The Latest

3 New Ballets Take Center Stage for Verdensballetten’s 2026 Tour

July 7, 2026

This July and August, Verdensballetten will grace outdoor stages at castles, manors, and cultural-heritage sites across Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Starting July 7, the annual summer touring gala, co-directed by Royal Ballet principal Steven McRae and Danish opera singer Jens-Christian Wandt, will present 13 one-night-only performances at different outdoor venues each night. The program features two casts—one for July, one for August—with dancers from The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, and Royal Danish Ballet.

Against a backdrop of a river and lush green landscape, Gareth Haw angel lifts Sangeun Lee. Both dancers are dressed in gray.
Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw. Photo by Esben Zøllner Olesen, courtesy Verdensballetten.

Verdensballetten’s 2026 lineup includes world premieres by McRae, Danish choreographer Kim Brandstrup, and Royal Danish Ballet principal Astrid Elbo in collaboration with actor Sir Ian McKellen. The three premieres will appear alongside established works by William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, and other leading choreographers. 

McRae’s new pas de deux, Journey, is set to the second movement of Bach’s piano concerto no. 5. Performed by Royal Ballet principal Yasmine Naghdi and first soloist Nicol Edmonds, the ballet is inspired by Naghdi’s recent transition into motherhood. While it pulls from Naghdi’s personal experience, McRae has created the work as a tribute to mothers worldwide. The Verdensballetten performances will also mark Naghdi’s return to the stage following her maternity leave.

Three dancers appear on an outdoor stage with a large body of water and a beautiful sunset in the background. They are all dressed in matching beige shirts and pants. Each dancer is in a turned-in passé position, with their knees touching.
Photo by Esben Zøllner Olesen, courtesy Verdensballetten.

Fresh off of winning the UK National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography, Kim Brandstrup has created a solo for Verdensballetten, drawing on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. Set to a new score by Katrine Grarup Elbo, the piece will be performed by ENB principal Sangeun Lee in July, then by Astrid Elbo (sister of Katrine Grarup) in August.

Elbo’s own piece, AN ENVIOUS SLIVER – Hamlet Undone, is a new all-male pas de trois inspired, as the title suggests, by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But rather than retelling the tragedy through dance, Elbo has sought to explore its emotional core: tension between opposing impulses and inner turmoil. Throughout the development of the ballet, Elbo collaborated with actor Sir Ian McKellen, whose insights helped shape its themes, and with German composer Sophia Jani, who created the score.

Wearing a white tutu and head piece, Iana Salenko extends both of her arms reaching. She appears outside with a building and trees behinid her.
Iana Salenko. Photo by Esben Zøllner Olesen, courtesy Verdensballetten.

Take a look at Verdensballetten’s star-studded cast:

  • English National Ballet principals Gareth Haw and Sangeun Lee
  • The Royal Ballet principals Reece Clarke, Steven McRae, Yasmine Naghdi, and Anna Rose O’Sullivan; and first soloist Nicol Edmonds
  • Royal Danish Ballet principal Astrid Elbo and guest artist Alban Lendorf
  • Northern Ballet soloist Harris Beattie
  • Staatsballett Berlin principal guest artists Iana Salenko and Marian Walter

July Cast: McRae, O’Sullivan, Naghdi, Edmonds, Beattie, Lee, and Haw
August Cast: McRae, O’Sullivan, Salenko, Walter, Clarke, Elbo, and Lendorf

alban lendorf anna rose o'sullivan gareth haw harris beattie iana salenko Marian Walter sangeun lee steven mcrae verdensballetten