Each year, The Royal Ballet School’s Summer Performances mark the culmination of its students’ training—moments when young dancers step confidently into the spotlight, demonstrating not just technical mastery but the maturity, creativity, and stage presence of true artists.
In 2025, that tradition continues with a season that honours ballet’s classical roots while embracing bold new choreography. Across eight performances on some of the UK’s most iconic stages—including Opera Holland Park and the Royal Opera House—students will present a dynamic programme that reflects both their individual growth and the School’s holistic vision for the future of ballet.
A Season of Contrast and Craft
Artistic Director Iain Mackay has curated a diverse repertoire that showcases the full spectrum of classical and contemporary ballet. Highlights include the “Aurora’s Wedding” suite from The Sleeping Beauty, re-staged by Anthony Dowell; Frederick Ashton’s charming Les Patineurs; and Act III excerpts from August Bournonville’s Napoli, staged by Bournonville specialist Diana Cuni Mancini.
Balancing these classics are new works by contemporary choreographers Ruth Brill, Hannah Joseph, Jessica Lang, and Arielle Smith. Created specifically for the students, these works challenge dancers to adapt to different choreographic voices—cultivating versatility, expression, and originality.
New Work in Bloom: Ruth Brill’s Garden Suite
For students in Years 7 to 9, Garden Suite offers a vibrant exploration of storytelling through movement. Choreographer Ruth Brill, inspired by Stravinsky’s Suites for Small Orchestraand Aesop’s fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, approached the work with openness and musical sensitivity.
“I always study the music very carefully and listen to it over and over and over again, before creating a single step,” Brill explains. She also welcomes student input, encouraging collaboration: “It gives them a sense of ownership of the piece.”
Honouring a Legacy: Diana Cuni Mancini on Napoli
This year’s performances also commemorate the 220th anniversary of August Bournonville’s birth, as students bring to life excerpts from his beloved Napoli under the expert eye of Diana Cuni Mancini, a former soloist with the Royal Danish Ballet.
For Mancini, this staging is deeply personal. “Napoli was my first performance as a child, and I felt a personal connection to it because I have relatives in Italy,” she shares. “When I first performed in Napoli, I was one of the poor children in the first act, and in the same year I was also the child waving on the bridge in the third act.”
This connection informs her approach to teaching. “It’s very down-to-earth, natural mime with no artificial gestures or movement that doesn’t belong,” she says. “That’s what makes it both beautiful and challenging—it has to come from within and feel connected to the character.”
Mancini has been impressed by the students’ ability to absorb the Bournonville style. “From the very first time I visited in 2017, I noticed how quickly they picked up the Bournonville style,” she says. “Their openness, curiosity, and eagerness to get it right really stands out.”
While rehearsal time has been limited, she’s looking forward to returning to dig deeper into the nuances of the work. “I’m also looking forward to teaching more classes to help them really absorb the style—especially things like port de bras, which are so important in Bournonville’s work.”
Her approach to staging the vibrant Tarantella centres on connection and authenticity. “The goal is to work on making the movement more human: less balletic and more connected, especially in how the dancers interact with each other in the Tarantella,” she explains. “It’s not about striking poses; it’s about feeling the movement and gestures in an honest, grounded way.”
Mancini hopes audiences experience the infectious energy Bournonville intended. “Bournonville once wrote in his memoirs that his wish was for the audience to feel envious that they weren’t the ones on stage, part of the celebration,” she reveals. “That’s what I hope people take away from it: a sense of joy, life, and humanity.”
The Summer Performances aren’t just an end-of-year showcase—they are transformative experiences. From Brill’s contemporary fable to Bournonville’s timeless celebration of life, each piece offers students a chance to push their artistry and prepare for the professional world.
When all 212 students unite on stage for the traditional Grand Défilé at the Royal Opera House, it will be more than a curtain call—it will be a celebration of the next generation of ballet artists. Through these performances, The Royal Ballet School fulfils its mission: to train not just dancers, but complete artists capable of inspiring audiences around the world.