The best: Ballet and dance performances coming to Manchester

Following last year’s acclaimed tour, Crown Ballet brings back its stupendous production of the festive classic, The Nutcracker, including a night at Stockport’s famous Plaza.

Scottish Dance Theatre, Scotland’s flagship contemporary dance company, presents the UK premiere of a new programme by internationally acclaimed choreographers Emilie Leriche (US/Sweden) and Edouard Hue (Switzerland).

A contrasting double-header, Leriche’s Rotten Work is a poetic slow-burner, while Hue’s choreography is raw, sensation-driven and intense.

New Adventures return to Lowry with the 30th Anniversary celebration of one of their most popular and beloved productions: Matthew Bourne’s CINDERELLA.

Featuring Lez Brotherston’s glorious Olivier Award-winning designs, lighting by Olivier Award-winning Neil Austin and video and projection designs by Duncan McLean, CINDERELLA features sensational sound design by Paul Groothuis, which will take the audience into the heart of Prokofiev’s magnificent score, and the sights and sounds of war-torn London.

Seen by nearly 12 million people (and counting) across the globe, and with more than 80 awards to its name, Billy Elliot the Musical is undoubtedly one of the most successful and beloved British stage shows of all time. Now, ten years after it last played to audiences in its original home of London and the UK, the show makes a triumphant return, with a suitably festive run at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.

Disney on Ice returns to the AO Arena for another festive run this December. Fun for the whole family, audiences can expect spectacular ice skating and daring aerial stunts, as well as appearances from all your favourite characters, including Tinker Bell, Coco, Moana, Elsa, The Little Mermaid and more.

Founded in 1947, the critically celebrated Varna International Ballet returns to the UK following a breathtaking debut tour, bringing the magical tale of Snow White to The Bridgewater Hall in early 2027. Filled with stunning choreography and the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Pugni and Grieg, Snow White is a dazzling ballet for all ages.

That evening, the snow-swept fairytale gives way to Tchaikovsky’s enduring balletic tale of Prince Siegfried’s encounter with Odette, a princess condemned to live as a swan, and the deception that threatens to keep them apart.

With a masterfully rendered dual role as the white and black swans – and one of the most recognisable scores in classical music – this touring production brings a cornerstone of the repertoire to Bridgewater Hall for an unmissable evening performance.

Hailed as ‘visually breathtaking, emotionally engaging and bursting with imagination’ by All About Theatre, Joss Arnott Dance reimagines the Mad Hatter through a multimedia production that combines contemporary choreography with animated projections, immersive visuals and an original score.

Drawing on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the show follows a character whose make-believe world becomes a vehicle for exploring creativity and self-belief, with two performances at Lowry aimed at audiences aged five and over.

Rambert and Factory International join forces in a formidable creative partnership this February, adapting Russell T Davies’ acclaimed television drama into a dance production examining friendship, queer identity and the devastation of the AIDS crisis.

Choreographer Benoit Swan Pouffer lends new physical dimensions to the emotional intensity of the original story, with movement, music and the atmosphere of 1980s club culture shaping a work that places personal lives within a wider history of loss and resistance.

The electrifying São Paulo Dance Company returns to the UK for its highly anticipated second tour, bringing bold, Latin-inspired dance to Lowry in early 2027.

Across the same weekend, the English National Ballet School’s Graduate Artists Programme introduces younger theatregoers to the conventions of classical ballet through a shortened, narrated version of Cinderella.

The familiar story unfolds through dance and music, with the format designed to make the art form accessible without losing the romance of the original fairy tale. At around 90 minutes, it also ensures a manageable, welcoming first ballet experience for children and accompanying adults.

Carlos Acosta and the incredible Birmingham Royal Ballet reimagine the 19th-century classic La Bayadère. The Maiden of Venice includes the famous Kingdom of the Shades, the original score by Ludwig Minkus played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and gorgeous designs by Anna Fleischle, in what promises to be a major highlight in the 2027 ballet calendar.

Gary Clarke Company’s award-winning dance theatre production returns to Lowry with a visceral portrait of Britain’s mining communities and the 1984–85 miners’ strike in COAL.

Combining stirring physical performance with documentary material and personal testimony, COAL traces the social and emotional consequences of industrial decline, placing the experiences of mining families within a resonant context of political conflict and working-class identity.

In June, Strictly Come Dancing professionals Aljaž Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, Gorka Márquez and Julian Caillon unite for a touring production that puts ballroom and Latin dance in the spotlight.

Audiences can expect intricate partner work, sharply choreographed routines, a generous helping of Latin heat and a theatrical presentation that showcases the performers’ stellar television backgrounds.

Journey back to the glamour of Hollywood in the roaring 20’s with high-energy choreography and sumptuous set designs (including over 14,000 litres of water on stage), combined with all the romance and wit of one of the world’s best- loved films, as Singin’ in the Rain comes to Lowry next summer.