Georgina Butler

Writing. Dancing.
Georgina Butler photographed outside in a tranquil garden, during a classical ballet photo shoot. She is sideways on to the viewer, in a kneeling swan pose, with an arched back and her gaze directed up to the sky.

NEWS: Join ‘Barnum’ the circus musical – Milton Keynes Theatre, September 2026

 

Step right up and dream big when Barnum, the circus musical, brings sights and sounds to marvel at to Milton Keynes Theatre this month.

Revived for its first UK tour in over a decade, this colourful production is inspired by the life and legend of Phineas Taylor (PT) Barnum. That’s right, the real-life nineteenth-century American impresario whose experiences sparked 2017 film, The Greatest Showman. Long before Hugh Jackman brought Barnum to the big screen, the all-singing, all-juggling stage show was celebrating the entertainer whose ambition knew no limits.

The musical follows Barnum’s rise from small-town dreamer to global showman, with his devoted wife Charity by his side. Reimagined for a new generation, this fresh production promises music, magic and miracles.

 

Barnum, the circus musical. A circus troupe in colourful costumes perform on stage under a sign that spells out ‘BARNUM’ in lights. Acrobats hang overhead and a ringmaster poses, with his arms raised triumphantly, centre stage.

 

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'Dance Writer' illustration for Georgina Butler by Ballet Papier artist Berenice. An illustration of Georgina dressed in a purple tutu outfit, in prone position with her chin propped up in her left hand, a pen in her right hand and her feet crossed mid-air behind her. There are sheets of paper laid out in front of her and she is writing on one of these sheets of paper.

Bio

An editor, a dance writer and a ballet teacher

REVIEW: ‘Royal Ballet School Summer Performance’ – Royal Ballet and Opera, July 2026

 

The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance 2026 celebrated past, present and future with a special centenary programme of heritage ballets and new creations, danced by outstanding students.

Showcasing end-of-term excellence, the Royal Ballet School’s annual matinee on the revered main stage of the Royal Opera House, accompanied by the orchestra, is always a highly anticipated event. It is a privilege to watch the next generation of ballet stars step into the spotlight in such a glorious venue. This year, the performance also offered an opportunity to reflect on the evolution and impact of the school, as it marks 100 years of nurturing exceptional dance talent.

As one of the most sought-after ballet schools in the world, the Royal Ballet School provides full-time training for students aged eleven to nineteen. The school operates across two London campuses. The younger students (aged eleven to sixteen) train and board at the historic White Lodge in Richmond Park. The older students (aged sixteen to nineteen) attend Upper School, which is located opposite the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden – these two buildings are linked by the Bridge of Aspiration, an elegant pedestrian footbridge, suspended high above the street, that allows easy access between the school and the world-famous home of the Royal Ballet company.

From their earliest years at the school, students aspire to become exceptional dancers. The elite training they receive strives to not only support them in achieving this goal but also help them blossom as creative artists who will shape the future of the art form. The school was established, in 1926, as the Academy of Choreographic Art. From the beginning, Dame Ninette de Valois (1898–2001), its visionary founder, championed creativity and continuous learning. A century later, choreography and a pioneering spirit towards pedagogy, performance and professional development remain at the heart of the school’s approach.

This year’s summer performance rounds off Iain Mackay’s second academic year as artistic director of the Royal Ballet School. Mackay, who was educated at the upper school and reached the rank of principal dancer at Birmingham Royal Ballet, gave an impassioned speech that emphasised his pride to be leading the school into its next 100 years. Noting both the bravery that the students possess to pursue a dream and the value that those who believe in the school’s mission bring to the institution, he attributed the greatness of the Royal Ballet School to every single person who has ever given it something.

The sense of reverence, influence and brilliance was embodied in this year’s mixed repertoire. The programme featured an eternal classic, a rarely performed revival, five new creations (four choreographed by alumni of the school, one choreographed by a returning collaborator) and a restaging of a charming staple (also choreographed by an alumnus of the school). It demonstrated a variety of dancing styles and was positively brimming with talent.

 

Royal Ballet School Summer Performance 2026. Pre-professional year students Ivan Malaguti and Sophie Schulten in Swan Lake Act III by Peter Wright.

 

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Illustration of a laptop, books and a vase of flowers, on a purple background. Illustration by Gaia Leandri.

Editor

A qualified, trained and experienced journalist, writer and editor

REVIEW: Matthew Bourne’s ‘The Car Man’ – Milton Keynes Theatre, July 2026

 

Temperatures are sizzling inside Milton Keynes Theatre this week courtesy of Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man – a slick, steamy, sexy dance thriller.

This intoxicating production is Georges Bizet’s Carmen reignited in Bourne’s signature dance–theatre style. Inspired by the spirit of seduction and bohemian lifestyle portrayed in the opera, it retains the elements of sexual jealousy and crime passionnel. However, the plot is radically reworked and the smouldering shenanigans are relocated from the familiar cigarette factory in nineteenth-century Spain to a greasy garage-diner in late-1950s America.

The supercharged storytelling begins as theatregoers enter the auditorium. The cast, in character as residents of the mid-western Italian American town of Harmony, are starting to go about their business onstage. Soon, mechanics are tinkering with clapped-out cars at the dusty garage. Patrons are sipping ice-cold beers, smoking cigarettes and eyeing up more than the specials board at the neon-lit diner. Tools grind and silverware clinks. A revving car engine roars. A billboard welcomes us to Harmony, reminding us to drive safely. And a handsome stranger saunters into view, immediately captivating cast and audience members alike with his magnetic gaze.

Despite its pleasant name, a heady mix of sweat, motor oil and lust has a stifling hold over this town. Hidden desires and interpersonal tensions simmer restlessly – everyone wants something that seems just out of reach. The arrival of a dangerously charismatic drifter is, unsurprisingly, disruptive. Things suddenly start hotting up in Harmony…

 

New Adventures dancer Will Bozier as Luca in Matthew Bourne's The Car Man. A male dancer mid-jump in a vibrant urban setting that features a retro garage and diner.

 

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'Dance Teacher' illustration for Georgina Butler by Ballet Papier artist Berenice. An illustration of Georgina dressed in a black leotard and purple ballet skirt, with a graduate's mortarboard hat on her head. She is holding a notebook in her left hand. In her right hand she is holding an old-fashioned bamboo cane (historically used by ballet teachers to demonstrate verticality and correct placement to students).

Ballet Teacher

A first class honours graduate and registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance

(BA (Hons), RAD RTS)

REVIEW: London Children’s Ballet’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ – Peacock Theatre, July 2026

 

Let your imagination take flight and heed this pinky promise: London Children’s Ballet’s riveting revival of Anne of Green Gables is unquestionably West End worthy.

Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery’s red-headed hurricane of a character was first introduced to readers in 1908, but everything about Anne Shirley’s antics – the ups and downs as she disturbs the steady rhythm of humdrum rural life by dancing to the beat of her own drum – is truly timeless. Anne (with an ‘e’) is an eleven-year-old orphan who arrives in the tight-knit community of Avonlea expecting to be adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, two middle-aged siblings. Unfortunately, they were expecting a strong-bodied boy to help on their farm, Green Gables, not a strong-willed slip of a girl.

Intelligent and imaginative, yet starved of love, Anne captivates the Cuthberts with her radical optimism and steadfast refusal to believe that life should be anything but extraordinary. She opens up about the trauma she has experienced and, overcome by compassion, they decide to keep her. Anne is a resilient dreamer, a fierce protector, a wild spirit. She has integrity and her heart is in the right place, but she makes mistakes. Still, she transforms every disappointment into an adventure.

Anne brings wonder into the lives of those around her. Her idiosyncratic and infectious perspective means she pioneers a rebellion against a world that is determined to drain the magic out of everything. This is what creatives – artists, writers, musicians, actors, singers, dancers – strive to do. They notice details that others rush past, maintain a sense of awe, play with ideas, change how we look at things. They remind us of our humanity by reassuring us that we can thrive as our authentic selves.

Given the right environment and the opportunity to spread their wings, children are capable of far more than grown-ups often give them credit for. London Children’s Ballet proves this every time its cohorts of youngsters take to the stage at London’s Peacock Theatre, leaving the dancers’ committed families and friends, the wider theatregoing public, high-profile patrons and reviewers beyond impressed. Anne of Green Gables, tweaked with fresh choreography since its first outing in 2022, perfectly demonstrates that this remarkable company takes creativity and the beauty of finding a home – not just reaching a geographic destination, but claiming a space to connect with kindred spirits – seriously.

 

“And people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven’t you?”

Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

 

London Children's Ballet dancers Berta Lesmes, Amelie French and Illia Bondarenko as Diana Barry, Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables.

 

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NEWS: Fasten your seatbelt for Matthew Bourne’s ‘The Car Man’ – Milton Keynes Theatre, July 2026

 

Buckle up, Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man is set to seduce audiences at Milton Keynes Theatre this month.

Gritty, witty and definitely the most adults-only of all Bourne’s shows, The Car Man is loosely based on Georges Bizet’s ever-popular opera, Carmen. The elements of lust, betrayal, revenge and murder remain, but the narrative is reimagined and the action is relocated from the familiar cigarette factory in nineteenth-century Spain to a greasy garage-diner in 1950s America.

Danced by Bourne’s New Adventures company, this is a steamy dance–theatre thriller that promises to ignite your senses and leave you breathless.

 

New Adventures dancers in Matthew Bourne's The Car Man. Dancers perform dynamic partnering moves in a vibrant urban setting that features a retro garage and diner.

 

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