Your ultimate guide to dance shows in London

Find out everything about dance in the capital, from the types of shows on offer and the best venues to what to wear and family-friendly options.

Summary

• London has a range of dance shows from ballet and contemporary to hip-hop
• Learn what to expect from a dance show and what to wear
• Find out about the most famous dance venues and shows
• Some dance shows are perfect for kids like the family-friendly favourite The Snowman

London is a fantastic place to see world-class dance, and a wide variety at that, including joyful, family-friendly festive dance shows. The city attracts talent from around the UK and numerous different countries, and is also home to several companies.

If you love seeing dance in plays and musicals, and want to make the leap (no pun intended!) to a dance show, it might feel a bit intimidating at first to enter a new venue like Sadler’s Wells or the Royal Opera House. But these spaces are actually very welcoming, and just teeming with brilliant shows, so it’s well worth venturing in.

Follow our handy guide to attending dance shows and start planning your trip now.

Book dance tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

What kinds of dance shows can you see in London?

The capital has the full spectrum of dance on offer. You’ll find beautiful classical ballet, exhilarating hip-hop, joyful tap, cutting-edge contemporary dance, and a variety of international dance forms, such as tango and flamenco.

There is also a range in terms of the form of these dance shows. Some might have a story, such as Swan Lake, or blur the boundaries more between dance and theatre, like Matthew Bourne’s brilliant productions. Others will be more abstract, meaning you just enjoy the movement and how it makes you think or feel, without a narrative component.

Some dance shows have a comedy or risqué cabaret element (and several of those are purely for grown-ups!), while others involve circus tricks and spectacle. The best thing to do is try out lots of different productions and see which ones work best for you.

What to expect from a dance show

Just as they vary in style and tone, so dance shows vary quite a lot in terms of their length and production elements too. There are plenty of shorter pieces, running at around an hour, and you might get a triple bill of short works by different choreographers combined to make a longer evening.

The big narrative classical ballets, such as The Sleeping Beauty, will tend to run around two and a half hours, with an interval – similar to a West End musical.

The audience response will depend on the type of show. For example, some intense contemporary dance shows will play uninterrupted, as the audience gets caught up in the atmosphere, whereas in classical ballet, it’s usual to cheer and applaud at the end of each particularly impressive section of dance. You’ll also get a much more raucous audience response at a hip-hop show.

If in doubt, just take your cue from the people sitting around you.

What are the most famous dance shows?

The traditional narrative ballets are the oldest shows in the repertoire and they are also frequently revived by numerous companies, so they’re the most famous ones. That includes Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, and Christmas favourite The Nutcracker. They are joined in the canon by 20th-century greats like Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling and Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardée.

More recently, Matthew Bourne has become a major figure in dance thanks to his witty, accessible and touching shows. They include a version of Swan Lake with all-male swans, Edward Scissorhands, The Red Shoes, and The Car Man.

As for family shows, the most enduring and beloved production is the dance stage version of The Snowman, featuring choreography by Robert North – and, of course, a jaw-dropping flying scene set to “Walking in the Air”.

What are the best dance venues?

The Royal Opera House, which is home to the Royal Ballet, is an extraordinary spectacle all on its own. The Covent Garden venue is also centrally located, so you can combine a trip with shopping and sightseeing.

Likewise the London Coliseum is in the heart of the West End, and this epic venue is where you’ll find stirring performances from English National Ballet.

The brilliantly versatile Sadler’s Wells has three different venues: Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Angel, Sadler’s Wells East in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and the Peacock Theatre in the West End.

You’ll also find dance extravaganzas at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, and exciting shows at the Southbank Centre, the Barbican, and The Place.

What are the main dance companies?

London’s major classical dance companies are the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. The city also gets frequent visits from other excellent UK companies such as Northern Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Scottish Ballet.

The pioneering Ballet Black showcases remarkable Black and Asian dance talent, while BalletBoyz, founded by two former Royal Ballet stars, is an electrifying celebration of male dancers. Rambert is one of the leading contemporary dance hubs, and Carlos Acosta generates Cuban-infused work through his wonderful Acosta Danza.

Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company continues to premiere must-see productions, and ZooNation are another great British force with their explosive hip-hop theatre shows, such as Into the Hoods, Some Like It Hip Hop, and The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

What to wear to a dance show

There is no set dress code to see a dance show. If you’re going to a fabulous venue like the Royal Opera House it can be fun to dress up, just to make your trip feel like more of an occasion, but you’re also welcome to just wear something that makes you feel comfortable.

Of course, if you’re going to a hip-hop event like the annual Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, you’ll definitely want to reach for jeans and a hoodie rather than a tuxedo or a full-length gown!

Can you take kids to dance shows?

Absolutely. Just check the age recommendation for the specific dance production that you’re looking at, as you would with a theatre show. Some shows might not be suitable for young kids because of their mature content.

But magical family shows like The Snowman are the perfect introduction for young audiences to both dance and theatre, and are specifically designed with children in mind. English National Ballet also runs a brilliant My First Ballet series, creating short versions of ballets like Cinderella and adding a narrator to make them even more accessible.

Main photo credit: Giselle (photo by Bill Cooper). Inset: Perspectives: Balanchine, Marston, Peck, The Car Man, The Snowman (photos by Tristram Kenton, Johan Persson, The Other Richard)