Film

Dance previews from across the region

Dance

Fabric: Contemporary Dance 2.0 Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome, Thurs 24 & Fri 25 November

“I want audiences to be awakened; to experience my work from the gut,” says avant-garde Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter. “Trusting the gut is, to me, like trusting nature, or God, or a sense of purpose; a source, a spark. Trusting a higher and better force than our limited, oppressed, cultured minds.” Hofesh’s award-winning Shechter II company is the ensemble behind this critically acclaimed production, an adapted and extended version of the original 2019 show created for European trailblazers GoteborgsOperans Danskompani. Hofesh selects the members of his company - all aged between 18 and 25 - every couple of years. His present crop of talented youngsters have been garnering plenty of praise for this currently touring show. The work features an eclectic sound-score that comes complete with ‘euphoric feel and throbbing beats’.

Swan Lake

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Mon 7 November

The highly regarded Classical Ballet & Opera House here presents its production of a timeless favourite, set to Tchaikovsky’s mesmerising score. Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who, caught under the spell of the evil Von Rothbart, must spend the daytime hours as a swan, returning to human form only when night falls... A sumptuous visual feast, the production offers an evening of ballet which is ideal for the first-time trier as well as the more seasoned dance-goer.

Rhythm Of The Dance: Christmas Special

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 26 November

Rhythm Of The Dance will be celebrating a quarter-century of touring next year. The production has so far visited four continents and been seen by more than seven million people in over 50 countries. If you’ve not yet checked out the show, this Potteries performance provides a perfect opportunity to catch up with one of the most popular Irish step dance offerings in the world (which, on this particular occasion, comes complete with a collection of Christmas songs).

Unknownrealms Double Bill

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed 23 November

ACE Dance & Music bring their inimitable African style to this thought-provoking collaboration with two internationally acclaimed Black male choreographers - Serge Aimé Coulibaly and Vincent Mantsoe. Presenting a double bill featuring six brilliantly creative performers, the show is described by the company as a celebration of mortality and perseverance, and of hope overcoming adversity.