From reimagined family-friendly fairytales to life-altering global sensations, Manchester’s upcoming dance and ballet calendar offers a series of enchanting, astonishingly diverse performances guaranteed to captivate newcomers and connoisseurs alike.

Here are the best ballet shows coming to Manchester next year.

Cycles | Aviva Studios | Fri 21 Mar - Sat 22 Mar

The latest production from Boy Blue, the UK’s most celebrated hip-hop dance theatre company, Cycles is described as movement at its most fluid, distilled and skilled, celebrating hip-hop dance in its endless forms.

The show is built around the connections between movement on stage and the rhythm, groove and bounce of the music, as nine powerful and supremely gifted dancers fill the space in what feels like ‘unending motion’.

Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
Georgia Tegou: Homecoming | Lowry | Tue 1 Apr

Kicking off Lowry’s packed spring programme, HOMECOMING blends storytelling, dynamic choreography, and cutting-edge technology to trace the journey of a woman on a quest to reconnect with her lost sense of self.

Told through a stunning live performance interwoven with immersive holographic projections, audiences will follow a journey between two worlds, where reality bends and breaks.

There are two ways to experience HOMECOMING: as an immersive theatre performance that merges live performance with digital elements, or as a VR experience in Lowry’s lobby. In the VR experience, you step into the role of the ghost, unlocking the story through your own movement.

Pier, 8 The Quays, Salford, Manchester M50 3AZ
Goner | Lowry | Wed 2 Apr

A much darker stage outing at Lowry for this one, as award-winning choreographer and dancer Malik Nashad Sharpe charts a suspenseful, beguiling and viscerally sensuous voyage into the psyche of a condemned figure

Touching on the topics of abuse, Caribbean migration, alienation, belonging, and addiction, this new work follows a sensuous, suspense-filled and fearsome choreographic journey into the psychological depths of the Goner’s horror.

Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
Wake | Aviva Studios | Thu 17 Apr - Mon 21 Apr

An electrifying new production from acclaimed Irish theatre company, THISISPOPBABY, remixes traditions in a high-octane celebration of life and connection.

In WAKE, which comes fresh from two sold-out, award-winning Dublin runs, customs collide with club anthems for a euphoric soundtrack that accompanies everything from aerial artist, tap and cabaret, to small poetry and pole-dancing.

Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
Quadrophenia | The Lowry | Tue 15 - Sat 19 Jul

On Tue 15 Jul, Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK storm onto the Lowry stage on a gleaming Lambretta moped with their wildly inventive mod ballet, Quadrophenia.

Inspired by The Who’s iconic titular album, the blistering production reimagines the 1979 cult classic feature film with a cast of decorated dancers, as Jimmy’s story is brought to life in a whirlwind dance adaptation packed with the sharp suits, reworked soul and social empowerment that defined a generation.

Set to Rachel Fuller’s breathtaking orchestral interpretation of Pete Townshend’s towering record, choreographer Paul Roberts and director Rob Ashford unite the best of Britain’s theatre, film and dance talent to bring a raw, emotionally charged new dimension to one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

Pier, 8 The Quays, Salford, Manchester M50 3AZ
Riverdance 30: The New Generation | Opera House | Sat 23 Aug - Wed 27 Aug

Marking its 30-year anniversary, Riverdance 30: The Generation embarks on a special tour later this year, breathing new life in the much-loved original show with brand-new innovative choreography, costumes, state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics.

3 Quay St, Manchester M3 3HP
English National Ballet: Sleeping Beauty | Palace Theatre | Wed 19 Nov - Sat 22 Nov

The bewitching and beloved fairytale of Sleeping Beauty comes to the Place Theatre by way of the phenomenal Enligh National Balle this autumn.

Brimming with beautiful choreography and sumptuous sets and costumes (by legendary designers Peter Farmer and Nicholas Georgiadis), audiences will be whisked away to an enchanted land of magical characters and good versus evil.

This lavish spectacle is heightened by one of Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet scores, played live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.

97 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6FT
Birmingham Royal Ballet's Don Quixote | Lowry | Thu 5 Mar 2026 - Sat 7 mar 2026

BRB’s Director Carlos Acosta revives a 19th-century masterpiece, bringing a much-needed slice of Spanish sunshine to the famous Salford theatre. A show that’s perfect for the whole family, Don Quixote is packed with delightful music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and is a must-see for fans of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.

Pier, 8 The Quays, Salford, Manchester M50 3AZ
A Single Man | Aviva Studios | Wed 2 Jul - Sun 6 Jul

For the first time ever, Manchester International Festival will partner with The Royal Ballet, to present a stage version of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man. Created by Jonathan Watkins with an original score from composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman and original songs from singer-songwriter John Grant, who will also perform live, the World Premiere will see former Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson perform the central role.

Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
And Now I Know What Love is | Diecast | Wed 9 Jul - Sat 19 Jul

Internationally acclaimed artist, choreographer and musician Blackhaine will take over industrial space Diecast for the World Premiere of And Now I Know What Love Is. Performed by a company of dancers and taking inspiration from the rich, urban landscapes of North West England where he grew up –  liminal, seemingly-desolate spaces – this immersive performance blends choreography and sound, inviting audiences to question our sense of belonging and love in a world of despair.

51 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JQ
Ruhaniyat (رُوحانیت) - An Orchestral Sufi Experience | Aviva Studios |Thu 10 Jul

A World Premiere by Rushil Ranjan (the Orchestral Qawwali Project) featuring the Manchester Camerata and a very special guest is another major highlight from this year’s MIF25 lineup.

Rushil Ranjan is a self-taught, critically-acclaimed, award-winning composer, arranger and producer, known for his work in bridging classical art forms from around the world. For MIF25, he brings Orchestral Qawwali Project to The Hall at Aviva — established in 2020 by Ranjan and his partner Abi Sampa, the project has soared to prominence with its unique blend of Sufi poetry, Indian Classical dance and orchestral arrangements.

The Hall, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
Words:
Wolf McFarlane
Published on:
Tue 11 Mar 2025