When new steps are born – and classics are given new life

There is something very special about the moment when a new movement sees the light of day. Where the choreographer’s idea leaves the mind and lands in the body – and where the audience becomes the very first witnesses.
This summer, Verdensballetten once again invites you into the space where tradition and innovation meet, and where brand new works are created especially for our outdoor stage.

In the middle of this creative tension stands Astrid Elbo – a Danish solo dancer who, with both courage and musicality, has made her mark far beyond the classical framework. She is ballet’s enfant terrible in the most beautiful sense: uncompromising, explorative and with a clear will to challenge the narratives that have shaped the art form for generations. For her, ballet is not just aesthetics – it is also a language of struggle, identity and change.

This summer she has been commissioned to create a brand new pas de trois for three male dancers based on Hamlet. The doubting, melancholic prince – an icon of masculine complexity – is brought into play through a choreographic lens shaped by a strong female artistic voice. It is in this encounter that the sparks fly: between the classical and the contemporary, the masculine and the feminist. The result promises to be raw, poetic and simply unpredictable.

Another highlight is the meeting of two distinctive artistic signatures: Kim Brandstrup and composer Katrine Grarup Elbo. Together they create the solo The Ugly Duckling – a reinterpretation that draws on Camille Saint-Saëns‘ iconic Swan, but moves into an electronic and contemporary sound universe. Brandstrup’s movement language – known for its psychological depth and cinematic quality – merges with music that both honors and challenges the original.

The solo is danced alternately by Astrid Elbo (Aug) and Sangeun Lee (July) – two strong personalities, each adding their own resonance to the story. It is an interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s eternal tale. Andersen’s eternal tale that will leave no one untouched.

Verdensballetten also welcomes a new choreographic voice to the program: Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero.
With a career spanning some of Europe’s leading companies, he is known for his dynamic and technically demanding style, where classical technique meets a modern, almost architectural dramaturgy.
In the work Auréa – inspired by The golden ratio – he unfolds a mesmerizing and futuristic pas de deux. Here the body becomes a precise instrument in an almost mathematical beauty where movement and proportion merge into a visual meditation.

Amidst all these innovations, the beloved classics stand as fixed points of reference. Excerpts from The Nutcracker, the iconic and very demanding Rose Adagio and Roland Petit‘ sensuous Thaïs remind us of the legacy from which the new works grow.
Here, audiences can experience stars such as Iana Salenko, Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Steven McRae unfold their art with an elegance and authority that belongs only to the world’s elite.
As a sparkling contrast to the contemplative and poetic Steven McRae steps back onto the stage with his characteristic exuberance and virtuosity. With his tap shoes laced up tight, he delivers another energetic solo before the whole ensemble comes together in a festive finale that lifts the evening to its climax – like a glass of champagne spilling over into the summer night.

As always, Verdensballetten balances between the familiar and the daring. Between what we love – and what we do not yet know we will love. And it is precisely there, in the tension between tradition and innovation, that the moments occur that stay with us long after the last note has been played and night has fallen over the stage.

We look forward to welcoming you to ballet like you’ve never seen it before!