London City Ballet has been named a core partner in The Royal Ballet: FUTUREWORKS, a five-year programme announced by Royal Ballet and Opera to give choreographers working in classical ballet a settled structure in which to develop. The first residential workshops will be led by Wayne McGregor and Pam Tanowitz.
Royal Ballet and Opera announced two long-term development programmes on Wednesday 16 September 2026, and London City Ballet has been named a core partner in the ballet half of them. The Royal Ballet: FUTUREWORKS will run for five years, and its purpose is to give choreographers working in classical ballet a consistent infrastructure to develop in rather than the single commission that has long been the sector's default.
Its companion programme, The Royal Opera: NOW — New Opera Works — is a long-term strategy to commission, develop and support ambitious new opera. Presented together, the two are described by Royal Ballet and Opera as a move beyond individual commissions towards sustained investment in talent, experimentation and artistic growth, giving artists the time, space and support to test an idea before it reaches a stage.
The first residential workshops under FUTUREWORKS will be led by Wayne McGregor and Pam Tanowitz. Neither programme announces a production or a date; both are schemes for making work rather than a season of it.
Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said: "New work is an essential ingredient in the artistic identity of all dance companies. We are excited to launch FUTUREWORKS, working across the ballet sector to ensure ample opportunity for the creative vision of choreographers to flourish. We are proud of The Royal Ballet platforms already in place that encourage creative talent, and we see this as a fantastic next step, together with London City Ballet, in developing a rich choreographic future for classical ballet."
Chris Marney, Artistic Director of London City Ballet, said: "Playing a part in a rising artist's journey is a profound privilege, and facilitating the growth of emerging choreographers is a deeply held shared ambition between London City Ballet and The Royal Ballet. Discovering new voices and providing a launchpad for nascent dance-makers is crucial to the future development of our art form. As a young company, we are incredibly proud to combine resources and uncover innovative ways of enabling these creative voices to speak, shape, and inspire the future of dance."
The partnership places a company barely three years old alongside the resident ballet company of the Royal Opera House. London City Ballet was revived in 2023 under Christopher Marney, three decades after the company of that name — based at Sadler's Wells Theatre, and supported by Diana, Princess of Wales — was last active. Its repertoire since has set Kenneth MacMillan, Ashley Page and Liam Scarlett beside newer work by Florent Melac and Tasha Chu, and after the international Resurgence tour of Europe, Asia and the United States in 2024 it took the Best Independent Company award at the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards in both 2025 and 2026.
Both programmes are made possible with the support of Tim and Sarah Bunting.
