Ncuti Gatwa takes centre stage in The Big Ballet, a national dance event for UK Schools
By Emine Omer, Senior Communications Officer – Corporate Affairs
Tuesday 22 September 2026
The Royal Ballet and Opera announces that acclaimed actor Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Netflix’s Sex Education, National Theatre’s The Importance of Being Earnest), will be playing a pivotal role in the organisation’s new national dance event for UK primary schools: The Big Ballet.
About The Big Ballet
The Big Ballet is a new, free, annual event livestreamed from the Royal Opera House, bringing children aged seven to eleven across the UK together to celebrate storytelling through dance. The first event, on 25 February 2027, will explore Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows and aims to break the record for the world's largest dance class across multiple venues, currently held at 26,797 participants. In total, The Big Ballet will aim to reach 70,000 pupils across two sessions.
Pupils will create their own choreography alongside Royal Ballet dancers and dance together with accompaniment from the award-winning Chroma Ensemble, conducted by West End Musical Director Andy Massey. Through the livestream, children will see classrooms from across the country taking part in real time, creating a shared national experience.
Gatwa will narrate the story in a specially adapted version of the Olivier Award-winning The Wind in the Willows ballet, performing text written by former Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho. Royal Ballet dancers Tristan-Ian Massa, Rebecca Myles Stewart, Harris Bell and Thomas Whitehead will play Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger respectively.
The event coincides with the 25th anniversary of The Wind in the Willows ballet, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2002. Original choreographer and Director, Will Tuckett, will serve as Creative Director for The Big Ballet.
Find out more about The Big Ballet
For more details about The Big Ballet and how to get involved, visit the webpage here. A short video about The Big Ballet is also available to watch below.
