Live Brum: Birmingham Hippodrome Dance Events

Birmingham Royal Ballet - Far from the Madding Crowd, 20 Jun 2012 - 23 Jun 2012

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:34:19 +0000

20 Jun 2012 - 23 Jun 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

Passions run out of control in this balletic adaption of Thomas Hardy’s famous novel by David Bintley, Company Director and award-winning creator of the Company’s huge Christmas hit, Cinderella. An enrapturing story of lust, deceit and murder, with one woman at the centre of it all.

Bathsheba Everdene sends ripples through the lives of three men as they compete for her love. The dependable farm-hand Gabriel Oak, the dignified but obsessive William Boldwood and the dashing but deceitful Sergeant Francis Troy, all vie for the heart of the woman they love… Bathsheba’s complex relationships with all three leads one to death, one to madness and the other to true love.

Adorned in stunningly detailed period costumes and sets by designer Hayden Griffin, and with an evocative score by Paul Reade, composer of the Company’s Hobson’s Choice, Far from the Madding Crowd makes a very welcome return to the stage. If you are a fan of the worlds of Gone with the Wind, Cranford or The Forsyte Saga, this is a ballet for you.

Birmingham Royal Ballet - Summer Celebration, 27 Jun 2012 - 30 Jun 2012

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:38:07 +0000

27 Jun 2012 - 30 Jun 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

All aboard for the roaring 20s! The Grand Tour sees our heroine, a doughty American spinster, embarking for Europe. She can’t believe her luck when she finds herself on board with a feast of famous faces. However, it turns out that Noël Coward, Gertrude Stein and George Bernard Shaw, to name but a few, aren’t the friendliest of shipmates. Choreographer of many films and hit Broadway shows, American Joe Layton creates a genuinely funny take on the eccentric celebrities of the 1920s. Accompanied by unique orchestral renditions of Noël Coward songs, the critically acclaimed The Grand Tour makes a long-overdue return to the stage.

Faster, Higher, Stronger is a brand-new ballet from the award-winning team behind E=mc². After winning the last-ever South Bank Show Dance award in 2009 with E=mc², Company Director David Bintley embarks on a second collaboration with renowned Australian composer Matthew Hindson. This ballet of speed, power and athleticism will be a fitting creation for the leadup to London 2012.

The course of true love never did run smooth... certainly not in Frederick Ashton’s The Dream where a group mischievous fairies are involved! Having argued with beautiful Titania, Oberon, king of the fairies, seeks a suitable revenge. He orders Puck to transform a dopey local peasant into a donkey and cause Titania to fall in love with it. This he does, but things soon get out of hand – the over-use of a love potion hilariously embroils four poor mortals in the fairies’ games. Mendelssohn’s tuneful and instantly recognisable music becomes the basis for Ashton’s elfin comedy, as he shows his mastery of dance, theatre and humour.

Opposites Attract, 26 Sep 2012 - 29 Sep 2012

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:23:56 +0000

26 Sep 2012 - 29 Sep 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

Creating her first piece for a major European company, award-winning American choreographer, Jessica Lang crosses the Atlantic to make this ballet, jointly commissioned by International Dance Festival Birmingham 2012 and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Set to romantic musical miniatures by Norwegian master Edvard Grieg and with a hand-picked design team, Lyric Pieces promises to be one of the Company’s highlights of 2012.

Director David Bintley invites you to share his love of jazz and, in particular, the music of Dave Brubeck. In homage to one of his heroes, he created this sexy and energetic series of vignettes to some of Brubeck’s most famous tracks including, Take Five and Unsquare Dance.

One of Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen’s most famous works, Grosse Fuge is an invigorating and uplifting experience, that has lost none of its power over the last 40 years. The tension is palpable as four men and four women take to the stage, their gazes never meeting. Bare-chested, the men enter into a stern and muscular display. Ripping the men’s skirts from them, the women meet them on equal terms, and the two groups engage in a ritualised dance of raw power and sexuality.

Swan Lake: Birmingham Royal Ballet, 2 Oct 2012 - 6 Oct 2012

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:28:39 +0000

2 Oct 2012 - 6 Oct 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

A timeless story of good, evil and the all conquering power of love, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is without doubt the most famous of all classical ballets.

In mourning for his father, Prince Siegfried finds solace in hunting in the forest. He comes across a moonlit lake and is astonished to see one of the swans transform into a beautiful Princess. She is Odette, who, under the evil Von Rothbart’s spell, spends her days as a swan, returning to human form as night falls. Only the love of one who has never loved before can save her from this fate, but when the Prince is tricked into declaring himself toVon Rothbart’s daughter Odile,magically disguised as Odette, all hope seems lost.

Batsheva Ensemble - Deca Dance, 13 Nov 2012

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:50:40 +0000

13 Nov 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

Batsheva Ensemble is the younger wing of Israel’s outstanding and world class contemporary dance group Batsheva Dance Company and this is their first visit to the UK.

Led by choreographic supremo Ohad Naharin, Batsheva’s dancers were described as “acrobats of God” by the San Francisco Chronicle. Naharin has said of his dancers that he wants them to be “people that are connected to their sensuality, to their demons. People that are capable of laughing at themselves. Musicality, groove – I’m attracted to people with groove” and in the Ensemble he has selected dancers, aged between 18 and 24 and from countries around the world that are just that. Rarely will you see such urban, gritty and skilled dancers as these.

Deca Dance is constantly updated and so offers a fresh look at the work created by Batsheva every time it is performed. It is set to a sensational compilation of music ranging from The Beach Boys to Vivaldi and on to Dean Martin!

Batsheva Ensemble - Deca Dance, 14 Nov 2012

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:51:09 +0000

14 Nov 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

Batsheva Ensemble is the younger wing of Israel’s outstanding and world class contemporary dance group Batsheva Dance Company and this is their first visit to the UK.

BRB - Cinderella , 21 Nov 2012 - 9 Dec 2012

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:15:39 +0000

21 Nov 2012 - 9 Dec 2012 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

Neglected and abused by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella’s life is one of drudgery and hardship. Then, on the evening of an extravagant ball at the palace, amidst swirling,magical mists, her Fairy Godmother appears and casts a spell that will change her life forever.

Arriving at the ball in a beautiful dress, Cinderella draws everyone’s eyes to her, including those of the handsome Prince. He sweeps her off her feet and they dance the night away, until the clock chimes midnight and the party comes to an abrupt end.

Thrust back into her miserable existence, Cinderella can only dream of what might have been, until an unexpected royal visitor comes to her home, searching the land for the mysterious owner of a jewelled slipper...

Created for the City of Birmingham to celebrate the Company’s 20th anniversary in 2010 and televised by the BBC, Cinderella is stunning, and one of David Bintley’s most successful creations to date. With breathtaking designs by John Macfarlane, designer of the Company’s famous production of The Nutcracker, and music by Sergei Prokofiev, who wrote the beautiful score to Romeo and Juliet, this is one family Christmas treat you definitely shouldn’t miss!

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Aladdin, 15 Feb 2013 - 23 Feb 2013

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:44:31 +0000

15 Feb 2013 - 23 Feb 2013 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

A run-in with Palace guards leads young tearaway Aladdin into a whirlwind of adventure and romance, involving unbelievable riches, love at first sight, treachery, and of course a magic lamp, and all that it contains...

Duped into helping an evil Maghrib, Aladdin finds himself trapped in a cave for three days and nights, with no light and nothing to eat. But it is only when he attempts to light the old lamp he’s found, that his real adventure begins!

When he finally returns home, Aladdin’s mother thinks he is telling stories, but she soon finds out the real value of the battered old lamp he has brought with him. When Aladdin falls in love and lands himself in more hot water through his pursuit of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, his mother uses the lamp to secure his freedom and Aladdin wins the Princess’s hand in marriage. But Aladdin hasn’t realised that the Emperor’s chief advisor is the evil Maghrib, and his adventures haven’t ended yet.

Coppélia: Birmingham Royal Ballet, 4 Jun 2013 - 8 Jun 2013

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:09:39 +0000

4 Jun 2013 - 8 Jun 2013 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

What’s at the heart of a woman? Eccentric toymaker Dr Coppélius wants to know, and he’s planning to bring his mechanical doll, Coppélia, to life – he just needs the right spell.

When Dr Coppélius leaves Coppélia on his workshop balcony she’s soon causing quite a stir in the village. Particularly in the heart of redblooded young lover Franz, and the jealous mind of his real-life fiancée, Swanilda – who’s mistaken the mannequin for a crying, talking, sleeping, walking rival. With a wild mix of abracadabra, and some mischievous maidens, comic chaos is riotously unleashed when humans and automatons collide in Dr Coppélius’s spooky toyshop.

Birmingham Royal Ballet - Giselle, 19 Jun 2013 - 22 Jun 2013

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:19:19 +0000

19 Jun 2013 - 22 Jun 2013 - Dance at Birmingham Hippodrome

In a village deep in the mountains, two young people, Giselle and Loys, are deeply in love. But Loys has not been truthful with his beloved. He is actually Count Albrecht, son of the local lord, and is already betrothed to Bathilde, a lady, and his social equal.

When jealous Hilarion, a rival for Giselle’s hand, proves who Loys really is, and Bathilde arrives to claim her fiancé, the heartbreak is too much to bear. Driven mad by despair, Giselle takes her own life.

After her funeral, a sorrowful Albrecht visits her grave, but it is night and he is in terrible danger. The bitter ghosts of jilted brides rise and condemn him to dance himself to death. Only Giselle’s love, powerful enough to reach from beyond the grave, can save him; she must keep him safe until dawn breaks and he can escape, but dawn is many hours away...

With music by one of the 19th-century’s great ballet composers, Adolphe Adam, Giselle stands alongside Coppélia and Swan Lake as one of the most celebrated classical ballets. David Bintley and Galina Samsova’s stunning production, clad in gorgeous designs by Hayden Griffin, stays true to the classical spirit and steps of the original.