Masses of dancers move as a mesmerising whole. Bodies, fluid and yearning, are bathed in shafts of light. A single voice emerges, a lament that distils the magnitude of human suffering. A journey begins…
Crystal Pite, in her distinctive choreographic style, grapples with themes of safe passage, displacement, community and mortality. Set to Gorecki’s affecting Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, this award-winning work is a reminder of the power of human connection in our turbulent times.
0’s & 1’s traces the evolution of data and its impact on human life. The abstract nature of information is expressed through dynamic footwork, recited syllables, sharply etched hand gestures and creative use of props. The choreography blends ensemble sequences with narratives, bringing the concept of data to life.
Rooted in the movement vocabulary of Bharatanatyam, the performance incorporates veena, vocal, and percussion music, enhanced by an electronic score and data sonification. Combined with evocative projections and futuristic costumes, it creates an immersive sensory experience that brings the beauty of data patterns to life.
February 6th – 7th, 2025 Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER, Ghent March 7th, 2025 Festspielhaus St. Pölten, St. Pölten April 24th – 25th, 2025 Lieu Unique, Nantes May 9th – 10th, 2025 Sadler’s Wells, London May 14th – 17th, 2025 Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin June 24th – 27th, 2025 Théâtre de la Ville, Paris 120 minutes
Part fiction, part biographical, all elements are overlapping, and it will become difficult to determine what’s myth and what’s reality.
It goes back to a time when families worked in the abattoirs of Belfast. Pigs in the garden of New lodge.
There’s something in the meat of me, bloodline, there is a pink fleshy vulnerability to me, to dancing, there is a violence in me.
This new show will follow the story of Oona’s Great Great Grandfather Specky Clark and his arrival in Belfast.
For this piece which will be unfolding in a series of theatrical images, Oona Doherty will collaborate with many faithful and new partners. The production features music from Irish band Lankum, Gavino Murgia and David Holmes & Raven Violet. Maxime Jerry Fraisse is sound designer, Irish playwright Enda Walsh is dramaturg, Sabine Dargent is set designer, Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust is costume designer and long-time collaborator John Gunning is lighting designer. The piece will be performed by an international cast of 9 dancers.
December 2nd, 2024 – January 26th, 2025 Sadler’s Wells, London February 6th – 15th, 2025 Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham February 18th – 22nd, 2025 Theatre Royal, Nottingham February 25th – March 1st, 2025 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool October 9th – 26th, 2025 La Seine Musicale, Boulogne-Billancourt 2 hours 20 minutes incl. one 20-minute interval
The 30th Anniversary of Bourne’s Genre-defining Work
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake returns for its 30th anniversary with a 2024/25 UK tour. This audacious reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece caused a sensation when it premiered almost 30 years ago and has since become the most successful dance theatre production of all time. In celebration of that ongoing impact, Swan Lake will take flight once more in this major revival for the next generation, visiting 19 venues over 29 weeks.
Thrilling, bold, witty and emotive, this genre-defining event is still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turning tradition on its head.
First staged at Sadler’s Wells in London in 1995, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake took the dance theatre world by storm becoming the longest running full-length dance classic in the West End and on Broadway. It has since been performed across the globe, collecting over thirty international accolades including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
Matthew Bourne said, “As our swans take flight once more in this major revival, I’m full of anticipation for the challenges it will bring for our next generation of dancers and the wonder that it will bring to audiences who will experience it for the very first time.”
This festive season, join Clara on a fantastical adventure where anything is possible. Embark on a journey full of colour and wonder as English National Ballet brings Nutcracker to life with over 100 dancers and musicians.
It’s Christmas Eve in Edwardian London. Clara and her mother are shopping at Drosselmeyer’s Sweets & Delights Emporium where she meets an enchanted Nutcracker doll. They take home liquorice all-sorts, nougat, marzipan and of course, sugarplums, to delight their party guests. As music and laughter fill the house, Clara has a magical sugar plum vision, sparking an adventure in which she bravely defends her home from the Rat King before discovering a dazzling ice realm and its Queen. Step out of the ordinary and follow Clara as she travels to the Land of Sweets & Delights where the Sugar Plum Fairy has arranged a grand celebration in her honour.
Choreographed by English National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Aaron S. Watkin, and Olivier Award-winner Arielle Smith, this new interpretation of the classic festive ballet combines exquisite dancing with spectacular sets and costumes designed by Dick Bird. English National Ballet Philharmonic perform Tchaikovsky’s iconic score live.
From the orchestra warming up, to the final bows and applause, English National Ballet’s new Nutcracker is an unforgettable treat for audiences of all ages.
November 20th – 24th, 2024 Sadler’s Wells, London January 11th – 14th, 2025 Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris February 12th – 16th, 2025 The Joyce Theatre, New York April 10th, 2025 UCSB Arts & Lectures, Santa Barbara April 17th – 19th, 2025 The Kennedy Center, Washington 60 minutes
So that was where he came from, and the story puts in place several elements that went on to recur throughout Khan’s career: classical kathak, contemporary dance, commercial dance, famous figures, international touring, a strong technique and a compelling stage presence. Yet to “come from” somewhere is about more than personal biography: it’s also about cultural milieu.
A choreographer and dancer rooted in the tradition of his practice, and a creative interpreter of stories that need to be ‘felt’ – Akram has revolutionised the world of dance. His deeply moving style is simultaneously poetic, innovative and experiential underpinned by intelligently crafted narrative structures. With his bilingual mastery of Kathak and contemporary dance, he has developed a uniquely individual voice as a protagonist of cross-cultural encounters. It is this very encounter, that provokes a personal need for this new creation: a unique work featuring an ensemble of seven renowned artists of Indian Classical Dance (including Akram himself) and seven live Indian Classical musicians.
Drawing from his deep-seated connection to traditional practices and his ability to weave narratives through movement, Akram’s GIGENIS transcends time, invoking the collective memories of our civilisation. It is not just a performance but a profound statement — a testament to the enduring resonance of tradition in a rapidly changing world.
