Three artists from The Royal Ballet will take to the stage at the London Coliseum for the final of the 2026 Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition.
Principals Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov will perform a pas de deux, while newly promoted Soloist Marianna Tsembenhoi will appear in a solo. The repertoire for their performances has not yet been announced.
Kaneko and Muntagirov are two of The Royal Ballet’s leading classical artists. Kaneko joined the company during its 2010–11 season and was promoted to Principal in 2021. Her repertoire includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Manon, Giselle, Cinderella, Kitri in Don Quixote and the title role in The Sleeping Beauty. Before joining The Royal Ballet, she won gold at the 2008 Varna International Ballet Competition and silver medals at competitions in Moscow and the United States.
Muntagirov joined The Royal Ballet as a Principal in 2014, following a rapid rise through the ranks of English National Ballet. His extensive classical repertoire includes Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Des Grieux in Manon. He is a two-time recipient of the Benois de la Danse and has been named Best Male Dancer three times at the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards.
The younger artist of the trio, Tsembenhoi graduated into The Royal Ballet during the 2020–21 season and was promoted to Soloist in 2026. Her appearance has an apt connection to another feature of this year’s competition: on graduating from The Royal Ballet School, she received the Ashton Award for her style, personality and technique in the ballets of Frederick Ashton.
Tsembenhoi’s Royal Ballet repertoire already includes Clara in The Nutcracker and roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Mayerling, Woolf Works and The Winter’s Tale. She has also created roles in works by Wayne McGregor, Mthuthuzeli November and Joseph Toonga.
“The presence of these exceptional artists in The Fonteyn final not only enriches the experience for our audience but also creates an unforgettable learning opportunity for our finalists,” said Royal Academy of Dance Artistic Director Alexander Campbell. “Sharing the stage with established international stars will give these young dancers invaluable inspiration as they take an important step in their careers.”
More than 80 dancers from over 20 countries will take part in this year’s competition, including seven candidates from Australia:
- Grace Cruwys, Queensland
- Siena Leishman, Queensland
- Lydia Sutton, Tasmania
- Olivia Van der Linden, New South Wales
- Kiara Waring, New South Wales
- Sarah Wheatley, New South Wales
- Eboni Wilson, Queensland
The candidates, aged between 15 and 19, will begin classes and individual coaching at the RAD’s London headquarters on 1 November. The semi-finals will be held at the Aud Jebsen Studio Theatre from 4 to 6 November, with dancers performing a classical repertoire solo and a self-choreographed Dancer’s Own variation.
This year, the RAD has also formed a new collaboration with the Frederick Ashton Foundation. Every candidate will learn an Ashton variation with the assistance of exclusive coaching footage featuring an Ashton répétiteur, alongside resources exploring the choreographer’s work and distinctive style.
The competition culminates at the London Coliseum on Sunday 8 November, where the finalists will perform before a judging panel including Dame Darcey Bussell, Francesca Hayward, Kevin O’Hare, Lynn Wallis and Mthuthuzeli November. Medals will be presented at gold, silver and bronze levels, with additional prizes recognising choreography, musicality and the audience’s choice.
The Fonteyn, formerly known as the Genée, has been held since 1931. Its previous participants include Australian-born Royal Ballet Principal Steven McRae and this year’s judge Francesca Hayward.