Perspectives, Triple Bill at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Opening Night – 15 November 2025 | 7:00 PM
There are few experiences as moving and unforgettable as an evening at the Royal Opera House — the lights dim, the orchestra begins to play, and the stage opens to reveal a world of beauty, grace, and emotion. On 15 November 2025, the curtain will rise on Perspectives, a dazzling triple bill that promises to be one of the highlights of the London ballet season.
This special program brings together three very different choreographic voices — George Balanchine, Cathy Marston, and Justin Peck — spanning nearly a century of ballet history and innovation. It is a celebration of style, creativity, and musicality, performed by the incomparable artists of The Royal Ballet.
Serenade — George Balanchine
Balanchine’s Serenade is one of the great landmarks of 20th-century ballet — a lyrical masterpiece that embodies the essence of the neoclassical style. Created in 1935 on the students of the newly founded School of American Ballet, Serenade was the first ballet Balanchine made in America. Its haunting opening tableau — a group of women bathed in blue light, arms raised toward the sky — has become one of the most iconic images in dance history.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the ballet moves between dream and reality, order and freedom, the individual and the ensemble. Balanchine famously incorporated the dancers’ real-life mistakes and mishaps into the choreography, turning accident into art — a perfect example of his creative genius.
For many of us, it will be a special joy to see Fumi Kaneko in this ballet. Now a Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet, she combines refined classicism with extraordinary depth and soul. I still remember seeing her on stage , another november, it was exactly 15th november 2019 — as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty alongside Reece Clarke. That night, they were unexpectedly replacing Akane Takada and Steven McRae, and what a revelation it was. Both Kaneko and Clarke would soon rise to become Principal Dancers. To witness her again now, leading Serenade, feels like a beautiful circle completed. Fumi kaneko will be surrounded by the great dancers Ryoichi Hirano, Vadim Muntagirov, Melissa Hamilton and Leticia Dias. A first ballet that will be unforgettable with these stars on stage.
New Work — World Premiere by Cathy Marston
Few choreographers today create ballets with such deep narrative resonance as Cathy Marston. Her works, often inspired by literature and human emotion, explore the complexities of relationships, identity, and transformation. For this world premiere, Marston turns to the evocative music of Benjamin Britten, crafting a new piece that promises to be both intellectually rich and emotionally powerful.
The cast alone makes this ballet one of the season’s most anticipated moments: Melissa Hamilton, an artist admired for her strength, sensitivity, and sculptural elegance, shares the stage with three of the company’s leading men — William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, and Nicol Edmonds. A dream ensemble, united in a new creation that will undoubtedly push the boundaries of storytelling through movement.
I personally cannot wait to see Hamilton in this work. She has such a compelling stage presence — thoughtful, passionate, yet understated. To see her alongside these remarkable partners will surely be a highlight of the evening.
Everywhere We Go — Justin Peck
The evening will conclude with a burst of modern vitality — Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go, marking the first time a Peck ballet has been performed by The Royal Ballet. Peck, the Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet, is celebrated for his dynamic movement language and inventive use of ensemble. Set to Sufjan Stevens’ rhythmic and cinematic score, Everywhere We Go radiates energy, optimism, and youthful brilliance.
Leading the cast are Marianela Nuñez and Reece Clarke — a pairing that promises magic. Nuñez, one of the greatest ballerinas of our time, continues to astonish with her virtuosity, musicality, and emotional warmth. Clarke, now at the peak of his artistry, has enjoyed a remarkable year — triumphing as Aminta at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and receiving standing ovations in Giselle at the Palais Garnier in Paris, dancing alongside the Paris Opera Ballet étoile Hannah O’Neill. Soon, they will reunite in London for another Giselle, and it feels as though we are witnessing a golden moment in his career. With such a stellar program, this triple bill will undoubtedly be one of the jewels of the 2025–2026 Royal Ballet season. From Balanchine’s timeless classic to Marston’s poetic new creation and Peck’s contemporary dynamism, the evening will showcase the full breadth of The Royal Ballet’s artistry.
For anyone in London — or planning a visit to the capital — this performance on 15 November 2025 are a must , and the following evenings with equally fabulous casts, they are all great, I would see them all.
Each performance offers a unique cast and combination of Royal Ballet stars — from the radiant Marianela Nuñez and Fumi Kaneko, to the charismatic Reece Clarke, Melissa Hamilton, and Akane Takada.
Across these dates, audiences will experience the breadth of the company’s artistry: Balanchine’s luminous Serenade, Marston’s evocative world premiere, and Peck’s exhilarating Everywhere We Go — the latter performed for the very first time by The Royal Ballet. I will do everything I can to attend the opening night — and to witness once again the luminous artistry of Fumi Kaneko, Melissa Hamilton, Reece Clarke, and Marianela Nuñez. It will surely be an evening to remember, full of elegance, emotion, and the magic that only ballet can bring.
Saturday, 15 November 2025 — 1:00 PM
Serenade
Sarah Lamb, Ryoichi Hirano, Nicol Edmonds, Yuhui Choe, Mariko M. Sasaki
New Cathy Marston
Akane Takada, Leo Dixon, Francisco Serrano, Harris Bell, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Annette Buvoli, Harris Bell, Leticia Dias, Joseph Sissens, Sae Maeda
Saturday, 15 November 2025 — 7:00 PM
Serenade
Annette Buvoli, Reece Clarke, Sae Maeda, Claire Calvert, Téo Dubreuil
New Cathy Marston
Melissa Hamilton, William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, Nicol Edmonds, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Marianela Nuñez, Reece Clarke, Mayara Magri, Luca Acri, Mariko M. Sasaki
Tuesday, 18 November 2025 — 7:30 PM
Serenade
Marianela Nuñez, Matthew Ball, Sae Maeda, Claire Calvert, Joonhyuk Jun
New Cathy Marston
Melissa Hamilton, William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, Nicol Edmonds, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Marianela Nuñez, Reece Clarke, Mayara Magri, Luca Acri, Mariko M. Sasaki
Thursday, 20 November 2025 — 7:30 PM
Serenade
Sarah Lamb, Ryoichi Hirano, Leticia Dias, Nicol Edmonds, Yuhui Choe
New Cathy Marston
Akane Takada, Leo Dixon, Francisco Serrano, Harris Bell, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Marianela Nuñez, Reece Clarke, Mayara Magri, Luca Acri, Mariko M. Sasaki
Tuesday, 25 November 2025 — 7:30 PM
Serenade
Annette Buvoli, Mayara Magri, Reece Clarke, Claire Calvert, Téo Dubreuil
New Cathy Marston
Akane Takada, Leo Dixon, Francisco Serrano, Harris Bell, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Annette Buvoli, Harris Bell, Leticia Dias, Joseph Sissens, Sae Maeda
Friday, 28 November 2025 — 7:30 PM
Serenade
Fumi Kaneko, Mayara Magri, Ryoichi Hirano, Vadim Muntagirov, Melissa Hamilton
New Cathy Marston
Akane Takada, Leo Dixon, Francisco Serrano, Harris Bell, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Annette Buvoli, Harris Bell, Leticia Dias, Joseph Sissens, Sae Maeda
Tuesday, 2 December 2025 — 7:30 PM
Serenade
Marianela Nuñez, Matthew Ball, Claire Calvert, Mariko M. Sasaki, Joonhyuk Jun
New Cathy Marston
Melissa Hamilton, William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, Nicol Edmonds, Vasko Vassilev
Everywhere We Go
Annette Buvoli, Harris Bell, Leticia Dias, Joseph Sissens, Sae Maeda
