PERFORMANCES
Autumn 2009
TICKET SALES 0844 338 5000 INFO & BUY ONLINE dancexchange.org.uk DanceXchange // Birmingham Hippodrome // Hurst Street // Birmingham // B5 4TB
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Dance at
this Autumn
Birmingham Royal Ballet presents QUANTUM LEAPS Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 September £15 - £45 Powder I E=mc2 I The Centre and its Opposite These three strongly contrasting ballets offer a lively evening of entertainment. Fluid and sensual, Stanton Welch’s Powder brilliantly celebrates nostalgia, beauty and joy. David Bintley’s new ballet, E=mc2, promises to be an exhilarating experience of breathtaking energy. The Centre and its Opposite is a brand new work from contemporary choreographer Garry Stewart, an intense explosion of rapid-fire classical ballet fused with hard-edged contemporary dance.
Birmingham Royal Ballet presents CYRANO Wednesday 30 September – Saturday 3 October £15 - £45 Beautiful Lady Roxane is in love with dashing cadet Christian de Neuvillette, and so enlists her cousin, the poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac, to deliver her intended a love letter. This hilarious and heartbreaking story shows the truly self-sacrificing devotion of Cyrano – an extraordinary man, blessed with a big heart, a big mind... but an even bigger nose.
Matthew Bourne’s DORIAN GRAY Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 November £14.50 - £35 Oscar Wilde’s gothic fable becomes a darkly seductive dance theatre piece set in the image-obsessed world of contemporary art and politics. Amongst London’s beautiful people, Dorian Gray is the “It Boy” – an icon of beauty and truth in an increasingly ugly world. This “black fairy tale” tells the story of this exceptionally alluring young man’s pact with the devil.
Birmingham Royal Ballet presents THE NUTCRACKER Friday 27 November – Sunday 13 December £15 - £45 The Nutcracker is one of the most popular ballets of all time. Peter Wright's magical production is guaranteed to cast an unforgettable festive spell over the entire family. It’s Christmas Eve, and preparations are underway for a splendid party, taking place at the Stahlbaums’ house. The mysterious magician Drosselmeyer entertains the guests and young Clara receives from him a beautiful wooden Nutcracker doll. As the clock strikes midnight an amazing transformation takes place and nothing is quite as it seems. A cracking Christmas treat!
BOOK ONLINE www.birminghamhippodrome.com TICKET SALES 0844 338 5000 GROUP SALES 0844 338 7000 2
CALLS COST FROM 5P PER MIN. 6% TRANSACTION FEE APPLIES: 3% ONLINE.
Ah, the autumn! A time for quiet reflection, kicking up leaves, the smell of bonfires and, we’d like to think, a time for watching dance (especially when those dark nights start closing in). We’ve got lots of great shows to tempt you this season – so much so we’ve had to increase the size of the brochure! So read on for all the exciting details of what’s to come. We start with a bang and, in what’s becoming something of a tradition, a brand new work. If you like your dance a little bit cutting edge, don’t miss an exclusive Birmingham preview of Roam – Stray Dogs by Tom Dale Company. Combining Tom’s intense movement style with live dubstep and drum and bass from Shackleton and Sion, you can expect to see The Patrick Centre as you’ve never seen it before (and if you haven’t seen it before, well, you’re in for a treat!). Next up we have an all-new triple bill by West Midlands-based choreographers. Laura Dredger, Keisha Grant and Kate Mason are already well known to many dance fans around these parts and all three will premiere fantastic works. From the physical and powerful to the intimate and vulnerable, this show really highlights the depth of choreographic talent in our region. October sees the welcome return of Vincent Dance Theatre. Having wowed audiences in 2007 with Broken Chords, this time it’s an intelligent and revealing look at performance and the human psyche in If We Go On. Following on from that, we present the UK premiere of a work that’s quite simply electrifying. Furies Alpha by Montréal Danse is an hour of stunning movement and astonishing physicality that has been described as touching, mind blowing and extraordinary. In November, rising star Balbir Singh presents his unique blend of kathak, contemporary dance and live music in a new double bill that will delight dance and music fans alike. Last, but by no means least, we end the month (and the season) on a high! Having sold out in record time last year, the athletic and engaging 2FaCeD DaNcE Company returns for three nights with Still Breathing, its brand new work. Right then, that’s enough from me. As always, check our website for video footage, image galleries and online booking, and feel free to get in touch if you have any comments. See you soon I hope! Paul Burns Programme Manager, DanceXchange paul.burns@dancexchange.org.uk PS. For all those of a social networking persuasion, why not become our Facebook fan, or follow our tweets at twitter.com/dancexchange?
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EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW PERFORMANCE Tom Dale Company
12+ Suitable for 12yrs+
ROAM – STRAY DOGS Friday 18 September // 8pm Transforming The Patrick Centre into an immersive dance space, ROAM is a captivating journey by five dancers into a world of swinging sub bass and complex percussion, with performances from SION’s Jo Wills and Guy Wood, visuals by Sophie Clements and specially commissioned tracks from maverick producer/composer Shackleton.
PHOTO: STEPHEN BERKELEY-WHITE
Tom Dale’s choreography is a style of its own; cutting between raw, aggressive and visceral movement and refined precision to create dynamic and unpredictable dance. This piece takes as its starting point the human requirement to explore and experience; is our desire to roam an expression of our inner search? Do we risk losing our sense of self and home pursuing these needs? Does it lead to fulfilment or estrangement?
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www.tomdale.org.uk RUNNING TIME: 50 minutes with no interval TICKETS In advance: £10.50 / £7.50 concession On the day: £12.50 / £9.50 concession
INCLUDES POST SHOW TALK
“exhilaratingly beautiful and simmering with danger” ★★★★★ BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
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DanceXchange presents
12+ Suitable for 12yrs+
TRIPLE BILL featuring Laura Dredger Dance Company, Keisha Grant, Table Football Club
Friday 2 October // 8pm Three West Midlands based companies premiere new works, highlighting the depth of choreographic talent in this region. Laura presents a new piece exploring the theme of regret, investigating how inner turmoil can manifest itself physically and affect a person’s ability to move forward in life. Keisha’s work explores the process of a couple forming an extreme and loving bond in a potentially sexual but platonic friendship. The two performers explore issues of intimacy and resistance, frustration and desire in a work that is dynamic yet tender. Table Football Club’s What You Looking At asks “what do we choose to watch when we’re observing a dance performance?” Choreographers Kate Mason and Claire Cunningham explore the functional and mundane nature of performance events; looking at the person next to you, checking to see whether the show is running to time or whether you’ll actually make the last train home.
RUNNING TIME: 1hr 30mins including two short intervals TICKETS £10.50 / £7.50 concession 6
INCLUDES POST SHOW TALK
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PHOTO: CHRIS NASH
Vincent Dance Theatre
Contains
15+ strong language
IF WE GO ON Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 14 October // 8pm Directed and Designed by Charlotte Vincent With text by Wendy Houstoun Composed by Alex Catona
If you had one last dance in you, what shape would it take? IF WE GO ON is a series of individual acts that lay bare the mechanics of theatre, placing the investigation of language at the centre of the work. Through miniature dances and stuttering songs, militant manifestos and extended exits, IF WE GO ON embraces uncertainty, hesitancy and not knowing with a dark, intelligent humour. An exceptional ensemble of multi-tasking performers and musicians morph words into movement, shunt gesture into sound and at times burst into song to create a performance they can believe in. For video clips, performers’ blogs and more information, visit www.IfWeGoOn.co.uk
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes with no interval TICKETS In advance: £10.50 / £7.50 concession On the day: £12.50 / £9.50 concession 8
TUES EVE INCLUDES POST SHOW TALK
If We Go On is funded by Grants for the Arts through the Arts Council of England. Co-commissioned by Sheffield Theatres, Newbury Corn Exchange, Hull City Council and Peak Performances@Montclair State University. Supported by The Junction Cambridge and Danceworks UK.
“Brave, intelligent entertainment”
PHOTO: HUGO GLENDINNING
THE TIMES
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Montréal Danse
12+ Suitable for 12yrs+
FURIES ALPHA 1/24 (THE MONSTERS WITHIN) Thursday 29 October // 8pm FURIES is an emotional and timely response to the horror of human dramas, described by Montréal press as “mind blowing” (The Hour), “touching” (Le Voir) and delivering “a veritable wallop” (La Presse).
“For audiences in need of energetic dance, they should run to see Furies” LE DEVOIR
An all out breakneck dance of desire driven by rage, tenderness, monstrous speed, shifting alliances and seduction, six dancers express a host of emotions associated with tragedies since the beginning of time. www.montrealdanse.com
RUNNING TIME: 1hr with no interval TICKETS In advance: £10.50 / £7.50 concession On the day: £12.50 / £9.50 concession 10
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PHOTO: ROLLINE LAPORTE
Balbir Singh Dance Company
12+ Suitable for 12yrs+
TRESPASS & PLAY OF PERCENTAGES Thursday 5 November // 8pm This captivating new dance double bill opens with the company’s new work TRESPASS, a piece in which classical and contemporary forms collide. Dancers and musicians intrude on each other’s territory with every encroachment producing fresh and beautiful combinations. PLAY OF PERCENTAGES represents the birth of a new dance style following nine months of intense immersion by contemporary dancers in classical Indian Kathak. Varying essences of both techniques combine in a unifying whole of great beauty. With four female dancers sharing the stage with four musicians performing an original score, this is a feast to indulge both dance and music enthusiasts. www.balbirsinghdance.co.uk
RUNNING TIME: Approx 1hr 30mins including one 20min interval TICKETS In advance: £10.50 / £7.50 concession On the day: £12.50 / £9.50 concession 12
In partnership with
INCLUDES POST SHOW TALK
THE STAGE
PHOTO: GAVIN JOINT
“Dynamic dance discovery... a distinctive new dance style.”
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2FaCeD DaNcE Company
U
Suitable for all ages
STILL BREATHING Wednesday 25 – Friday 27 November // 8pm After the critical acclaim and sell out success of State of Matter, award winning 2FaCeD DaNcE returns with a highly charged, gritty new work, choreographed by Artistic Director Tamsin Fitzgerald. Stunning athleticism, explosive abstract breaking and masculine vulnerability combine in a piece that explores the space we occupy. Set to an electrifyingly intense and specially commissioned score this is an hour of unstoppable, seemingly impossible movement performed by the all male company described as “a force to be reckoned with” (The Scotsman). www.2faceddance.org.uk
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour with no interval TICKETS In advance: £10.50 / £7.50 concession On the day: £12.50 / £9.50 concession 14
WED EVE INCLUDES POST SHOW TALK
METRO
PHOTO: CHRIS NASH
“An awe inspiring experience”
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HOW TO BOOK
HOW TO FIND US
ONLINE: dancexchange.org.uk/shows 3% transaction fee. TELEPHONE: 0844 338 5000 (calls cost from 5p per min) Mon - Sat, 9.30am - 8pm. 6% transaction fee. IN PERSON: Mon - Sat, 10am - 8pm. Birmingham Hippodrome Ticket Sales (main entrance on Hurst Street). 6% transaction fee unless paying by cash. AGENCIES: Tickets are also available from The TicketShop (Rotunda, Bullring, 0121 202 5000). PAYMENT: We accept most major credit and debit cards. Please make cheques payable to Birmingham Hippodrome. Tickets can be posted for a charge of ÂŁ1. Please note that we are required to post tickets direct to the registered card address. TICKET PRICES: For most of our performances it's cheaper to book in advance. In advance is any day up to and including the day before the show. For example, the last day you can claim in advance prices for a Saturday show would be the Friday before. CONCESSIONS: Under 16s, full time students, over 60s and those on jobseekers allowance or income support. Concessionary rates are also available for Birmingham Hippodrome Friends and BRB Friends (please quote your membership number when booking). GROUP BOOKINGS: Buy 10 tickets and receive one further ticket free. ACCESS: DanceXchange welcomes visitors with disabilities to all its productions and events -- if you would like to discuss your visit please do so when booking your tickets.
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DanceXchange is located within the Birmingham Hippodrome complex on Hurst Street, very near the Bull Ring Market and the Arcadian Centre. BY TRAIN: New Street and Moor Street stations are approx 5-10 mins walk. For local service information please contact Centro on 0121 200 2700. BY BUS: For local enquiries please contact Centro on 0121 200 2700. BY CAR: There are pay & display car parks nearby, including a multi-storey in the Arcadian Centre.
KEEP IN TOUCH If you’re interested in dance performance, why not join our free mailing list? We can keep you updated by post or email -- simply call us on 0121 689 3170, email info@dancexchange.org.uk or fill in our online form at dancexchange.org.uk
TURN OVER FOR AN EXCITING PREVIEW OF 2010 -A YEAR THAT PROMISES TO PLEASE EVEN THE MOST HARDCORE DANCE FANS! 17
FEBRUARY
VENUES ACROSS BIRMINGHAM British Dance Edition is a four day festival of performances and debates for the UK dance industry, profiling British dance to visitors from across the globe.
PHOTO: CHRIS KEENAN, DANCER: CELINE ALWYN
The full programme, including public shows at Birmingham Hippodrome and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, will be announced in September. Keep up to date at www.bde2010.co.uk
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APRIL – MAY0
VENUES ACROSS BIRMINGHAM Following the success of the first ever International Dance Festival Birmingham in 2008, we’re planning another 4 weeks of fantastic dance performances and activities from across the globe in 2010. For progress, follow our blog at www.idfb.co.uk
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COVER PHOTOGRAPH: ROLLINE LAPORTE All information in this brochure is correct at time of going to print
DanceXchange (dx) is a power house of dance. A partner organisation with Birmingham Hippodrome and Birmingham Royal Ballet, dx is dedicated to creating exciting opportunities for people of all walks of life to engage in dance, either as participant, performer or audience member.
DanceXchange Birmingham Hippodrome Thorp Street Birmingham B5 4TB
T: 0121 689 3170 E: info@dancexchange.org.uk dancexchange.org.uk
This leaflet can be made available in alternative formats. Please contact us for details. dx registered charity no.1045364 This brochure is printed with vegetable-based inks and is FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) accredited. www.21stcd.com