The Royal New Zealand Ballet with Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet visits Aotearoa New Zealand for the first time in 2025, and we are delighted to be sharing the stage for three Wellington-only performances to showcase contemporary works that are unique to both companies, created in a spirit of celebration and joy.

Scottish Ballet will be presenting two recent works which are unique to their company and their country. Dextera (2019) by Sophie Laplane, was commissioned to mark Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary. It is a tour de force of creative ideas, set to the music of Mozart, and an ode to creators and their hands, paying tribute to an artistic vision that often involves hard physical graft. Schachmatt (Checkmate!) by internationally acclaimed choreographer Cayetano Soto, had audiences on their feet when Scottish Ballet gave its UK premiere in 2023.

This quirky, energetic, 20-minute ballet is inspired by the words of Joan Rivers, the films of Pedro Almodóvar and the choreography of Bob Fosse, and sees dancers perform with precision and razor-sharp wit across a giant chessboard to a retro pop soundtrack.

The RNZB contributes two homegrown works. Limerence, by RNZB alumna Annaliese Macdonald is part of 2025’s Tutus on Tour programme and a revival of Shaun James Kelly’s Prismatic, originally commissioned to mark the RNZB’s 70th birthday in 2023 and inspired by Russell Kerr and Poul Gnatt’s landmark Prismatic Variations (1960). Shaun, who in 2024 celebrated a decade of performing and choreographing with the RNZB, was born in Scotland and is proud to share his work alongside his compatriots for the first time.

PLEASE BE AWARE A NUMBER OF THE PIECES IN THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE SUBJECT TO LOCKOUTS. LATECOMERS WILL BE ADMITTED WHEN PERFORMANCE TIMING ALLOWS.