Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition Tickets
The final of a ballet competition that has been running since 1931, danced on the biggest stage in the West End. One night only: Sunday 8 November 2026, from 6pm.
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What It Is
A competition final, not a production. Young dancers from around the world perform in front of a judging panel, and medals are awarded on the night. The evening is a run of solos and duets rather than a single work with a story.
It is run by the Royal Academy of Dance, and the dancers are trained in the RAD's own syllabus, so this is the top of that system rather than an open competition.
The competition dates to 1931, when it was the Adeline Genée Gold Medal and then, for decades, simply "the Genée". It was renamed in 2019, for what would have been Margot Fonteyn's hundredth birthday. She was the Royal Academy of Dance's president for thirty years.
Who It Is For
People who follow ballet closely, and who want to see dancers at the start of careers rather than in the middle of them.
People who like a competition. The panel is sitting out front, the medals are decided that night, and everyone on stage knows it. That is a different atmosphere from a normal performance and it is the reason to come.
Anyone who follows ballet and wants a cheap night at the Coliseum. Tickets start at £18.75, which is well below what a full-length ballet on this stage costs.
Less good for a first ballet. If you want a story and an orchestra, English National Ballet's Romeo & Juliet is at this theatre in January. If you want established stars, the Ballet Icons Gala is here in February.
Who Has Won It Before
A medal here has a habit of turning up on a biography later. Among the dancers who won one:
| Dancer | Note |
|---|---|
| Steven McRae | Gold in 2002, now a principal at the Royal Ballet |
| Francesca Hayward | Medallist before the Royal Ballet |
| Xander Parish | Medallist before the Mariinsky |
| Céline Gittens | Medallist before Birmingham Royal Ballet |
| Stella Abrera, Frances Chung, Alex Wong, Nicole Ciapponi | All medalled here early |
Nobody watching on 8 November knows which of the dancers on stage joins that list, and neither does the panel.
Who Has Won It Recently
| Year | Gold medal | Where the final was held |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Samantha Maestre Cortez, 18, Brazil | São Paulo |
| 2024 | Antonia Maria Cramb, 18, Scotland | His Majesty's Theatre, London |
| 2023 | Jakob Wheway Hughes, 16, Britain | London |
Note the venue column. The competition moves: last year's final was in Brazil and the year before was at a different London theatre. It is not an annual Coliseum fixture, so a year it lands here is worth taking.
What the Finalists Actually Dance
Three things, not one.
A classical repertoire variation, the sort of solo you would see in a full-length ballet.
Their "Dancer's Own", a solo choreographed by the dancer, their teacher or a friend, to music they picked themselves. This is the part you will not see anywhere else.
A variation commissioned for that year's competition, newly made and never danced before.
Accompaniment is live piano, not an orchestra. If you have been to opera or ballet here before, don't expect a full pit.
There are also guest performances by professional dancers in the final, so it is not solely competitors.
What Happens in the Week Around It
The final is the last night of a week that starts on Sunday 1 November.
| Dates | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 November | Classes and coaching | Royal Academy of Dance |
| 4 to 6 November | Semi-finals | Royal Academy of Dance |
| 8 November | The final | London Coliseum |
The semi-finals are open to the public and ticketed separately, through the Royal Academy of Dance rather than through the theatre. If you want to see how the field narrows, that is where it happens.
Practical
Sunday 8 November 2026, from 6pm. One performance. No running time is published, and competition finals routinely run longer than expected, so leave the evening open rather than booking a table for a fixed time.
Tickets from £18.75.
Book Your Tickets
One night, one performance, and no second chance. There is no matinee and nothing to move to.
We sell with all-in pricing, so the price you see is the price you pay. Call 020 7193 9050.
FAQs
Not published. Finals tend to overrun, so do not plan tightly around the end.
Not known yet, and it cannot be. The finalists are only decided at the semi-finals, which end on 6 November, two days before.
No. It is a competition final: solos and duets performed for a judging panel, with medals awarded at the end.
No. Classical repertoire is accompanied by live piano.
A panel of major figures from the ballet world. Recent panels have included Kevin O'Hare, the Director of The Royal Ballet, Dame Darcey Bussell, Alessandra Ferri, Paloma Herrera and Julio Bocca.
The Genée Gold Medal, which carries £5,000. There are smaller awards for audience choice and musicality.
The Royal Academy of Dance. It was called the Genée International Ballet Competition until 2019.
Yes. The semi-finals run 4 to 6 November at the Royal Academy of Dance and are ticketed separately by them, not by the theatre.
Better than most things on this stage. The performers are close to a young dancer's own age and the pieces are short. No age guidance has been set, and the late start and unpredictable finish are the things to weigh.
Yes, considerably. Tickets start at £18.75.
No, close to the opposite. The Fonteyn is young dancers competing for medals. The Ballet Icons Gala, in February, is established principals from major international companies with nothing at stake.
Higher than for a play. Dance reads better from above, and there is nothing to read on this bill. See our London Coliseum guide.
Where to Sit
Higher than for a play. Dance always looks better from above, so the front block of the Dress Circle beats the front Stalls.
The Balcony works well and costs least, because there is nothing to read on this bill and nothing you need to be close for.
The circles here wrap round the Stalls rather than hanging over them, which is why the end seats sit nearer the stage than the middle ones and still cost less.
No lift to the Upper Circle.
Seating plan
Dates & tickets
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The London Coliseum
St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4ES, three minutes from Charing Cross and Leicester Square. Around 2,380 seats over four levels, the largest theatre in the West End. Buses 24, 29 and 176 run along Charing Cross Road and stop a couple of minutes away. Full detail in our London Coliseum guide.
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before, no later. It is a Sunday 6pm start, which is earlier than most evenings at this address and the thing people get wrong.
Address
St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES
Nearest Tube
Leicester Square and Charing Cross
The Competitors
There is no cast list in advance, and there cannot be one: the field is not settled until the semi-finals earlier that week. Judging is by a panel, with medals and awards decided on the night itself.
New for 2026: a new partnership with the Frederick Ashton Foundation brings Ashton's choreography into the competition, so the dancers are working on repertoire from the choreographer most closely associated with Fonteyn herself.
About This Event
A one-night competition final, held annually. There are no production reviews, because there is no production.
The competition began in 1931 as the Adeline Genée Gold Medal, ran as the Genée International Ballet Competition for decades, and took Margot Fonteyn's name in 2019 to mark her centenary.
The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, Final
London Coliseum