Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

With the show’s leads, Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington, previously announced, the full company has now been cast for the 2018 West End run of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, winner of the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical 2017. Performances will begin at the Dominion Theatre in London on 2 April. Continue reading Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical

National Youth Dance Company, the country’s flagship organisation for young dancers run by Sadler’s Wells, will present the World Premiere of Used To Be Blonde at Sadler’s Wells on 7 April ahead of a UK National Tour in June and July. The new work is created under the guidance of 2017/18 Guest Artistic Director Sharon Eyal, and this new commission will contain Eyal’s signature style, conveying extreme emotions through movement. Continue reading National Youth Dance Company’s world premiere

Birmingham International Dance Festival, produced by Birmingham-based DanceXchange, returns to the city from 1 – 24 June. Audiences can expect a wide variety of dance in the city’s theatres, and a takeover of Birmingham’s streets and squares, with free performances and opportunities to get dancing. This festival will bring the best of international dance to the city and provide a platform for local talent. The programme will delight a wide range of audiences and participants, inspiring local people, and celebrating Birmingham as a diverse city. Continue reading Award-winning Birmingham International Dance Festival returns

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s 2018/19 season will bring enduring stories to life for a modern world through dance. Its Beyond Words season ignites the evocative power of ballet for all audiences. Throughout the course of the season, the Company will give 159 performances of 11 different productions at 13 venues across the country, with 90% of its shows taking place outside London. Continue reading Birmingham Royal Ballet announces Beyond Words 2018/19 season

TORO: Beauty and the Bull, DeNada Dance Theatre’s new production by artistic director and choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra, is a full length narrative work which presents a Hispanic take on the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. TORO then embarks on a national tour from 22 March to 27 April. It is a tragicomedy played out by conquistadors, female bulls and animals in drag.

Continue reading Denada’s TORO: Beauty and the Bull

The Enormous Room from Stopgap Dance Company returned to stages this February, following its 2017 London launch at the Lilian Baylis, Sadler’s Wells. Beginning at The Point in Eastleigh, the company will continue touring throughout February and March and into the Autumn too. Continue reading Stopgap on tour

Following performances in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scottish Ballet will take Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling north to Shetland, Orkney, Lewis and Argyll. Sponsors Loganair will fly the dancers and crew to the islands, whilst Calmac will transport the set and costumes. This is the first time Scottish Ballet has toured a full-scale production to such remote locations, where the company will turn local sports complexes and town halls into full scale theatres for the performances, giving regional audiences the same experience as those in the city. Continue reading Scottish Ballet announces its 2018 season

2018 is a landmark year for Rambert, and the company is busier than ever, with ambitious new creations, international touring and the launch of a new ensemble, all while expanding the company’s artistic and educational work across the UK. Continue reading Rambert in 2018

London Contemporary Dance School is launching a new Master of Arts programme focusing on the artistic practice, curation and scholarship of Screendance. The course will commence in September 2018. Continue reading London Contemporary Dance School’s MA in Screendance