Dance is powerful and today is a day to celebrate all that it can do.

 

International Dance Day was introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Council to encourage people around the world to share in the magic of dance.

As a dance writer, dance teacher, dance student and dance fan, I am thankful every single day for the opportunities that dance has given me to thrive as an individual. Dance can move us, make us think and connect us to others. It can brighten the darkest days and inspire people of all ages to explore their creative and physical potential.

My own participation in dance classes as a toddler was pure serendipity, yet dance is an overwhelmingly important part of my life. For this reason, I believe that everyone ought to have the chance to learn to dance – and to watch and appreciate dance performances. The International Dance Council promotes International Dance Day to urge people who may not normally engage with dance to strive to do so. Dance has always featured in human culture but its significance is now often overlooked as an art form, particularly in education.

We need to remember that dance, in all its forms, matters!

 

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Little ones are sure to love Northern Ballet’s Goldilocks & the Three Bears.  

 

The classic story is the latest offering in the Company’s award-winning Short Ballets for Small People series. It follows the hugely successful tours of Ugly Duckling, Three Little Pigs, Elves & the Shoemaker and Tortoise & the Hare – all of which have been adapted for television by CBeebies.

With a running time of approximately forty minutes, these productions are especially created to introduce children and young families to the magic of live dance, music and theatre.

 

 

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Dance fans will be seduced by the world’s greatest lover when Northern Ballet brings its sensual new production to Milton Keynes Theatre.

The much-anticipated Casanova is award-winning choreographer Kenneth Tindall’s first ever full-length ballet. Now hot property as a dancemaker, Tindall was a premier dancer with Northern Ballet for twelve years before he retired from performing in 2015. This means he completely understands the internationally-acclaimed company’s ambition to tell stories that audiences can immerse themselves in and connect with.

Giacomo Casanova’s story is so sensational that it is hard to believe it is true. History’s most notorious playboy lived a life full of sexual conquests, scandal and adventure – and he wrote about it all in vivid detail in his memoirs.

Tindall, in collaboration with Casanova’s biographer Ian Kelly, has devised a scenario for his two-act ballet that will unmask the 18th Century Italian stallion and expose Casanova’s humanity. Between them, they have condensed twelve volumes of Casanova’s memoirs into 100 minutes of narrative-driven dance theatre.

 

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Blockbuster choreographer Matthew Bourne’s contemporary ballet version of classic dance film The Red Shoes will enthral audiences at Milton Keynes Theatre next week.

 

The quintessential backstage melodrama tells an intoxicating story of obsession and possession, chronicling the tragedy of a ballerina whose intense desire to dance conflicts with her need for love.

Following a sold-out Christmas run at Sadler’s Wells, Bourne’s New Adventures company is bringing all the glamour of the 1948 British film to audiences beyond the capital on an extensive UK tour. Predictably, tickets have been selling exceptionally fast and extra dates have already been added.

Celebrated film-making duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger combined glorious Technicolor wizardry with emotive and dramatic performances to create their seminal motion picture. An all-consuming love for the arts generally – and dance especially – is at the heart of The Red Shoes. Significantly, Powell and Pressburger devoted plenty of screen time to dancers, ensuring their cinematic ode to the agony and ecstasy of dancing is largely told through the medium of dance itself. No wonder Bourne decided the film was the ideal source material for his latest production.

 

matthew-bournes-production-of-the-red-shoes

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Prepare to be swept up in the magic of Christmas as English National Ballet brings its sparkling production of Nutcracker to Milton Keynes Theatre from Wednesday.

 

The Company’s dancers spent last week wowing audiences at Sadler’s Wells with Akram Khan’s Giselle.

Now, they are carefully rehearsing Nutcracker – the dazzling festive favourite which is guaranteed to enchant family members of all ages – to ensure their usual superb technique and artistry is showcased at its very best.

Masterful Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous score, Wayne Eagling’s exuberant choreography and Peter Farmer’s exquisite designs effortlessly transport us to a frost-dusted Edwardian London.

 

English National Ballet Nutcracker Scene

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