The Royal Ballet 2024/25 Season

The Royal Ballet 2024/25 season is full of gems which will showcase the versatility and pure quality of its dancers, be it in traditional repertoire works, contemporary dances with more than a touch of hip hop or the very best of Broadway.

What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of the whole season; rather, it's a selection designed to highlight the breath of the works on offer throughout 2024/25.

The season opens with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's zany, slightly demented and thoroughly enjoyable Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Itziar Mendizabal as the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland © ROH Johan Persson
Running in parallel in the house's smaller stage, the Linbury, Kate Prince's ZooNation will present its hip hop take on the Alice story in The Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

We'll see another side of Christopher Wheeldon later in the season in the Ballet to Broadway programme, which includes his shimmering, neo-classical Fools Paradise, the ballet from the his Tony-award-winning musical An American in Paris, the extraordinarily powerful duet for two men Us, originally created for BalletBoyz, and The Two of Us, set to Joni Mitchell's songs.

Resident choreographer Wayne McGregor presents the UK premiere of his new megawork: Maddaddam, a three-act ballet based on works by novelist Margaret Atwood with a specially commissioned score by Max Richter, which reunites the team of McGregor's hugey successful Wolf Works. It was created for the National Ballet of Canada.

Production image of Maddaddam © Karolina Kuras
Lovers of contemporary dance won't want to miss Encounters: Four Contemporary Ballets, which brings together works by some of the most exciting and diverse choreographers working today: Pam Tanowitz, Crystal Pite, Kyle Abraham and Joseph Toonga. Crystal Pite's Light of Passage (pictured top) will have a separate outing, following its well-received 2022 premiere.

Led by its newly promoted principal Joseph Sissens. the Royal Ballet will mark Black History Month at the Linbury with Legacy, an evening that celebrates Black and Brown dancers from around the world.

A special Balanchine evening will surely delight lovers of the master's meticulous neo-classical choreography. It includes three signature works: his very first New York ballet, Serenade, The Prodigal Son, and the sparkling Symphony in C.

Sarah Lamb and Nicol Edmonds in Symphony in C ©2019 ROH. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Much loved repertoire works include MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, and John Cranko's passionate Onegin.

Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana and Ryoichi Hirano as Prince Gremin in Onegin ©2015 ROH. Photo: Tristram Kenton
The Nutcracker takes a break from its usual Christmas slot to make way for the company's delightful production of Frederick Ashton's Cinderella.

Matthew Ball, Yasmine Naghdi and Artists of The Royal Ballet in Cinderella ©2023 Tristram Kenton
Visiting companies include Ballet Black, Acosta Danza and Northern Ballet.