A small, yet significant, piece of Mancunian arts history lies in its ballet legacy. The city proudly hosts the Northern Ballet School, and a centre for the world-renowned Royal Ballet School, one of the most celebrated schools globally. Whether you have been a ballerina yourself or have dreamt of seeing it, Ballet of Lights in Manchester is here to keep the dance legacy alive. Hosted in Manchester’s iconic Royal Northern College of Music, Ballet of Lights is a performance of classic fairytales, perfect for newcomers and old-timers alike.
What is Ballet of Lights?
Ballet of Lights is where classical storytelling meets luminous artistry. Each show blends timeless ballet movements with fibre-optic costumes that ripple with light, illuminating every pirouette and perfectly timed ensemble. The production transforms familiar tales like Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and Cinderella into radiant vignettes performed by a small company of six dancers. Stripped of long classical run-times, each piece distils the emotional grace and imagination of ballet into a one-hour production, making the art form approachable, contemporary, and mesmerising for all.
Ballet of Lights in Manchester
Running for 60 minutes, Ballet of Lights in Manchester welcomes audiences aged five and above. Fresh stories will soon join the repertoire, keeping this luminous experience ever-changing and magical.
Sleeping Beauty
The story of Sleeping Beauty traces back to medieval folklore, first appearing in the French romance Perceforest before Charles Perrault’s La Belle au bois dormant cemented its place in literary history. The familiar version—a cursed princess, a century-long slumber, a fateful awakening—has enchanted audiences for generations. In Ballet of Lights, this tale takes on an ethereal glow as the dancers’ light-woven costumes shimmer through moments of serenity and suspense.
Bringing together classical grace and technology, Ballet of Lights turns timeless tales into radiant spectacles of dance and light. With its 60-minute format, expressive choreography, and costumes that seem to breathe with emotion, each performance invites audiences of all ages into a luminous world of imagination.