What have 12,000 people done in Birmingham this year? Taken a dance class at
DanceXchange. Who has rehearsed for over 1,000 hours last year? Birmingham Royal Ballet.
These are just two of the city’s dance companies that Marketing Birmingham’s new three year campaign “Birmingham Feel The Heat” will be promoting, as it showcases the city’s artists, performances, activities and venues.
Marketing Birmingham Chief Executive, Neil Rami said: “The time is right for Birmingham to
re-assert its cultural credentials. The city has the breadth, scale and quality of arts events to
inspire residents and visitors alike, who can enjoy the arts offer all year round. From
Bollywood dance lessons to the Birmingham Royal Ballet we’re going to show how
Birmingham is steppin’ out to be the hottest ticket for dance.”
As home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) and national dance company DanceXchange,
the Birmingham Hippodrome is the place to go for dance fans. The Birmingham Royal
Ballet company opens its 2007-08 season with a week of performances of the historical
drama ‘Edward II’. First staged for Stuttgart Ballet by BRB's Director David Bintley, the ballet,
with costume designs by Jasper Conran, returns to the stage after nearly a decade from
26th – 29th September. BRB’s next performance, Strictly Dancing, includes three one-act
ballets, ‘Paquita’, ‘Nine Sinatra Songs’ and ‘Daphnis and Chloë’. The three works all centre on diverse emotions expressed through dance, with choreography from Marius Petipa, Twyla
Tharp and Frederick Ashton from 3rd – 6th October. Their season finale is the Christmas
classic ‘Nutcracker’ from 30th November – 13th December.
Birmingham Hippodrome is also home to DanceXchange - a power house of dance
dedicated to the production and distribution of high quality dance that offers a professional
development programme, is home to touring performance company Bare Bones and offers
more than 50 dance classes a week.
From their new Autumn programme, the must see events include ‘Chanta La Mui’ fusion of
flamenco and contemporary dance 28th and 29th September; ‘Uprising & In Your Arms’ 11th
October is supremely physical dance with a young, urban feel by Hofesh Shechter and
‘Flatfeet 2007’ on 27th October by contemporary African dance company Movement Angol.
Rosie Kay Dance Company’s ‘Wild Party’ on 7th November features a live jazz band on
stage. For the Richard Alston Dance Company ‘Mixed Bill’ Richard on 6th and 7th
December, Alston has put together a programme specially tailored to the intimate space of
The Patrick Centre. It includes excerpts from two of Richard’s biggest recent hits – ‘Gypsy
Mixture’ (to remixed Balkan gypsy music) and The Devil In The Detail (to piano rags by Scott
Joplin) – plus his recently completed quartet ‘Nigredo’ (to piano music by the contemporary
British composer Simon Holt) and Company dancer and emergent choreographer Martin
Lawrance’s sextet ‘Brink’ (to tango music by the Japanese composer Ayuo). DanceXchange’s finale is from award winning balletLORENT, who invite you into a labyrinth of secret dreams and fears in ‘Angelmoth’ from 19th – 20th December.
Sampad is a dynamic development agency for South Asian arts based in Birmingham. It
plays a significant role regionally, nationally and internationally in promoting the appreciation
and practice of the diverse art forms originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka. For people who want to get more involved, Jag Kumar of Dance Sansaar and
Shantina Allen will be holding Bollywood and hip hop workshop at the Town Hall on 6th
October.
Sampad is based at the Midlands Arts Centre, mac, which will also host three uplifting
performances this Autumn. Experience the spiritual and contemporary aesthetics of Sattriya
dance in its first ever outing in Birmingham. Indira and Menaka PP Bora bring a fresh
vision into the heritage of Sattriya dance, which originated from a 15th century dance form in
North East India, on 22nd September. Voted by audience’s as the UK’s favourite dance
company at the National Dance Award 2006 Motionhouse will fuse live action and film in
‘Driven’ on 9th – 10th October. The trio of performances completes on 17th October with six
high-octane dancers from Tavaziva Dance in four new works in their trademark exploration
of African dance traditions in ‘Chatsva’.
The Drum is the national centre for Black British arts and culture, based in Aston. From their
programme of music, theatre, spoken word, comedy and film their dance programme
Koromanti Arts presents ‘The Cotton Tree Passage’ on 11th October. Depicting the ‘spiritual
journey’ from Africa through the passage of slavery to the Caribbean and the UK, The Cotton
Tree Passage combines multi-media techniques and contemporary African, Caribbean and
urban dance, including African Hip-life and Jamaican Dancehall. On 23rd November Noor
(Light) Acrobatic martial arts and contemporary Kathak meet in this stunning dance piece
from award winning dancer and choreographer Anurekha Ghosh. Performed by
international dancers and musicians playing live on stage, Noor, meaning light, asks
questions about the nature of 'enlightenment', and our notions of light from a scientific,
religious and mystical point of view.
On the 6th December Sonia Sabri Company presents ‘Nisbat’, revealing a dynamic spin on
the classical Indian Kathak tradition. Nisbat, meaning connection or lineage, is inspired by
the spirit of Gypsy folk, the passion of Qawwals, and the mysticism of Sufism. Internationally
acclaimed dancer and choreographer Sonia Sabri is accompanied by three dancers and
santoor, vocals, and the world renowned Sarvar Sabri on tabla to present powerful Kathak
at its finest.
The international influences continue when Argentina’s hottest dance show, Tango Fire,
comes to Symphony Hall on 13 October with ‘Estampas Portenas’. Period duets evoke the
heady nostalgia of the early dance halls where it was popularised, while the group’s modern
choreography is edged with the sharpness and sophistication of contemporary Argentina.
Birmingham’s newest (and oldest) venue the Town Hall is re-opening after a £35m renovation
in October and features a weekend of flamenco. Rising stars of the new generation of
flamenco artists, Pepa and Company are pushing at the traditional boundaries of the
ancient art form while staying true to its roots with a performance on 9 November. An
unforgettable experience and an artistic highlight of 2007, 13 Rosas is a powerful dancedrama
charting the lives of thirteen women caught up in the Spanish Civil War by Los
Arrieritos. In their only UK date their performance fuses flamenco, contemporary dance
and drama, and features some of Spain’s leading flamenco musicians on 10 November. In a
night of sultry excitement, El Último Tango – the UK’s leading tango ensemble – and
acclaimed Latin vocalist, Guillermo Rozenthuler, come face to face with our visiting tango
and flamenco dance exponents, in a a one-off collaboration that will set the pulse racing for
all world music and dance enthusiasts on 11 November.
Ends
For further information and visuals, please contact Tracey Saunders, Head of PR & Corporate
Affairs, Marketing Birmingham on 0121 202 5002 or email us.
Notes to editors
• Birmingham Hippodrome Hurst Street, Birmingham B5 4TB
http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com
• Birmingham Royal Ballet
• DanceXchange Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham
B5 4TB http://www.dancexchange.org.uk.
• Sampad is based at mac Cannon Hill park Birmingham B12 9QH
http://www.sampad.org.uk/
• Tickets for the sampad Bollywood and hip hop workshop are £1.50 available from the
Town Hall Ticket Office on 0121 780 3333.
• Symphony Hall is located in the International Convention Centre (ICC) on Broad
Street. http://www.thsh.co.uk
• The Town Hall Victoria Square, Birmingham B3 3DQ http://www.thsh.co.uk
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