Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty

4 September 2026

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Home / Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty – coming to a screen near you…

The Sleeping Beauty is widely recognised as one of the most technically demanding works in the classical ballet repertoire, and this October, UK audiences will have the chance to experience it on the big screen.

Earlier this year, English National Ballet staged Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s production of the fairytale ballet at the Royal Albert Hall. Celebrated for its precision, musicality and beauty, we are now bringing the production in cinemas across the UK from 13 October 2026.

The new film captures the grandeur and scale of the Royal Albert Hall, while bringing you closer to the details of this lavish production. Expertly captured by Ad Lib Productions, and directed by the renowned Ross MacGibbon, viewers can enjoy the fiendishly difficult choreography classical mime, spectacular costumes and captivating story from new angles. – Deborah MacMillan, Custodian to Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet

Close-up of a camera filming the Royal Albert Hall stage, with red seats and blurred lights in the background. The camera display shows the stage and part of the auditorium.

It’s such a collaborative environment, everyone pulling together to get the best possible recording, and that applies not just to the super-skilled technical crew. There’s always a nice moment before we begin where we remind everyone that the camera sees absolutely everything where even the smallest eye movements will be picked up. It certainly adds to the pressure, but the rewards are great. – Dominic Best, Screen Producer, Ad Lib Productions

Two ballet dancers perform a duet on stage, with the male dancer lifting his partner. In the background, people in elaborate costumes sit and watch.

For me, it was less about changing the technical aspects of the dancing. With the cameras there, it became more about allowing the emotion and character to be seen in a more intimate way. – Anna Nevzorova, Aurora

Rich choreography and lavish costumes – designed by the legendary Nicholas Georgiadis – transport audiences to a fairy tale world. Follow the story of Aurora’s christening in the grand hall of the palace, to her jubilant wedding celebrations, as the bewitching story is brought to life before your eyes.

A large group of ballet dancers perform on stage, with some kneeling, some standing, and one ballerina lifted high, while an audience watches in the background.

Captured live at the Royal Albert Hall, audiences can soak up Tchaikovsky’s evocative score, played by the wonderful English National Ballet Philharmonic.

The splendour of the hall elevates the dancing and especially the glorious music played by ENB’s Philharmonic orchestra. Even if you have seen this production before, you probably have never heard the show like this before – All That Dazzles, 4* review

Our latest cinema screenings continue English National Ballet’s groundbreaking work on stage and screen, sharing the joy of ballet with audiences across the UK and around the world.

Dancer in dark costume with a high collar stands partly behind a backstage door, looking toward the camera in a dramatic black and white scene.

We are proud to be bringing The Sleeping Beauty to UK cinemas this October. This event cinema moment continues the rise and rise of performing arts on screen. I can’t wait to see audiences come together to watch one of the world’s greatest and most creative dance companies on the big screen. – Kips Davenport, Founder of film distributors Cinematik