay could not have made a bigger or bolder statement than the excellent Summer Performance that he curated for the students at the school. The one-off show may be at the Royal Ballet & Opera, with its orchestra, and professional in every respect, but it is the dancers who ultimately make it what it is. And this year’s performance was, without a shadow of a doubt, great.

On the whole, the boys outdanced the girls, with two Upper School 2nd-Years, Yusuke Otake and Fabrizzo Ulloa Cornejo, definitely ones to watch as they come through next year. Also outstanding was Upper School Pre-Professional Year dancer Tristan-Ian Massa, the lead in Culmination, a new piece by Arielle Smith.

The programme was inspired. The last act of The Sleeping Beauty, known here as Aurora’s Wedding, gave lots of opportunity for solos and pas-de-deux. The dancers leaned into the music, and produced a performance that any major professional company would have been proud of.

Next came Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, a joy to watch as the young dancers, clearly enjoying themselves, danced their way through the ice-ballet with fun and frolic. When the ‘snow’ came down, it was a moment of pure magic that made the audience gasped with wonder.

The final ‘act’ of the performance comprised five new short works, starting with Garden Suite, choreographed by Ruth Brill, and danced by White Lodge Years 7, 8, and 9. It was a delight. Brill’s choreography is just right, engaging but never twee, and showcasing these future dancers to perfection.

Sweet Morning Blooms, choreographed by Jessica Lang, is a soft, gentle, classical piece. Creating a new classical work is challenging, but Lang managed it with consummate skill and a romantic fluidity that was a joy to watch. You can see why the American choreographer is in such demand. The Upper School 1st Years brought her creation to life, hopefully establishing its place in the repertoire for future Royal Ballet School performances.

Gridlock, choreographed by Hannah Joseph, is a wonderfully inventive piece that was danced by Upper School 2nd-year students.

Iva Lešić Tracks Uniting, danced by White Lodge Years 10 and 11 is a collaboration with the Dutch National Ballet Academy. A character piece, but with a very modern, classical feel, it was perfectly suited to the dancers, who performed it expertly.

Preceding the traditional Grand Defilé, Culmination, choreographed by Arielle Smith, was danced by the Pre-Professional Year. It’s a belting, show-stopper with tricky step combinations, and comes complete with a showcase role for an outstanding male dancer, which was just what she had. Tristan-Ian Massa who led, is professional to his core, and ready to set the dance world on fire.

Iain Mackay may have only recently stepped in to the role of artistic director of one of the most famous schools in the world but, undaunted, has already upped the game by a large margin. This year’s Summer Performance was tour-de-force, with unbelievably high standards of dancing from the youngest to the oldest, two classical ballets performed to top professional standards, and five new pieces all of which were creative, innovative, inspiring, and exciting to watch. A huge well done to everyone involved, but especially, of course, to the dancers.