Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

Ekaterina Krysanova, Semyon Chudin, Maria Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov of the Bolshoi Ballet, along with students of London Russian Ballet School, presented Romantic Revolution earlier this month, staged at the London Palladium on 18 September. Entitled Romantic Revolution, the performance was a philanthropic endeavour to engage young children in ballet and impart some of the richness of the art onto them. Accessibility is the name of the game, with tickets priced affordably to enable as wide an audience as possible to see Bolshoi artists perform. Continue reading Romantic Revolution

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Wayne McGregor, the multi-award winning British choreographer and director, will present the world premiere of Autobiography, from Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 October, at Sadler’s Wells, London. His company works under the name Company Wayne McGregor as a Sadler’s Wells Resident Company. Autobiography will follow its London premiere with a UK and world tour. Continue reading Company Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography

The Space recently commissioned the live stream of Rosie Kay’s acclaimed dance show 5 SOLDIERS, kicking off its national tour of army barracks. As a result, the streamed performance from a working Army drill hall in central London was brought to a whole new audience. It was commissioned as part of The Space’s mission to use digital technology to bring great art to wider audiences, and viewers around the world experienced 5 SOLDIERS through YouTube, Facebook Live and on the internet with distribution partners including Sadler’s Wells, The British Army and BBC Arts Digital. Continue reading 5 SOLDIERS dance production live streamed

Dance is full of exciting opportunities, and many of them. However, often these must be weighed up with the expenses that may come with them. The expense could have a distinct monetary value, but it could also make reference to time and family resources. Continue reading The expense of dance

English National Ballet School recently announced it would be appointing Carlos Valcárcel as its new Director of Dance from October 2017, following the departure of Samira Saidi. Continue reading English National Ballet School’s new Director of Dance

DanceXchange, the Midlands-based dance house, recently announced its latest performance season, running from 22 September until 2 December 2017. The new season sees DanceXchange present performances that are inspired by the science of the sun and the magic of the moon; an exploration of the cathartic power of dance, the enduring link between dance and music; and stories of womanhood and community. Continue reading DanceXchange announces autumn performance season

Held across Birmingham from 16-22 October, the Fierce Festival line-up has been announced for 2017. The international festival of performance will present live art, theatre, dance, music and installations, taking over Birmingham whilst exploring themes as diverse as the rituals of clubbing, mental health, “fandom” and fan art, and climate change. The 2017 programme contains fifty events with five world premieres, twelve UK premieres, with artists hailing from ten countries across four continents. Continue reading The Fierce Festival line-up

Cirque Éloize, a world leader in contemporary circus, is heading back to the West End with the UK premiere of its new show, Saloon. Running from Wednesday 4 – Saturday 21 October at The Peacock, the show is inspired by the rich legacy of the Wild West. Saloon showcases the company’s trademark blend of spectacular circus and drama to create the colourful characters swinging through the saloon doors and delighting audiences. Continue reading Cirque Éloize’s Saloon

Rambert is to tour two new dance works around the UK, performed alongside treasured favourites, some of the company’s best loved work. The company will welcome commissions from Andonis Foniadakis and Ben Duke, and it will present large-scale contemporary dance works across the UK. This tour will see the first time the company has been to Southampton since its last performance at the Mayflower Theatre in 1992. Continue reading Rambert tours with new and iconic works

Kate Bryan, Tamara Rojo and Elizabeth Freestone are among those joining a scheme to help nurture the next generation of women leaders in the arts, through University Women in the Arts. It is a new scheme to mentor the next generation of female leaders, launched earlier this year at Drama Centre London at Central Saint Martins. Continue reading Mentorship scheme launched for women in the arts