FREDDIE: BREAK FREE Will Premiere at the Ordway This April

The beloved Queen anthem “Don't Stop Me Now” has been a constant refrain for director and choreographer Zoé Henrot and her ballet company, Ballet Co.Laboratory. For nearly a decade, it has underscored a dream that finally takes center stage this spring. On April 10 – 12, 2026, the nonprofit will present the world premiere of Freddie: Break Free at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts—a groundbreaking rock ballet exploring the life of rock'n'roll's most iconic showman, Freddie Mercury.

“This will not be your typical night at the ballet,” says choreographer Zoé Henrot. “We are creating an electrifying experience – not just a ballet set to rock music. Featuring live music by Queen tribute band The Crown Jewels onstage alongside the professional dancers of Ballet Co.Laboratory, Freddie: Break Free is a full-throttle celebration of artistry and identity.” The ballet explores not only Mercury's rise to fame, but also illuminates his private life, including his identity as queer at a time when living openly carried profound personal and professional risk.

The journey to this premiere began almost ten years ago. Before Rachel Koep became Managing Director of Ballet Co.Laboratory, she was listening to Queen when inspiration struck: “Queen's music chronicles the many layers of Freddie's life,” she recalls. “In that moment, I thought, this is a ballet for a new generation, and I knew Zoé [Henrot] was the artist who should bring it to life.”

For Zoé, the connection to Freddie's story is deeply personal. As a queer female ballet dancer and director who consistently challenges society's expectations of what a ballet dancer should “look like” or what stories ballet “should tell,” she sees Freddie as a kindred spirit. Both artists built their careers not by conforming, but by creating boldly and unapologetically on their own terms.

While Mercury shook the world of music, he also profoundly impacted the lives of the queer community and those living with HIV/AIDS. This production honors Freddie Mercury not only as a musical icon, but as a man whose battle with AIDS helped humanize a deeply stigmatized disease—and whose advocacy and financial contributions advanced HIV/AIDS research in the years leading up to his death.

To further honor Freddie's AIDS advocacy, Ballet Co.Laboratory has partnered with Aliveness Project, a local nonprofit supporting individuals living with and at risk for HIV. Aliveness Project will host an educational booth in the lobby during performances, and community members living with HIV will appear in supporting roles within the production. This collaboration will amplify the ongoing efforts in the Twin Cities to expand HIV education and reduce stigma.

“I hope Freddie: Break Free inspires audiences to see the humanity within every person,” Zoé shares. “Everyone has a story. Each of us carries identities and passions that can only be truly understood, respected, and celebrated when we take the time to know one another. As Freddie said, ‘Someone will always be prettier. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be younger. But they will never be you.'”