A group of dancers stand in formation in a dance studio, holding a pose with arms bent and legs bent, focused and poised.

5 things to look out for in Bow Out

English National Ballet rehearse Micaela Taylor's Bow Out for Rhythm Riot 2026. Image by Isabella Turolla.

19 August 2026

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Bow Out, choreographed by LA-based Micaela Taylor, will premiere at Rhythm Riot, a triple bill that will have you dancing in your seat. Fresh, bold, and full of infectious energy - here are 5 things to watch out for in the piece.

1. Hip-hop meets ballet movement fusion

Keep an eye out for Micaela Taylor’s signature choreographic language. Born and raised in LA, Taylor blends commercial hip-hop and jazz (isolations, groove and articulation) with classical ballet technique (shape, line and core strength). This reflects Taylor’s dance journey, having started out as a commercial dancer, training in hip hop and jazz before moving into more classical forms of dance.

With Bow Out I wanted to stay authentically myself but also feed off the ballet dancers and their classical training.  – Micaela Taylor, Choreographer

Watch how our company dancers break out of traditional ballet posture into fluid, rhythmic grooves without losing their precision.

2. An homage to the 1943 Nicholas Brothers Jumpin’ Jive

Bow Out takes direct inspiration from the legendary tap duet performed by Fayard and Harold Nicholas in the 1943 film Stormy Weather (hailed by Fred Astaire as the greatest dance scene in cinema history). 

What struck Taylor most was the context: two young Black men performing in an era of deep racism, in front of audiences that looked nothing like them. Their confidence and boldness, expressed entirely through creativity, left a lasting impression on her.

That same contrast – explosive energy paired with real sophistication and poise – became the foundation for Bow Out, as Micaela set out to marry that electric energy with the technical precision and grace of the ballet dancers she is working with.

Watch for how the choreography translates the dancer’s athletic energy, charismatic boldness, and poise into a contemporary ensemble piece.

3. Streamlined silhouettes and eliminated buttons

Bow Out marks designer Candice Mac and Taylor’s third collaboration together. The process of designing costumes began, with a conversation about the Nicholas brothers, after which Mac naturally turned her attention to the 1940s tuxedos.

Inspired but wanting to create something that showcases the movement and silhouette of the dancers, the costumes for Bow Out feature a more modern, slim-cut trouser and streamlined tailcoat – deliberately narrowed so the audience can clearly see the speed, precision and line of the dancers’ legwork, without heavy, traditional suit fabrics obscuring their movement.

Adapting that 1940s Hollywood glamour for athletic contemporary ballet also required some practical costume hacks: traditional tailcoats feature buttons on the centre-back, originally designed to button up the coat tails, but Mac removed these entirely, since they sat directly where male dancers place their thumbs during lifts.

No matter what we do, as designers and creatives, we’re subconsciously putting our own style and aesthetic into even the most traditional silhouettes. – Candice Mac, Designer

4. Cinematic staircase formations and arches

Pay close attention to how Taylor utilises the elevated twin staircases, inspired by Golden Age Hollywood cinema like Singin’ in the Rain and classic Follies numbers.

Rather than building two staircases entirely from scratch Mac repurposed existing stage rostra from English National Ballet’s inventory. The stock platforms are dressed with custom Art Deco cornices and arches to create a sleek Golden Age Hollywood aesthetic with a much smaller environmental footprint.

The benefit of using what we already have outweighs any kind of aesthetic choice for me on that level. – Candice Mac, Designer

Framing the top of the stage is a flown border of three grand arches, also featuring classic Hollywood cornices. The visual environment leans heavily on the geometric symmetry of the 1920s and 30s Art Deco movement – clean lines, archways, and high-contrast lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yu, all work together to complement the ensemble’s unison movement.

In a dance studio with a female dancer performing a high parallel développé and male partner holding her ankle.

5. A dynamic pairing of strings and jazz

Pairing classical strings with jazz cymbals, horns, and drums, composer Tru creates a score designed to vibrate through the theatre.

I grew up listening to everything from rap, rock and reggae to jazz, gospel and classical music, and I never really saw them as separate spaces,” he says. “For this score, I wasn’t interested in directly quoting any one genre. I tried to bring the energy, rhythm and spirit of those traditions into the music. There are moments that borrow from classical and contemporary composition, and others that lean into the improvisational feeling of jazz and experimental noise, but everything is filtered through an orchestral language. – Tru, Composer

Keep an ear out for a score, played live by English National Ballet Philharmonic, that refuses to sit in one genre – classical strings, jazz horns and drums, all filtered through one orchestral language. 

 

We’re performing Bow Out as part of Rhythm Riot at Sadlers Wells, 24 Sept – 3 Oct. This work will be performed alongside Jae Man Joo’s world premiere of Auguries of Innocence and George Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements. Book your tickets.