Sadler’s Wells announces new Spring 2026 dance programme

Highlights include world premieres from Sir Wayne McGregor, Kameron N. Saunders, BalletBoyz and Rambert

Sadler’s Wells in London has announced its spring 2026 dance programme for its Sadler’s Wells, Sadler’s Wells East and Peacock theatres in London.

Elixir Festival

The biennial Elixir Festival returns for two weeks in April 2026, taking place across Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Sadler’s Wells East, challenging perceptions around dance and age.

Festival highlights include the UK premiere of Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78, a Sadler’s Wells, Pina Bausch Foundation and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch production; Sadler’s Wells resident Company of Elders returns with a double bill, including work by John-William Watson and Charlotta Öfverholm; and Canadian Louise Lecavalier returns in a new solo inspired by Carlo Rovelli’s Écrits Vagabonds.

Pioneers of contemporary dance

Sadler’s Wells spring season also sees a lineup of contemporary dance pioneers, starting with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch presenting the legendary choreographer’s penultimate work ’Sweet Mambo’, for its first presentation at Sadler’s Wells Theatre.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker returns with her company Rosas in a collaboration with Radouan Mriziga. The work is an exploration of Antonio Vivaldi’s iconic piece of music ‘The Four Seasons’ inspired by the impending climate crisis.

There are also two different takes on Shakespeare this season: the late, award-winning South African choreographer Dada Masilo’s final work HAMLET reimagines Shakespeare’s play told through the eyes of Ophelia; and Shobana Jeyasingh offers a bold new work We Caliban, an original take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

For the past year Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sir Wayne McGregor has been working with Rambert School, London, and the Juilliard School in New York, to present a full-length world premiere.

Three seminal British companies present evenings celebrating their body of work at Sadler’s Wells this spring 2026.

Acclaimed dance company Rambert celebrates its centenary in 2026 with a mixed bill featuring work from (LA)HORDE, Emma Evelein and a brand-new commission.

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists BalletBoyz returns with their brand-new production Still Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25, the world premiere marks the 25th Anniversary of the company’s critically acclaimed debut, Pointless.

Also, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Russell Maliphant presents three of his powerful solos, taking to the stage himself in In A Landscape as well as a performance by Alina Cojocaru.

Following a critically acclaimed runs in 2022 and 2024, world-renowned flamenco guitarist Paco Peña’s show Solera returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre.

Ballet with attitude

Sadler’s Wells continues its year-round Ballet with attitude programme. Highlights for 2026 will include:

Two-time UK National Dance Awards winner and New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck returning with Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends;
English National Ballet presenting a programme including a new work from Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Crystal Pite and a world premiere by Kameron N. Saunders;
Scottish Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence Sophie Laplane and co-creator James Bonas present Mary, Queen of Scots with new music by the team behind Coppélia, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra;
Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack based on the story of Anne Lister, and which inspired the hit TV series, is coming to Sadler’s Wells choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa with new live music by Peter Salem;
Carlos Acosta presents his revival of Don Quixote danced by Birmingham Royal Ballet accompanied by music played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia;
Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance drama The Car Man returns to Sadler’s Wells in summer 2026.

Artists at the cutting edge

Sadler’s Well’s programme of cutting edge new artists will include:

Alexander Whitley Dance Company presenting a double bill including a radical perspective on Stravinsky’s masterpiece The Rite of Spring, as well as new work Mirror, both exploring the ongoing tension between human autonomy and AI;
Newly appointed Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and acclaimed tap dancer Michelle Dorrance and b-girl Ephrat Asherie present The Center Will Not Hold;
The Breakin’ Convention Festival returns this spring, with Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Jonzi D hosting the very best international hip hop dance theatre acts;
Founders of award-winning Alleyne Dance Sadé and Kristina Alleyne create a brand-new work for National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) 2025/26;
Interdisciplinary dance company Yewande 103 presents Many Lifetimes in the Lilian Baylis Studio, a dance installation steeped in personal archives and accompanied by live music from Bianca Wilson and Femi Oriogun-Williams;
BULLYACHE makes their Sadler’s Wells debut with A Good Man is Hard to Find;
In January, MimeLondon presents two productions including a reimagined version of Gecko’s The Wedding, at Sadler’s Wells East.

The West End’s Peacock Theatre

The programme at the West End’s Peacock Theatre for 2026 includes:

Two family shows: English National Ballet’s My First Ballet: Cinderella; and London Children’s Ballet presents a revival of their 2022 production Anne of Green Gables, including a cast of dancers aged 9-16.
World Tango Champion Germán Cornejo is back in 2026 for Tango After Dark, a love letter to the Argentine tango;
The all-male comedy ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo returns for the first time in three years as part of a Dance Consortium UK tour;
Following hugely successful runs of Wings of the Phoenix in 2019 and 2024, YAMATO unveil their brand-new production: “Hito no Chikara” – The Power of Human Strength;
Onyx Productions makes their Peacock Theatre debut with 360 ALLSTARS featuring an international cast of World Champion and World Record holding artists and athletes, fusing street culture including BMX tricks, basketball magic, beatboxing and acrobatics;
GODZ returns to the Peacock Theatre;
Finally Stories – The Tap Dance Sensation returns to kick off a new UK tour

What They Said

Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive, said in a statement: “We are delighted to be announcing a brand-new season today brimming with some of the most exciting dance works. The new programme showcases work from pioneering female choreographers from around the globe – from Crystal Pite to Pina Bausch, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker to Dada Masilo and many more.

“There are dance interpretations of Shakespeare’s best-known plays, retrospectives of renowned UK companies, and presentations from artists working at the very vanguard of technology. In April, our biennial Elixir Festival asks what it means to be an older dancer and includes the hotly anticipated UK premiere of our production Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78, conceived and directed by Meryl Tankard.

“At Sadler’s Wells we say you really can get dance from every angle and the range of dance styles on show over the Spring season demonstrates this. Audiences can enjoy ballet, tap, hip hop, contemporary, tango, flamenco, hip hop, mime and acrobatics across our venues next year. We look forward to sharing this with you.”

Coming up at Sadler’s Wells in London

Midnight – A New Original Musical (Sadler’s Wells East) – 11 to 15 November 2025

The Snowman (Peacock Theatre) – 22 November 2025 to 4 January 2026

Ebony Scrooge (Sadler’s Wells East) – 26 November 2025 to 4 January 2026

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 2 December 2025 to 8 January 2026

The Opera Locos (Peacock Theatre) – 24 – 28 February 2026

I’m Every Woman – The Chaka Khan Musical (Peacock Theatre) – 5 – 28 March 2026

Sadler’s Wells spring 2026 season

The Wedding (Sadler’s Wells East) – 21–24 January 2026
BIGRE / “Fish Bowl” (Peacock Theatre) – 28–31 January 2026
’Sweet Mambo’ (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 11–21 February 2026
Mary, Queen of Scots (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 5–8 March 2026
Landscapes (Sadler’s Wells East) – 11–14 March 2026
Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 12–14 March 2026
The Rite of Spring / Mirror (Sadler’s Wells East) – 18–21 March 2026
Body & Soul (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 19–28 March 2026
Many Lifetimes (Lilian Baylis Studio) – 26–27 March 2026
Solera (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 2–4 April 2026
My First Ballet: Cinderella (Peacock Theatre) – 3–11 April 2026
Kontakthof – Echoes of ‘78 (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 7–11 April 2026
Company of Elders: Mixed Bill (Sadler’s Wells East) – 8 April 2026
danses vagabondes (Sadler’s Wells East) – 10–11 April 2026
Tango After Dark (Peacock Theatre) – 14–18 April 2026
The Center Will Not Hold (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 17–18 April 2026
We Caliban (Sadler’s Wells East) – 21–23 April 2026
Don Quixote (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 23–25 April 2026
AUGMENTED: Dance powered by MAM+AISOMA (Sadler’s Wells East) – 1–2 May 2026
Breakin’ Convention 2026 (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 1–3 May 2026
Mixed Bill (Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Peacock Theatre) – 5–9 May 2026
A Good Man is Hard to Find (Sadler’s Wells East) – 7–9 May 2026
Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 8–9 May 2026
Still Pointless – BalletBoyz at 25 (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 12–16 May 2026
“Hito no Chikara” – The Power of Human Strength (Peacock Theatre) – 12–30 May 2026
Gentleman Jack (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 19–23 May 2026
Dada Masilo’s HAMLET (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 25–26 May 2026
NYDC 25 / 26 (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 30 May 2026
360 ALLSTARS (Peacock Theatre) – 2–6 June 2026
This is Rambert (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 10–13 June 2026
Return of The GODZ (Peacock Theatre) – 10–20 June 2026
Anne of Green Gables (Peacock Theatre) – 3–5 July 2026
The Car Man (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) – 28 July–29 August 2026
STORIES – The Tap Dance Sensation (Peacock Theatre) – 14–31 October 2026