Ballet Nights returns to Glasgow Theatre Royal for two nights this September with an exceptional programme featuring international and Scottish talents.
Royal Ballet soloist from Dollar, Scotland, performs two duets with his wife
Ballet Nights Glasgow features classical and contemporary ballet pieces, and contemporary dance acts from internationally acclaimed choreographers and dancers
Ongoing partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland furthers commitment to nurture young talents
Ballet Nights, a Fundamentally Dance production, returns to Glasgow Theatre Royal for two nights on Wednesday 2nd & Thursday 3rd September, after a sold-out show in 2025. Former Scottish Ballet soloist and Ballet Nights founder Jamiel Devernay-Laurence comes back to compere the show in his artistic home with an ambitious programme of international and local talents to celebrate classical ballet and contemporary dance.
This programme is bookended by special performances featuring Scotland’s own Harris Bell, a soloist at the Royal Ballet in London, with his wife Sae Maeda, a first soloist at the Royal Ballet. Harris and Sae married last year in Dollar, Scotland, and they will partner in two duets in Ballet Nights Glasgow: the joyful Moszkowski Waltz and the Act III’s pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty. This is the grand wedding pas de deux between Princess Aurora and her Prince. A spectacular duet, interpreted by exceptional artists and real-life husband and wife, it will showcase classical ballet at its finest.
With 11 dance works and three live music performances, the programme offers a wide breadth of styles and stories to celebrate dance. Ballet pieces will showcase exceptional talents from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Birmingham Royal Ballet, while contemporary voices include James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight, founders of PCK Dance in Inverness, with an excerpt from their critically acclaimed duet Imago. Elsewhere, the programme showcases the distinctive physicality of British contemporary powerhouse James Wilton Dance, and a piece from B.DANCE’s repertoire, from Taiwan, that blends Asian martial arts, folk dance and modern physical theatre.
Ballet Nights continues its mission to celebrate and nurture the next generation of artists. In a remarkable partnership, students of the BA in Modern Ballet from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland will perform a piece choreographed by Daniel Davidson, former dancer with Scottish Ballet and Rambert Dance Company. PLATFORM, a creative programme from Rambert School, the world-leading centre of ballet and contemporary dance training, yielded Atlas, a duet by Chrysanthi Nikolaou and Django Bates-Blower. They will perform their piece with Ballet Nights as professionals for the first time since graduating.
Furthering its vow to offer a 360-degree educational insight into professional dance careers, Ballet Nights provides a day of intensive training, artistic development and creative exploration for aspiring dancers aged 9-15+, on Sunday 30 August 2026. Hosted at the Wallace Studios, at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, students will enjoy exclusive access to renowned creatives, including special guest instructors Sea Maeda and Harris Bell, stars of The Royal Ballet.
Ballet Nights Founder & Artistic Director Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, said: “Returning to Glasgow after last year’s sellout feels extra special. Back in my old home, the city showed us from the very first night that there’s a real appetite for world-class dance here, and the reception for the series is a happy memory as the first regional adventure for Ballet Nights.
“This time, we’re thrilled to bring Scottish talent from The Royal Ballet, with Harris Bell making his Theatre Royal debut. With an incredible line-up for two nights at Glasgow Theatre Royal, I can’t wait to see what this audience brings to the experience once again.”
BALLET NIGHTS GLASGOW – FULL PROGRAMME
Part I
Clair De Lune
Performed by Viktor Erik Emanuel
Composer Debussy
Moszkowski Waltz
Performed by Sae Maeda & Harris Bell
Choreographed by Vasily Vainonen
Composed by Moritz Moszkowski
With thanks to Royal Ballet & Opera
Atlas
Rambert PLATFORM Creation
Choreographed & Performed by Chrysanthi Nikolaou & Django Bates-Blower
Music by Ori Lichtik
Temperature
choreographed & Performed by Guy Salim
Final Duet from IMAGO
Performed by Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett, PCK Dance
Music by Max Richter
Piano Viktor Erik Emanuel
Violin Anna Brown
Floating Flowers
Performed by Shu-Han Yeh, Hsin-Chien Chou
Choreographed by Po-Cheng Tsai
With thanks to B.DANCE Company, Taiwan
Supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, and the National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan
Dov’è la Luna
Performed by Lou Beyne & Jaat Benoot
Choreographed by Jean Christophe Maillot
Composed by Alexandre Scriabine
Costumes by Jérôme Kaplan
With thanks to Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
INTERVAL
Part II
Handel Halvorsen Passacaglia
Performed by Anna Brown & Joseph Barker
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
BA in Modern Ballet
Choreographed by Daniel Davidson
BREATH
Performed by Liam Woodvine and Taylor Hughes
Choreographed by Liam Woodvine
Costume by Asli Ozuak
A Ballet Nights New Commission made possible by The Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement
Pas De Deux from “Chéri”
Performed by Ixan Llorca Ferrer & Daria Stanciulesca
Choreographed by Peter Darrell CBE
Composer David Earl
Designer Philip Prowse
Taught from the Benesh Movement Notation by Kristin Johnson
With Thanks to the Peter Darrell Trust and Birmingham Royal Ballet
The Four Seasons – “Summer”
Choreographed and Danced by Sarah Jane Taylor and James Wilton
Composed by Max Richter
Design & Costume by Vibeke Andersen
Created with support from Dance East and using a grant from Arts Council England.
Sleeping Beauty Act III Pas De Deux
Performed by Sae Maeda & Harris Bell
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
With Thanks To The Royal Ballet & Opera
Compère
Jamiel Devernay-Laurence