Ballet Nights New Voices: Immersive, Immediate, Electric
- Olivia Godwin
- Sep 25
- 4 min read
Ballet Nights New Voices makes its return on 17 October 2025 with a boundary-pushing line-up that puts tomorrow’s dance leaders firmly in the spotlight.
This one-night-only experience is a celebration of creative risk-taking, daring collaborations, and the rising stars shaping the future of dance. Audiences can expect an explosion of new ideas, as the stage transforms into a playground for fresh talent and bold encounters.
What sets New Voices apart is the way it pulls you right into the heart of the action. Forget the distance of a traditional stage, here, the dancers perform on the very floor you stand on, with the audience woven into the fabric of the show. It’s immersive, immediate, and electric, blurring the line between performance and party. Guests are invited to dress to impress, whether that means sleek evening wear or your boldest dance floor-ready look, embracing the celebratory spirit of the night.
And when the curtain call ends, the energy doesn’t stop. At the last edition, dancers and audience members spilled together into a spontaneous dance circle, turning the night into a shared celebration of movement, rhythm, and community.
But what does the nights - and the line up - actually look like?
The night begins in The 103 — a space that feels more like an underground club than a theatre, with a long bar stretching out in front of the DJ booth and the crowd pressed close around the action. Here, the dancers are right at the core of the room, surrounded on all sides by the audience. The show opens with pure adrenaline: Gravity Mechanics and movement artist Seirian Griffiths launching straight into the crowd, setting the tone with fearless acrobatics and high-octane physicality. Their entrance is underscored by the Signature Ballet Nights New Voices Sting Track, a specially created soundscape by Giorgio Garrett, First Artist of English National Ballet — instantly pulling everyone into the energy of the night.
Next Up, Kanah Flex, a south London born-and-raised, self-taught dancer and movement artist, who was discovered busking in London by FKA twigs and Aaron Sillis back in 2014. At 15 he began to practise the style of ‘Jerking’ and at 16 he found inspiration in Robert Muraine, a dancer who specialises in popping, contributing to his signature style.
The night then moves into The Box, where a raised platform stage gives the dancers room to expand their movement while the audience remains right on top of the action. Making your way, moving through the venue, you will encounter the digital world of Constant Vigier's dance video installations.
The night then moves into The Box, where a raised platform stage gives the dancers room to expand their movement while the audience remains right on top of the action. First to take the stage are Alice O’Brien and Evie Leigh Savage in Sophie Laplane’s Oxymore. Set to Susumu Yokota’s hypnotic, repetitive track Circular, Oxymore unfolds as a circular conversation — a ‘duet’ of two solos — in which the protagonists engage with one another, whether physically present or imagined, drawing the audience into a delicate dialogue of movement.
The programme continues with two striking duets that showcase the range of movement and musicality at New Voices. A Regarder Les Étoiles, choreographed and performed by Manon Servage and Zach Parkin, set to the atmospheric soundscape of Andrew Tasselmyer’s Blurstem. In contrast, Parallel Lines Meet At Infinity, created and danced by Seirian Griffiths and Dan Baines, explores tension and connection through intricate, interweaving patterns, accompanied by a score composed by Griffiths himself. A true showcase of what the city's freelance community has to offer, Barbadian dancer Liam Woodvine also performs a haunting solo, Confession, drawing the audience into a deeply personal and emotional journey. Together, these pieces highlight the intimate, collaborative, and profoundly expressive spirit of the night.
Ballet Nights favourites EKLEIDO return with a brand-new piece, Clinquant. Merging voguing with contemporary flair, they’ve wowed audiences at the last New Voices and on the main stage, and this latest work captures the very essence of what Ballet Nights New Voices is all about — bold, boundary-pushing, and electrifying.
Another standout duo, Pett | Clausen-Knight, first seen at the inaugural Autumn series of Ballet Nights in 2023, returns with a new work. Isabelle Evans and Travis Clausen-Knight perform AE to a score by long-time collaborator Sean Pett, showcasing the inventive, boundary-pushing choreography that has become their signature. They are the only familiar faces on the line-up, with choreographic duo BLACBRIK returning with a new piece, Don’t Step on My Shoes.
The night also shines a spotlight on the rising stars of The Royal Ballet, Caspar Lench and Martin Diaz, performing a piece choreographed by Denilson Almeida. Set to a vibrant and eclectic score by João Gilberto, MetaMeta, and Abacaxepa, the work fuses technical brilliance with infectious musicality, offering a glimpse of the next generation of classical talent pushing into contemporary movement. With thanks to The Royal Ballet & Opera, this performance brings the elegance of the company into the intimate, immersive world of New Voices.
As the night draws to a close, the energy doesn’t fade — it spills onto the dance floor, with Dancer DJs Seirian Griffiths and Paris After Dark keeping the beats alive and the crowd moving. New Voices is more than a performance; it’s a celebration of creativity, community, and the fearless spirit of UK dance culture. Don’t miss your chance to be part of it — Ballet Nights New Voices returns on 17 October 2025.
Buy your ticket today and step into the future of dance.
Comments