Film

Dance previews from across the region

Dance

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Into The Music

Birmingham Hippodrome, Fri 21 & Sat 22 October

Widely considered to be one of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s (BRB) most challenging triple bills ever, Into The Music features three works new to the company: Uwe Scholz’s Seventh Symphony (set to Beethoven), and Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land - neither of which have been performed in the UK before - plus Morgann Runacre-Temple’s Hotel, which will be receiving its world premiere. “Forgotten Land is one of Kylián’s classics,” explains BRB Director Carlos Acosta, “with eight couples, 16 dancers, and music by Benjamin Britten. “Seventh Symphony is a piece for the whole company - there are about 40 dancers on stage - and it’s also a gift for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia to be playing Beethoven’s symphony.” Runacre-Temple’s Hotel, meanwhile, is a journey into the secrets and lies that are hidden behind closed doors. Set to music by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, the piece is the latest commission from BRB’s Ballet Now programme, which fosters new talent by commissioning work from emerging choreographers.

Ballet Theatre UK: Beauty And The Beast

Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Thurs 27 October

When a young woman is captured by a hideous beast, she finds herself facing a life of isolation in his mysterious palace. The Beast, too, is trapped - seemingly forever - inside the grotesquery of his physical appearance, the consequence of a spell cast upon him by an evil witch. Only Beauty’s ability to look beyond his ugliness and see the person within can save him... This much-loved fairytale is here being presented by the ever-excellent Ballet Theatre UK, a company with an impressive history of producing bright and colourful shows designed to promote classical dance as an accessible art form.

Jasmin Vardimon: Alice

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Tues 18 & Wed 19 October

Founded in 1997, Jasmin Vardimon Company combines physical theatre and quirky characterisation with innovative technologies, text and dance. The internationally acclaimed ensemble here presents ‘a bold reimagining’ of Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. Promising ‘a sensory feast of arresting images, powerful performers and striking kinetic scenery’, the show explores the themes of time, identity, rules and authority.

Chantry Dance: The Guardian Of The Forest

Swan Theatre, Worcester, Sun 2 October

The importance of preserving natural habitats is the theme behind Chantry Dance’s imaginative reworking of Beauty And The Beast. When the vain Lord Bieth wants to cut down the forest in order to expand his city, the Green Lady intervenes. And not only does she stop his plan, she also turns him into a beast, who is then compelled to guard the forest against destruction by greedy city folk. Years later, the beast’s salvation comes in the form of a young maiden named Áille...

Dance previews from across the region

Dance

Motionhouse: Starchitects

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thurs 27 - Sun 30 October; Birmingham Hippodrome, Fri 3 & Sat 4 February

Leamington-based dance company Motionhouse make a welcome return to Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre this month with a brandnew show. Telling the story of five youngsters who dream of reaching the moon from their bedroom, Starchitects is the company’s first ever production created specifically for children and families. “Full of thrilling surprises, the show is engaging for audiences of all ages,” says the company’s executive director, Louise Richards. “It’s a visual spectacle using the dance-circus fusion and digital projections that Motionhouse is renowned for, with a fun and imaginative, easyto-follow storyline - making it a perfect outing for the whole family. “The theme of the show - space travel - lends itself well to creative educational and participatory activities to stimulate children, supporting their development and encouraging their creativity.”

Ballet Cymru: Dream

Stourbridge Town Hall, Sat 29 October

Touring to around 50 venues throughout the UK on an annual basis, Ballet Cymru has garnered a reputation for presenting innovative, challenging and original productions. The company was founded in 1986 and prides itself on presenting ‘a high standard of classical ballet in an unpretentious and original way’. The ensemble visits Stourbridge this month with a ‘vibrant, fresh and innovative’ fulllength ballet based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Jaivant Patel Dance: The Festival Of Light

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Sat 29 October

“The root of what we do is very specific in wanting to explore and demonstrate the rich heritage of Indian classical dance,” explains Jaivant Patel in talking about his Wolverhamptonfounded company. “But what’s really important in the work we create is that there is an access point, regardless of your experience and understanding of dance and South Asian art forms.” Having last year celebrated their 15th anniversary, Jaivant Patel Dance here make a welcome return with Deepavali: The Festival Of Light - a ‘captivating evening of South Asian dance showcasing Bollywood, Kathak, Bharatanatyam to Bhangara and Dandiya Raas’.

Samsara

Birmingham Hippodrome, Sun 23 October

Aakash Odedra made a significant splash when he first appeared on the scene, quickly racking up collaborations with numerous high-profile choreographers, including Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi and Russell Maliphant. Now a Hippodrome associate artist, Aakash here joins forces with Chinese dancer Hu Shenyuan to explore the notion of samsara, the wheel of life: birth, existence and re-birth. The duet has been inspired by classic Chinese novel Journey To The West and draws on thinking and imagery at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. The piece is one hour in length and is performed without an interval.