About the work
"So Are We: León and Lightfoot" is a double bill by the choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, who made their choreographic debut with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in London from 11 to 20 June 2026. From 2002 to 2020 León and Lightfoot were house choreographers of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), where they created more than fifty works; their distinctive, highly emotional and physically virtuosic movement language shaped the NDT for two decades. The evening pairs a celebrated repertoire piece with a premiere made especially for The Royal Ballet.
Plot
The evening brings together two works. "Shoot the Moon", first danced by NDT in 2006 and shown in 2026 to mark its twentieth anniversary, is choreographed to Philip Glass's "Tirol Concerto" and explores human relationships and the solitude within them; it ranks among the duo's best-known pieces. "Salle de danse" originated as a dance film made by Lightfoot during the Covid-19 pandemic and is now newly created as a stage premiere for The Royal Ballet, drawing inspiration from the intimacy and ritual of the daily ballet class. Both works combine virtuosic partnering with a strong emotional, almost cinematic imagery.
Cultural significance
León and Lightfoot are among the most influential creators of contemporary ballet; their work shaped the international profile of NDT as one of the world's leading dance companies. The Royal Ballet devoting a full evening to them and premiering "Salle de danse" marks a late but significant encounter between the duo and the tradition-rich London company. "Shoot the Moon" likewise stands for the wide international dissemination of their repertoire beyond NDT.