On 15 January Birmingham Royal Ballet played host to a day of new dance creations as a result of the newly formed Midlands Dance Hub. The day welcomed a varied selection of Midlands-based dance practitioners and creators into its home studios for a day of combined classes and workshops focused on the creation and presentation of new works.
Choreographers and dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet and other prominent Midlands dance companies such as Motionhouse, Rosie Kay Dance Company and Sonia Sabri Company, among others, presented works in progress on the platform for emerging dance makers to meet, share and experience each other’s work in the Midlands.
The day also offered all dancers involved the chance to take part in a ‘class mash’ which involved three teachers leading and teaching a classical ballet barre, a contemporary dance element, and segments based on other international styles in one class. In particular, the class mash paid homage to the focus of the day on the combination of dance from widely differing traditions.
It is clear that the technique demanded by modern ballet today enables the body to do extraordinary things, resonating in the gathering of new choreographers and external companies at Birmingham Royal Ballet’s base, very different to the company and its work. The event, and the sharing of work in particular, highlighted the importance of taking inspiration from different sources and dance hybrids. It offered upcoming and established choreographers within the region an opportunity to meet and share their current work with peers, highlighting influences from other dance disciplines that make up the rich mixture that is dance in the Midlands.