Scottish Ballet Emergence Festival Theatre Edinburgh 1st October 2026 Review
Scottish Ballet "Emergence" by choreographer Crystal Pite is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh for a short run this week (Thu 01 to Sat 03 October). Also performed is "Entress" by choreographer Julia Cheng. Although very different in content, both works highlight Scottish Ballet's ongoing focus on performing works by women choreographers and creatives.
Although "Emergence" was the second work performed tonight, it makes sense to start this review with it as it is not only the headline one, but also by one of the most in demand choreographers across the world, Canadian born choreographer Crystal Pite. "Emergence" was originally by National Ballet of Canada in 2009 and this is its first return to Scotland in 10 years (EIF 2016).
Over the years, Emergence", with its fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance languages, has lost none of its uniqueness and power. Like the swarming, almost insect-like hive intelligence of the swarm on stage, "Emergence" is also changing and developing, this time to reflect the identities of the new dancers both individually and collectively.
"Emergence" takes its audience into a twilight world where boundaries of individual and collective consciousness are constantly blurring lines, at times battling with one another. Music by composer Owen Belton also adds to this, at times, strange and almost hive like world of this work.
Opening tonight's programme of dance was "Entress" by choreographer Julia Cheng. Entress is an old Scots word meaning entrance, or the right to enter a place. Its original meaning refers to "payment due by a tenant for the right of entry to land or property" (thank you Wikipedia), but here it is used at a far more personal level.
In this work, Julia Cheng draws upon mythology and ritual, looking also at how people deal with the current world that we live in and the ceaseless bombardment of information around us all. Underlying themes of "Entress" are transformation and renewal.
The central figure, protagonist in this work, is Kayla-Maree Tarantolo, and this is an intense and physically demanding role for any dancer, but one that Kayla-Maree performs with style and grace. Her role, like the other dancers on-stage, is one that also challenges the very body language of someone trained in classical ballet. Here, like "Emergence", there is a fusion of styles and movements. As always though, the dancers of Scottish Ballet show with ease how they can adapt to any language of dance.
"Entress" also has a fine original score by composer Isobel Waller-Bridge, and tonight that score was performed live by percussionist Beibei Wang and members of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Conductor was Yi Wei.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Although "Emergence" was the second work performed tonight, it makes sense to start this review with it as it is not only the headline one, but also by one of the most in demand choreographers across the world, Canadian born choreographer Crystal Pite. "Emergence" was originally by National Ballet of Canada in 2009 and this is its first return to Scotland in 10 years (EIF 2016).
Over the years, Emergence", with its fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance languages, has lost none of its uniqueness and power. Like the swarming, almost insect-like hive intelligence of the swarm on stage, "Emergence" is also changing and developing, this time to reflect the identities of the new dancers both individually and collectively.
"Emergence" takes its audience into a twilight world where boundaries of individual and collective consciousness are constantly blurring lines, at times battling with one another. Music by composer Owen Belton also adds to this, at times, strange and almost hive like world of this work.
Opening tonight's programme of dance was "Entress" by choreographer Julia Cheng. Entress is an old Scots word meaning entrance, or the right to enter a place. Its original meaning refers to "payment due by a tenant for the right of entry to land or property" (thank you Wikipedia), but here it is used at a far more personal level.
In this work, Julia Cheng draws upon mythology and ritual, looking also at how people deal with the current world that we live in and the ceaseless bombardment of information around us all. Underlying themes of "Entress" are transformation and renewal.
The central figure, protagonist in this work, is Kayla-Maree Tarantolo, and this is an intense and physically demanding role for any dancer, but one that Kayla-Maree performs with style and grace. Her role, like the other dancers on-stage, is one that also challenges the very body language of someone trained in classical ballet. Here, like "Emergence", there is a fusion of styles and movements. As always though, the dancers of Scottish Ballet show with ease how they can adapt to any language of dance.
"Entress" also has a fine original score by composer Isobel Waller-Bridge, and tonight that score was performed live by percussionist Beibei Wang and members of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Conductor was Yi Wei.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com