EMERGENCE to Return to Scottish Ballet With New Julia Cheng Premiere

Scottish Ballet will present the return of Crystal Pite's acclaimed Emergence in an autumn double bill alongside the world premiere of Entress by Julia Cheng, the award-nominated choreographer behind Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club and Fiddler on the Roof, featuring an original score by award-winning composer Isobel Waller-Bridge.

Scottish Ballet presents a riveting double bill uniting two of contemporary dance's most distinctive talents: Crystal Pite's acclaimed masterpiece Emergence, returning to Scotland for the first time in a decade, alongside the world premiere of Entress, a new commission from Julia Cheng – whose choreography for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club and Fiddler on the Roof has earned Olivier and Chita Rivera Award nominations – featuring an original score by Isobel Waller-Bridge (Fleabag/Emma/The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse).

Emergence showcases the full force of Scottish Ballet's dancers. Inspired by swarm intelligence and the complex collective behaviours found in the natural world, as explored in Steven Johnson's book Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, the stage is transformed into a living, breathing super-organism as dancers move with astonishing precision and explosive physicality, shifting between individual expression and collective consciousness as they become part of a mesmerising hive mind. A poised line can suddenly fracture. A flowing wave of bodies can transform into a relentless army. Dancers pulse, swarm, march and scatter with insect-like precision. One of the world's most acclaimed choreographers, Pite has created more than 60 works performed by companies across the globe and has won five Olivier Awards. For this 2026 tour, marking Emergence's return to Scotland for the first time in a decade, she has revisited the work, making subtle but important updates.

Emergence Choreographer, Crystal Pite said:

'Today, the desire to honour and share something about the living world feels more urgent than ever. I want to keep the piece vital and evolving. I love tinkering with works that I've made. When my choreography is embodied by a different dancer it finds new possibilities. Rather than recreating exactly what I did before, I want to access the distinct abilities and qualities of the people in front of me. I'm excited to have this work come to life afresh through the amazing dancers at Scottish Ballet.'

Presented alongside Emergence, the world premiere of Entress introduces a bold new work by Julia Cheng, whose distinctive movement language has earned acclaim across theatre and dance. Named after an old Scottish word meaning 'the right to enter' or 'an entrance', Entress explores transformation, resilience and the possibility of renewal. Featuring an original score by Isobel Waller-Bridge and percussion from long-time collaborator Beibei Wang, the work emerges from Cheng's reflections on conflict, grief and destruction. Developed in close collaboration with Scottish Ballet's dancers, Entress draws inspiration from diverse sources, including ritual, mythology, metamorphosis and architecture.

Entress Choreographer, Julia Cheng said:

'Entress's key theme is transforming pain and suffering into power and rebirth – purging the emotions, the need to release; combustion. It's about connecting, finding common ground, and exploring how our personal experiences can be expressed as honestly as possible. I think when you're truly connected to something in an honest place, it will transfer to the people watching.'

Emergence and Entress are united by the theme of collective experience. In Pite's choreography, the dancers come together to create a powerful collective force. In Cheng's new work, individual experiences of pain, hope and transformation become shared acts of expression. Together, these two extraordinary works ask how we connect, how we change, and how meaning emerges through movement.

Christopher Hampson CBE, CEO/Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet, said:

'Bringing Crystal Pite's Emergence back to Scotland feels incredibly exciting. It is a work of extraordinary precision and imagination, exploring what happens when individuals come together as part of something larger than themselves. Crystal Pite and Julia Cheng approach movement in different ways, but both are interested in how we connect to one another and how individual experiences become something collective. Together, these works showcase the remarkable versatility of our dancers and invite audiences to reflect on connection, transformation and our shared humanity.'

CREDITS

Emergence

Choreography: Crystal Pite

Set Design: Jay Gower Taylor

Costume Design: Linda Chow

Composer: Owen Belton

Lighting Design: Alan Brodie

Stagers: Eric Beauchesne & Anna Herrmann

Entress

Choreography: Julia Cheng

Set & Costume Design: Yann Seabra

Composer: Isobel Waller-Bridge

Lighting Design: Lee Curran

Artistic Associate & Guest Percussionist: Beibei Wang

Associate Choreographer: Laura Braid

Story Consultant: Nick Drake

TOUR DATES

Theatre Royal, Glasgow: 10–12 September 2026

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen: 25–26 September 2026

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh: 1–3 October 2026

Running time: Approximately 90 minutes including one 20-minute interval.

ABOUT SCOTTISH BALLET

• Scottish Ballet, founded in 1969, is Scotland's national dance company.
• Based in Glasgow, the company performs regularly across Scotland, throughout the UK and internationally – promoting Scotland's pioneering spirit far and wide.
• Under CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson CBE, Scottish Ballet presents bold, adventurous performances rooted in strong classical technique, accompanied by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
• The company's broad repertoire includes new versions of the classics and ground-breaking commissions for stage and screen.
• Scottish Ballet runs an extensive engagement programme, tailored to the needs of diverse communities, promoting confidence, fostering wellbeing and encouraging creativity through dance.
• Scottish Ballet is funded by the Scottish Government.

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