From the moment she burst onto the choreographic scene in 2013 with ‘Oxymore’, it was clear Sophie Laplane was a force to be reckoned with. Since then, the Paris-born dancer who made Glasgow her home in 2004 when she joined Scottish Ballet, has continued to prove herself a dancemaker unafraid to push boundaries.

After hanging up her pointe shoes in 2017, Laplane focused on choreography full-time, creating works on stage and screen that take an off-kilter approach but remain resolutely accessible. With short pieces such as ‘Maze’, ‘Sibilo’, ‘Dextera’ and ‘Dive’ under her belt, 2025 was the year Laplane graduated to the big league with her first full-length ballet Mary, Queen Of Scots. We gave the show five stars and it won Best Edinburgh International Festival Show at The List Festival Awards.

‘It felt like a huge milestone in my career and a real moment of growth as an artist,’ says Laplane. ‘But creating Mary, Queen Of Scots also meant a lot to me on a personal level. I joined the company back in 2004 and never imagined that one day I’d be presenting a full-length work at the Edinburgh International Festival. And then to have it performed with an original score by an orchestra was just incredible.’

After a successful Scottish tour, the work heads to two prestigious dance houses next year, Sadler’s Wells in London and New York’s Lincoln Center. ‘At its heart, it reminded me why I do what I do,’ says Laplane. ‘Ballet has this incredible power to move people, to connect us through emotion and storytelling. So it was a year of discovery, collaboration and creation and a real re-affirmation of why this artform matters.’ Laplane’s star will remain in the ascendant in 2026, when she’ll choreograph Eugene Onegin at the Paris Opera, working alongside director Ralph Fiennes. 

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