London City Ballet return to York Theatre Royal with Firebird

Recently nominated as Best Independent Company at the upcoming National Dance Awards 2026, London City Ballet will be back at York Theatre Royal this Autumn with a new programme of work (18-19 Sep) – including a co-production with York Theatre Royal of Glen Tetley’s Firebird.

Artistic Director Christopher Marney has put together an exciting programme that features UK premieres of heritage works including, for the first time outside of the Hamburg Ballet, John Neumeiers’s celebrated work Ghost Light. For the first time in decades in the UK, Neumeier will work in person with the company to recreate the piece.

In the centenary year of American choreographer Glen Tetley, London City Ballet will pay homage to him by reviving, for the first time in the UK, his gothic retelling of the Firebird. The ballet’s original designer, Olivier-award winning John MacFarlane will revisit his 1981 design. In a first for the company under Marney, Firebird will be presented as a co-production with York Theatre Royal and Opera de Vichy, France.

York audiences can also get some exclusive insights into the company with a special Post-Show discussion on opening night (18 Sep) and an open class on 19 Sep, which gives the chance to witness the dancers of London City Ballet on stage as they prepare for the performance in their daily class. Introduced and led by members of the creative team, audiences get the chance to gain rare and fascinating insight into how dancers warm-up, rehearse and prepare for a performance.

For 2026, the Company will expand to 18 dancers, including new international artists. New dancers include; Francesca Velicu (formerly English National Ballet), Hui-Wen Peng (formerly San Francisco Ballet), Arthur Henderson (formerly Semperoper Ballet, Dresden), Noah Cosgriff (formerly BRB2) and Tatyana Meijer (European School of Ballet).

Making a welcome return after a year away Ellie Young rejoins the Company alongside returning dancers; Alejandro Virelles, Sahel Flora Pascual, Samuele Barzaghi, Yuria Isaka, Arthur Wille, Joseph Taylor, Josue Gomez, Siméon Sorange-Félicité, Lydia Rose Hough & Jimin Kim.

International star Alina Cojocaru will also perform as a guest artist at all performances in York.

Artistic Director, Christopher Marney said: “Reflecting on London City Ballet’s rapid growth it feels essential we remain fit for purpose in size and flexibility. The 2026 tour increases our reach further still, expanding my vision, but stays true to the original ethos of bringing affordable and accessible dance to audiences far and wide. Returning the work of Neumeier and Tetley to stages across the UK feels significant considering their history, and these works in particular will, I believe, create a momentous impact on audiences seeing them for the first time.”

London City Ballet: Firebird plays at York Theatre Royal 18 Sep – 19 Sep. Tickets are available here.