BRB2 UK Tour 2026 of Carlos Acosta's Ballet Celebration

Birmingham Royal Ballet revives Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration: Diaghilev and the Birth of Modern Ballet programme for BRB2’s fourth UK tour in 2026. Described as 'pinsharp and personality laden', BRB2 brings together some of the world's very best young dancers, the international stars of the future, to share their incredible talent.

Carlos Acosta created a gala-style production featuring highlights from the repertory of Serge Diaghilev's troupe of rebel dancers, musicians and designers who fled Russia to set a new standard in creativity that inspires and resonates across the world of dance to this day to showcase his company’s young talent.

The first half of the programme features Les Sylphides and the second half includes Scheherazade pas de deux; a solo and pas de deux from Les Biches, Le Spectre de la rose and Firebird pas de deux. 

The programme pays tribute to Mikhail Fokine and the seminal works he created at the beginning of the last century. The choreography, sets and costumes remain faithful to Fokine’s original vision but will be adapted to fit smaller stages. The repertoire will showcase and develop emerging talent and present important repertoire in venues around the UK that don’t always have access to classical ballet. Les Sylphides will be danced to live piano, and the remainder of the programme to a recording made by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia exclusively for this tour.

The company returns to Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (14 - 16 May) following a rapturous reception in 2025,  before travelling to Hall for Cornwall for the first time (20 May),  then returning to Northampton Royal & Derngate (23 May) and finishing the tour at the New Theatre Peterborough (29 May). 

BRB2 puts the spotlight on some of the best ballet dancers from across the globe aged 18–22. The majority of the first two cohorts subsequently joined the main company as Artists.

The newest BRB2 dancers, John Fontanini (Florida, USA / Princess Grace Academy), Yasemin Kayabay (Istanbul, Turkey, Royal Ballet School) and Yoli Meurisse (UK / English National Ballet School), join Charlotte Cohen (Australia / Royal Ballet School), Andrea Riolo (Malta / Royal Ballet School),  Noah Cosgriff (Australia / Australian Academy of Classical Ballet), Ellyne Knol (Netherlands / Royal Conservatoire in The Hague) and Ixan Llorca Ferrer (Cuba / Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso). 

2024 apprentice Sophie Walters (Australia / Elmhurst Ballet School) is now in her second year with BRB2 and 2025 apprentice Marlo Kempsey-Fagg (UK / Elmhurst Ballet School) is in his first. Current apprentice Alfie-Lee Hall (UK / Elmhurst Ballet School) will also be dancing with the company.

BRB2 is supported by multi-year gifts from Oak Foundation, Charles Holloway OBE, Jerwood Foundation, Linbury Trust, Mary Laing and the late David Laing. Also  supported by The George Cadbury Fund, The Amar-Franses and Foster-Jenkins Trust, The GNC Trust, The Gitta Tangye Trust, The GJW Turner Trust, The Noël Coward Foundation and Monuskin.