Dance

Dance previews from around the region

Autin Dance Theatre: A Positive Life

Walsall Arena & Arts Centre, Wed 9 June

Project-based local company Autin Dance Theatre make a welcome return with a show that ‘delivers an uplifting and engaging message on self-love, sexual health and sex education’. An immersive theatre experience inspired by the individual journeys of five characters around the issues of sex, love and relationships, the show brings together dance, physical theatre and spoken word. Birmingham-based Autin have been performing across the Midlands and further afield since 2013. “We draw on contemporary social issues and events to make work which is beautifully crafted, accessible and relevant,” says founder Johnny Autin. “The company is gaining a reputation for creating powerful performances, catapulting audiences into intense dance-worlds which we hope will resonate with them long after they leave the auditorium.”

Transitions Dance Company: Triple Bill

Swan Theatre, Worcester, Wed 30 June

Didy Veldman, Dog Kennel Hill Project and Rahel Vonmoos are the creatives behind the trio of impressively diverse contemporary works here being presented by Transitions Dance Company. Comprising no fewer than 14 international dancers and working under the artistic direction of David Waring, Transitions has established a reputation for presenting daring and imaginative choreographic commissions, combining graceful precision with a trademark innovative approach.

Dance

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Curated By Carlos

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Thurs 10 - Sat 12 June

Carlos Acosta is now into his second year as BRB Director, his first 15 months having been badly undermined by the impact of the pandemic. With that in mind, he will no doubt be hoping to get up a real head of steam in the next few months, starting with this eagerly anticipated show. A triple bill well worth catching, it comprises two world premieres and one UK premiere... City Of A Thousand Trades celebrates the richly diverse cultural and industrial heritage of Birmingham... Imminent, meanwhile, is a new and abstract work inspired by the feeling that ‘something significant is looming’ and that change is on its way... The triple-bill is completed by Chacona, a ‘thrilling, physical piece set to exhilarating music by JS Bach’... Live music in the show is performed by BRB's highly acclaimed orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.