The best dance and ballet shows in October 2025

Taking place across The Place, Sadler’s Wells, the Barbican and more, the massive annual contemporary dance festival returns to London this October, bringing groundbreaking artists from Colombia, Taiwan, Cyprus, Spain and Brazil. Sadler’s Wells East will stage Bogotá by Andrea Peña & Artists, an intense choreography inspired by Colombia’s political and spiritual heritage; see a bold flamenco duet at Change Tempo at the Barbican Pit; and a day takeover of Brixton House will see DJ sets, workshops led by Jamaal Burkmar and Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy as well as in queer salsa. Plus much more across the month. 

Christopher Wheeldon’s vibrant Like Water for Chocolate, inspired by the magical realist Mexican novel by Laura Esquivel of the same name, will be revived for the first time this October. Telling a passionate tale of forbidden love, family and cooking, life on the Mexican ranch is brought to life through Wheeldon’s direction, Joby Talbot’s score and Bob Crowley’s designs. 

George Balanchine, Martha Graham, William Forsythe and David Dawson. English National Ballet will pay tribute to these innovators of ballet, modern and contemporary dance in this quadruple bill of works. The music for three of the works – by Tchaikovsky, Menotti and R Strauss – will be performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic, with Madeleine Pierard singing Strauss’s masterwork

Returning to Sadler’s Wells, renowned choreographer Hofesh Shechter explores fantasy, dreams and the subconscious in this intense full-length work that first premiered in October 2024, accompanied by live musicians and Shechter’s trademark cinematic sound-score. 

Inspired by Anne Carson’s 1992 essay ‘The Gender of Sound’, acclaimed Belgian choreographer Jan Marten created Voice Noise to explore how patriarchal culture has silenced womens voices. Inspired by pop music, Martens uses glorious choreography to create a alternative canon, and illuminate some of the great women performers and composers of our time.