Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company’s award-nominated Some Like It Hip Hop returns to The Peacock for a run from Wednesday 23 October – Saturday 9 November, following a UK tour. Some Like it Hip Hop is directed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and ZooNation founder Kate Prince and features music by DJ Walde and Josh Cohen. Continue reading ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company

British dancer Xander Parish is now a principal of the Mariinsky Ballet, promoted on the stage of the Royal Opera House which he left many years ago. This followed his performance as Siegfried in Swan Lake as part of the Mariinsky’s three week London run of five different programmes. The news marked Parish as the first British dancer to be promoted to this rank at the Mariinsky, joining Kimin Kim of South Korea as the company’s only principal dancers from outside the former Soviet Union. Continue reading Xander Parish

There is no doubt that many international dance companies tour the UK as a result of the work of Dance Consortium. However it is also venues, young dancers and many others that also also benefit from its work, regardless of the fact Dance Consortium was established with the specific aim of touring international contemporary dance around the UK. Continue reading The work of Dance Consortium

Richard Alston, seen by many as the UK’s most musical choreographer, has chosen the music of Benjamin Britten, the composer he has choreographed to more than any other, to create the final work for his company. Shine On will have its UK premiere at Snape Maltings, the concert hall linked with Britten, this autumn before touring and running at Sadler’s Wells, London next spring. Continue reading Richard Alston creates final work for his company

To celebrate its 20th year, BalletBoyz returns in Spring 2020 with an all-new, live dance show Deluxe, which fuses dance with original music in the company’s unique style, including collaborations from some of the world’s most inventive and thought-provoking choreographers. Deluxe will embark on a UK tour from March to May, including three shows at London’s Sadler’s Wells in March. Continue reading BalletBoyz’ Deluxe

As part of its 70th anniversary season, English National Ballet will celebrate its history with three specially curated gala performances at the London Coliseum on 17 and 18 January 2020. Continue reading English National Ballet celebrates its 70th anniversary

Tom Dale graduated from Laban, winning the centre’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. He danced with leading choreographers and companies, including Mathew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, before focusing on creating his own work and forming Tom Dale Company. Continue reading Tom Dale – sounds to create movement

Step into Dance, a partnership between the Royal Academy of Dance and The Jack Petchey Foundation, works to provide dance programmes in over 200 schools across London and Essex. Throughout the year, approximately 6,000 young people from both mainstream and SEND schools participate in dance classes as a result of the Step into Dance programme. Continue reading Step into Dance

Looking at musicals set for film adaptations, there is always a huge amount of choice as to what will work well. Capturing the essence of the production forever is just one advantage of turning a musical into a film, with many successful examples existing already. Looking ahead, there are many set to delight audiences. Continue reading Musicals set for film

Lots of dancers may get the chance to compete in their lifetime, and competitions shift and change rapidly with what is current on the dance scene. Many judges may favour technique and execution over tricks, included in a routine to impress, sometimes at the expense of safety, whereas others may value this wow factor more over correct technique. Continue reading Competition technique