sports
Toe-to-toe boxers, a moving maze and comedy flamenco: Edinburgh festival 2026’s hottest dance and circus
This year brings world-renowned choreographers, ballet cabaret and fluffy clowns for toddlers
TL;DR
- San Francisco Ballet presents 'Mere Mortals,' an AI-themed retelling of Pandora's box myth.
- Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's 'Ihsane' explores Moroccan roots and themes of grief and hope.
- Danish company Himherandit offers 'Good Enough?', a physical theatre piece about queer joy and vulnerability.
- Taiwanese choreographer Lai Yun-Chi's 'Under Mask' draws on family history and uses steampunk masks.
- Ballet Nights offers a gala-style format with classical and contemporary ballet, and live music.
- The Palestinian Circus presents 'Step and a Half,' inspired by Palestinian folk dance.
- Spain's 'Flamenc Oh!!' is a comedic, yet respectful, tribute to flamenco.
- Piet Van Dycke's 'Exit' features a dynamic circus performance within a maze-like set.
- Marc Brew's 'Boys Don't Dance' is an autobiographical work reflecting on childhood and societal responses to dance.
- New York choreographer Marisa F Ballaro debuts 'Twelve: Going the Distance,' set in a boxing ring.
- Les Foutoukours presents 'Glob,' a whimsical circus show for young audiences with fluffy creatures.
- Riley Fitzgerald's 'Everybody's Got a Bomb' is inspired by the chaos of Woodstock 99.