The Royal Ballet and McGregor: stunning dancing but nothing really new

Liam Boswell, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Viola Pantuso and Joseph Sissens in McGregor's Quantum Souls

Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell in Wayne McGregor's Untitled, 2023

Jospeh Sissens in Wayne McGregor's Untitled, 2023

Matthew Ball and Sarah Lamb in Wayne McGregor's Yugen

Marco Masciari in Wayne McGregor's Yugen

Liam Boswell, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Joseph Sissens and Viola Pantuso in Quantum Souls

By Deborah Weiss, 20 April 2026

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“executing solos and duets, it was sometimes difficult to know who to focus on”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 18 April 2026

Yugen (Sir Wayne McGregor)

Untitled, 2023 (Sir Wayne McGregor)

Quantum Souls (World premiere) (Sir Wayne McGregor)

The Royal Ballet

Koen Kessels, Conductor

Edmund de Waal, Set Designer

Shirin Guild, Costume Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Woolf Works for The Royal Ballet: reaching poetic depths

Maggie Foyer, 17th January

Woolf Works returns to Royal Opera House stage showcasing some of Wayne McGregor’s best choreography and a roster of exceptional performances.

****1

Ballet superstars in Frankfurt for a night to savour

Vikki Jane Vile, 30th November

For one night only, audiences in Frankfurt were treated to some world class ballet on the expansive stage of the Jahrhunderthalle.

****1

Wayne McGregor’s Jocasta’s Line offers powerful performances

Maggie Foyer, 13th September

A dramatic staging of two Greek myths, Wayne McGregor’s Jocasta’s Line is an epic production for Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, a truly modern and totally original work.

****1

McGregor’s Deepstaria explores the deepest recesses of the oceans

Graham Watts, 27th February

A visually striking and thought-provoking work requiring continual concentration to absorb.

***11

The Royal Ballet: MaddAddam is carried by sublime performances

Amanda Jennings, 14th November

The combination of spectacular backdrops and evocative film projections are visually stunning and the dancers are superb, but Wayne McGregor's MaddAddam is difficult to follow.

***11

Uneven Woolf Works is a strong vehicle for a legendary ballerina

Ivy Lin, 28th June

Final verdict on Woolf Works? It’s sprawling, uneven, with parts that are thrilling and other parts that are prosaic and shallow.

***11

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Deborah Weiss

Deb joined Bachtrack in 2022 and commissions reviews and writing on ballet and dance. She was Royal Ballet School-trained and is a former principal dancer for companies including London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and Bayerisches Staatsballett. She has been writing for more than 30 years – publications have included Dancing Times, DanceTabs, Dance for You and Dance Europe. She also interviews for Voices of British Ballet, an oral archive of people who have worked in the industry in the UK. In addition to her writing, since 2016 she has been facilitating programmes that support victims of domestic abuse. Deb is passionate about her rescue dog, Bruce, and daughters (not in that order), swims a mile at least five days a week and is an avid reader.

The Royal Ballet and Wayne McGregor: stunning dancing but nothing really new