Birmingham Royal Ballet 2020-21 Season

[Orlandau]

From Birmingham Royal Ballet's February newsletter:

 

On Friday 7 February Birmingham Royal Ballet Director Carlos Acosta will be

announcing our 2020-21 season at a special event hosted at HSBC's new

headquarters in Birmingham.

 

We will be sharing all the details of the new season in a Season Launch Special

edition of our e-newsletter after the event this week.

 

I am very much looking forward to this, I can hardly wait to see what ballets will be performed!

[Jan McNulty]

They've already sent an email out announcing Cinderella in Southampton because the tickets are about to go on sale!

[Tony Newcombe]

22 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

They've already sent an email out announcing Cinderella in Southampton because the tickets are about to go on sale!

Probably a smart move while the success of last weeks Swan Lake is still fresh in peoples minds

[CCL]

Oh I hope Cinderella will be coming to London! 

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Tony Newcombe said:

Probably a smart move while the success of last weeks Swan Lake is still fresh in peoples minds

 

 I hope the fact that  ENB danced Cinderella in Southampton last autumn doesn't affect ticket sales..............

[maryrosesatonapin]

Wonderful!  I am suffering from Momoko Hirata withdrawal symptoms.

[Shade]

Is the BRB production of Cinderella the Ashton one Janet? I have not seen it before.

[toursenlair]

15 minutes ago, Shade said:

Is the BRB production of Cinderella the Ashton one Janet? I have not seen it before.

 

Bintley

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Shade said:

Is the BRB production of Cinderella the Ashton one Janet? I have not seen it before.

 

Katherine is correct it is SDB's very lovely production.  I can't wait to see it again, having enjoyed it so much last time around.  I'm also looking forward to the details of the rest of the season with bated breath.

[Tony Newcombe]

Tickets for Cinderella go on sale tomorrow 6th February!!

[Ian Macmillan]

In advance of a Press Release, this piece for tomorrow's Guardian mentions one of two things:

 

'I’m up for big crazy ideas!' Carlos Acosta's plans for Birmingham Royal Ballet | Stage | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/feb/07/carlos-acosta-announces-bold-plans-for-birmingham-royal-ballet

 

 

[Lizbie1]

Oh - I saw this earlier: https://www.brb.org.uk/post/2020-21-season-announcement?utm_source=brb-facebook&utm_medium=post-images-seasonannoucement&utm_campaign=sa-brb

[Jan McNulty]

PRESS RELEASE
7 February 2020 

CARLOS ACOSTA ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET 2020-21

 

Less than one month into his new job as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta announces plans for world premieres, classic revivals and brand-new partnerships in his first year as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Opportunity, talent and inspiration are the key ingredients that underpin his vision and ambition for the company. 

 

‘Bringing major new works to the stage will forge a new direction for this wonderful company. I plan to present international choreographers whose work will be new to British audiences. I want Birmingham Royal Ballet to be surprising and unpredictable, whilst continuing to be world class exponents of the classical repertoire that means so much to me personally. Continuing to drive, develop and support initiatives such as Freefall, Dance Track and First Steps connects directly with my desire to ensure the future, on and off stage, is more reflective of our experience and society today.  I embrace this responsibility and hope to bring new audiences to ballet by being accessible, by nurturing talent and by creating opportunities to experience and be inspired by this beautiful artform, in many different ways. I am grateful to Arts Council England for their vital funding of Birmingham Royal Ballet and to Aud Jebsen, for generously supporting my artistic vision in my first year as Director.’ Carlos Acosta

The first chance audiences will get to see Carlos Acosta’s vision translated to programme will be in June 2020. He has curated a three-week summer festival spanning London and Birmingham that brings together dancers and musicians; visual artists, writers and thinkers who inspire him under the banner Curated by Carlos (10 – 13 June Sadler’s Wells; 19 – 27 June Birmingham Hippodrome). The programme gives a unique insight into Carlos’ cultural influences and his vision for Birmingham Royal Ballet as a company hungry for creative collaborations. 

 

At the heart of the festival is a mixed bill of electrifying ballet that showcases Birmingham Royal Ballet’s versatility and includes the world premiere of a new duet for Alessandra Ferri and Carlos Acosta by Spanish choreographer and resident at Acosta Danza, Goyo Montero whose work Chacona, set to J S Bach, receives its UK premiere. The latest Ballet Now commission, Imminent, from British/ Brazilian London-based choreographer Daniela Cardim featuring commissioned music by Emmy Award winning composer Paul Englishby receives its world premiere, and Theme and Variations, George Balanchine’s love letter to classical Russian ballet, set to the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite No.3 completes the programme. All music is performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s acclaimed orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. 

 

For the second half of the Curated by Carlos festival, Birmingham Royal Ballet will perform Carlos Acosta’s stunning production of Don Quixote at the Birmingham Hippodrome (19-27 June), opening as part of the final weekend of Birmingham International Dance Festival which runs throughout June celebrating Birmingham as a world leading destination for dance (#DestinationDance). This will be the first time this vibrant and joyful production will be presented in the UK outside the Royal Opera House in London. This much-loved 19th century classic is drawn from Cervantes’ famous novel and set to Ludwig Minkus’s score. Don Quixote showcases the technical brilliance of the dancers, and is packed full of the the most exciting fireworks ballet has to offer - huge jumps, electrifying pirouettes and gravity defying lifts.

 

Alongside mainstage shows in both venues, Acosta has invited acclaimed visual artist Conrad Shawcross to present his artwork, The Ada Project featuring contemporary musicians responding to the movement and physicality of his robotic instrument. The exhibition will be open to audiences at both the Lilian Baylis Studio in London and the Patrick Studio in Birmingham (Lilian Baylis Studio 10-13 June, Patrick Studio 23-27 June).  

 

Ada Lovelace, the Victorian mathematician, computer visionary and daughter of Lord Byron, serves as a springboard for the artwork. Shawcross has programmed choreographic pathways, based on various mathematical aspects of her life’s work, for his robotic instrument to perform. Each pathway has been responded to by a series of music commissions by leading contemporary composers, including Mira Calix and Tamara & Mylo (see listings information for dates). Acosta danced with a larger robotic artwork by Shawcross as part of the Royal Opera House/ National Gallery Titian project in 2012. 

 

As part of the exhibition programme there will be special evenings of talks and live music performances with the robot, hosted by Conrad Shawcross. The talks series titled Meetings of Minds, sees Carlos Acosta inviting a number of artists, writers and thinkers to appear in conversations about their creative. Speakers include journalist, writer and presenter Mariella Frostrup, philosopher and author AC Grayling and novelist and journalist Howard Jacobson, author Katie Hickman and novelist, biographer and critic Miranda Seymour, writer of In Byron’s Wake, a book about Ada Lovelace and her mother. 

 

There will be a panel discussion focusing on the music in the festival (Lilian Baylis Studio 12 June), titled Bach, Tchaikovsky and Beyond. Chaired by Sarah Kirkup, with Paul Murphy, Principal Conductor of Birmingham Royal Ballet, composer Paul Englishby and James Murphy, and Chief Executive of Royal Philharmonic Society (further speaker to be announced). The discussion is supported by the RPS Drummond Fund.

 

On the opening night of Curated by Carlos festival, Cuban / Iranian band Ariwo will perform in the foyer of Sadler’s Wells before the show and in the intervals. The band combines traditional afro-cuban rhythms with hypnotic electronic beats and textures and carnival inspired melodies and improvised solos. Ariwo brings together acclaimed Iranian electronic composer and co-founder of Parasang, Pouya Ehsaei; Carlos Acosta and Irakere’s Latin Grammy winning 'percussion virtuoso' Hammadi Valdes; figurehead of London's Cuban music scene, Oreste Noda; and Tom Misch/Alfa Mist supporting  London based Jazz trumpeter, Sam Warner.

 

The Curated by Carlos festival culminates in a free Family Day at Birmingham Hippodrome on Saturday 27 June. Alongside the two shows that day of Don Quixote and The Ada Project exhibition, families will have the chance to immerse themselves in the world of ballet and explore Birmingham Hippodrome as the company animates and transforms the foyer spaces with a variety of fun-filled activities including costumes displays, arts and crafts, face painting, a talk for families by artist Conrad Shawcross, technology and art workshops, ballet training led by Birmingham Royal Ballet artists and National Youth Ballet, flamenco sessions, music workshops led by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, touch tours and audio descriptions for sight impaired children and adults, the chance to watch Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers take class and watch Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production team set up the sets on stage, and more.

 

For autumn 2020 a tantalising Triple Bill (1 – 3 October, Birmingham Hippodrome; 27 & 28 October Sadler’s Wells) features Seventh Symphony by Uwe Scholz (d.2004 former director of Leipzig Ballet) whose work has never been presented in the UK before, in a celebration of Beethoven’s music in the year of his 250th anniversary of his birth, this huge work fills the stage with 36 dancers; the world premiere of Ballet Now commissioned choreographer Morgann Runacre-Temple with 2019 Linbury  prize-winning design by Sami Fendall and a new music score to be announced; and renowned Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián’s epic and melancholic Forgotten Land, set to Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem brings the evening to a thrilling climax.

 

On tour Kenneth Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet, a ballet very close to Carlos’s heart, will travel to Plymouth, Birmingham and London in October; and in January - March 2021 David Bintley’s enchanting version of Cinderella. In tandem, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s fantastic First Steps version of Cinderella for children aged three to seven years and families, will tour to Southampton, Salford, Birmingham, Plymouth, Sunderland and Bristol. This is a unique children’s introduction to ballet including a charismatic storyteller who explains what’s happening and crucial mime elements, as well as the full Royal Ballet Sinfonia orchestra. Birmingham Royal Ballet is the only large scale ballet company to include a full orchestra playing for its children’s shows, rather than recorded music.

 

Additionally, there will be a tour in May 2021 which will include Jorge Crecis’ Ten, originally created for Acosta Danza, and a new commission to be announced shortly, bridging a gap for Ballet provision in smaller towns and cities in the UK. Venue and full programme details to be announced. 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s successful An Evening of Music and Dance will return to Symphony Hall Birmingham on 12 February 2021. Following the success and sell out of last year’s Royal Albert Hall concert, the Company has been invited back by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform with them at the Royal Albert Hall in an evening titled The Beauty of Ballet conducted by Music Director Laureate, Barry Wordsworth on 4 November 2020.

 

There are new partnerships in the pipeline including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire whose orchestra will perform for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake Dreams on 23 February 2020. This outstanding Birmingham orchestra of young talented musicians will have the opportunity to perform for a ballet for the first time, conducted by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Principal Conductor, Paul Murphy and led by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia's Leader, Robert Gibbs.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet is also partnering with two Festivals in 2020, with Wayne McGregor inviting the Company to perform his duet 2Human at Dance@Grange Festival (10 & 11 July). Birmingham Royal Ballet will also perform for the first time at The Latitude Festival in Suffolk also in July 2020.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet is committed to supporting and offering creative opportunities for local children and young adults. The company’s talent identification programme Dance Track visits a quarter of all Birmingham primary schools annually. Every year 80 children, aged six to eight, showing a natural talent for ballet join Dance Track and are given free weekly ballet lessons taught by Birmingham Royal Ballet staff, as well as free uniforms and ballet shoes. Talented Dance Trackers are supported to apply for both the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School associate programmes. These special programmes provide children with more advanced training to refine their dance technique and are the first step on the long journey to become a professional dancer. The Dance Track children will give end of year celebration performances at Patrick Studio in Birmingham on 9, 14 and 16 July with the Learning Engagement Access and Participation (LEAP) Ambassadors Celebration on Friday 17 July.

 

Freefall Dance Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s own company of highly gifted dancers with learning disabilities, returns to the Patrick Studio for its annual performance showcase on 12 November 7pm. Tickets will be on sale from June 2020.

 

2020 marks the 30th anniversary of Birmingham Royal Ballet moving to Birmingham, and what better way to celebrate than by returning to the Hippodrome and Royal Albert Hall with Sir Peter Wright’s version of The Nutcracker that he created as a gift to the City of Birmingham 30 years ago in 1990. To mark the occasion Birmingham Royal Ballet is refurbishing John Macfarlane’s stunning sets, supported by funding from loyal audiences.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet will also be celebrating by partnering with fellow Birmingham arts organisation, Sampad South Asian Arts & Heritage which also celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2020. Birmingham Royal Ballet will host a choreo-lab residency bringing together two dancers and choreographers from both organisations, to share practice and explore each other’s dance languages. Bharatanatyam dancer and rehearsal director with Akram Khan Company, Mavin Khoo, and First Soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Kit Holder, will spend a creative week at Birmingham Royal Ballet working on new choreography. They will share their findings with local colleagues at the end of the week (29 June – 2 July, sharing date on 3 July).

 

Celebrating the company’s rich history, Birmingham Royal Ballet will join its sister company The Royal Ballet and Yorke Dance Project at The Linbury Theatre in May 2020 as part of an evening celebrating the choreographers who have shaped the Royal Ballet companies’ shared history. The evening, titled Heritage, will feature Birmingham Royal Ballet performing Sir Frederick Ashton’s Dante Sonata (1940, performed at the Linbury Theatre, 14-19 May 2020).  

 

Acosta’s first year will culminate in the company’s jubilant return to The Royal Opera House in summer 2021 after an absence of twenty years. It promises to be a spectacular homecoming to mark the end of the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s 30th anniversary year, programme information to be announced.

 

In Birmingham Royal Ballet’s continued efforts to make ballet more accessible, in 2020 there are over 20,000 tickets available across the season for £20 or less.

 

‘This is just the beginning of the journey. As I get to know the city of Birmingham and meet more and more artists from all walks of life, the more I see the opportunity to collaborate as a major part of my role. I look forward to announcing further exciting projects and embedding my vision and ambition in the very heart of this great city. Watch this space.’ 

Further programme details will be announced in the coming months.

- Ends -

           

 

Listings Information 

SWAN LAKE, FIRST STEPS: SWAN LAKE AND SWAN LAKE DREAMS  

Until 4 April 2020

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa
Production: Sir Peter Wright, Galina Samsova
Designs: Philip Prowse
Lighting: Peter Teigen

 

Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
Tuesday 18 – Saturday 29 February 2020
First Steps: Swan Lake: Friday 21 February 2020, 4.30pm
Audio-described performance of Swan Lake: Saturday 22 February 2020, 2.30pm
(Touch Tour: 10.30am)
Swan Lake Dreams: Sunday 23 February 2020, 7pm
Relaxed performance of Swan Lake: Tuesday 25 February 2020, 12pm

 

The Lowry
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ; 0343 208 6000 www.thelowry.com
Wednesday 4 – 7 March 2020
Audio-described performance of Swan Lake: Saturday 7 March 2020, 2pm
(Touch Tour: 10.30am) 
First Steps: Swan Lake: Friday 6 March 2020, 4.30pm

 

Sunderland Empire
4-5 High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3EX; 0844 871 3022 www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire
Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 March 2020
First Steps: Swan Lake: Thursday 12 March 2020, 4.30pm

 

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR; 01752 267222 www.theatreroyal.com
Wednesday 1 – Saturday 4 April 2020
Swan Lake Dreams: Tuesday 31 March 2020, 7pm
First Steps: Swan Lake: Friday 3 April 2020, 4.30pm

 

A VALENTINE’S CELEBRATION OF MUSIC AND DANCE
14 – 15 February 2020

Conductor: Paul Murphy
Compere: Nick Owen
 

Birmingham Symphony Hall
Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EA; 0121 780 3333 thsh.co.uk/
Friday 14 February 2020, 7.30pm
Tickets from £15.50

Conductor: Paul Murphy
Compere: Dr Ranj Singh
 

Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre
University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL; 024 7652 4524 warwickartscentre.co.uk/
Saturday 15 February 2020, 7.30pm
Tickets from £15.50

 

HERITAGE: DANTE SONATA
May 2020
Choreography: Sir Frederick Ashton
The Linbury Theatre , Royal Opera House
Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD; 020 7304 4000 www.roh.org.uk 

 

SEASONS IN OUR WORLD | PETER AND THE WOLF
22 May – 4 July 2020

 

SEASONS IN OUR WORLD
Choreography: Laura Day, Kit Holder and Lachlan Monaghan
Music: Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
Designs: Spike Kilburn
Lighting: Peter Teigen

 

PETER AND THE WOLF
Choreography: Ruth Brill
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Designs: Spike Kilburn
Lighting: Peter Teigen

 

Theatre Royal Nottingham
Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND; 0115 989 5555 trch.co.uk
Friday 22 May and Saturday 23 May, 7.30pm
Matinee Saturday 23 May, 2.30pm
Tickets from £14.50

 

Norwich Theatre Royal
Theatre St, Norwich NR2 1RL; 01603 630 000 norwichtheatre.org
Friday 3 July and Saturday 4 July, 7.30pm
Matinee Saturday 4 July, 2.30pm
Tickets from £10 

 

FESTIVAL: CURATED BY CARLOS 
10 – 13 June 2020
 

Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Lilian Baylis Studio
Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN; 020 7863 8000 www.sadlerswells.com

Mixed Bill: Chacona | Imminent | Theme and Variations  

 

CHACONA UK PREMIERE
A new duet for Carlos Acosta and Alessandra Ferri
Choreography: Goyo Montero
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Costumes: Verena Hemmerlein

 

IMMINENT BALLET NOW COMMISION: WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Daniela Cardim
Music: Paul Englishby
Designs: April Dalton
Lighting: Peter Teigen

 

THEME AND VARIATIONS
Choreography: George Balanchine @ The George Balanchine Trust
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Designs: Peter Farmer
Lighting: Peter Teigen

Live music performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet's acclaimed orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia

 

Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Wednesday 10 June, 7.45pm 
Thursday 11 June, 2pm & 7.45pm
Friday 12 June, 7.45pm
Saturday 13 June, 2.30pm & 7.45pm

 

THE ADA PROJECT: EXHIBITION OPENING HOURS (Free Entry)
Lilian Baylis Studio
Thursday 11 June, 1pm - 7.30pm
Friday 12 June, 1pm – 7.30pm
Saturday 13 June, 1pm – 5pm

 

MEETINGS OF MINDS: Mariella Frostrup and Conrad Shawcross
Closing with a performance by Ada accompanied by live musician Mira Calix
Lilian Baylis Studio
Wednesday 10 June, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Ticket price £12, £10 concessions

 

PANEL DISCUSSION: BACH, TCHAIKOVSKY AND BEYOND
Chaired by Sarah Kirkup, speakers include Paul Murphy, Paul Englishby, James Murphy
Lilian Baylis Studio
Friday 12 June, 6.30pm – 7.30pm

 

MEETINGS OF MINDS: Professor AC Grayling and Howard Jacobson 
Introduction by Conrad Shawcross, closing with a performance by Ada accompanied by live musicians Tamara Barnett-Herrin & Mylo
Lilian Baylis Studio
Saturday 13 June, 6.30pm – 7.30pm

 

FESTIVAL: CURATED BY CARLOS 
19 – 27 June 2020
Birmingham Hippodrome and Patrick Studio
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com

 

DON QUIXOTE
Choreography: Carlos Acosta after Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Arranged and Orchestrated by: Martin Yates
Production: Carlos Acosta
Designs: Tim Hatley

Don Quixote is produced in association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. This production was first seen at the Royal Opera House, London on 30 September 2013.

 

Birmingham Hippodrome
Friday 19 June  – Saturday 27 June, 7.30pm
Matinees Saturday 20 June, 2.30pm and Thursday 25 June, 2pm
Audio-described performance of Don Quixote: Saturday 27 June, 2.30pm 
(Touch Tour: 10.30am) 

MEETINGS OF MINDS: Miranda Seymour and Conrad Shawcross
Patrick Studio
Tuesday 23 June, 6.15pm-7.15pm

 

THE ADA PROJECT: EXHIBITION OPENING HOURS (Free Entry)
Patrick Studio
Wednesday 24 June, 1pm – 7.30pm
Thursday 25 June, 1pm – 5pm
Friday 26 June, 1pm – 5pm
Saturday 27 June, 1pm – 7.30pm

MEETINGS OF MINDS: Katie Hickman and TBA
Patrick Studio 
Friday 26 June, 6.15pm – 7.15pm

OPEN DAY AND FAMILY EVENTS 
Saturday 27 June, from 11am

DANCE TRACK
9 – 17 July 2020

Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome 
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
North Celebrations - Thursday 9 July
South Celebrations - Tuesday 14 July
Central Celebrations - Thursday 16 July
LEAP Ambassadors Celebration – Friday 17 July

 

2HUMAN
10 - 19 July 2020

Choreography: Wayne McGregor

Dance@TheGrange Festival
10 – 11 July
The Grange, Northington, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 9TZ; 01962 791 020 thegrangefestival.co.uk

The Latitude Festival
16-19 July
Henham Park, Suffolk; www.latitudefestival.com

 

AUTUMN MIXED BILL
1 – 28 October 2020

Seventh Symphony | Morgann Runacre-Temple | Forgotten Land

SEVENTH SYMPHONY UK PREMIERE
Choreography: Uwe Scholz
Music: Beethoven

BALLET NOW COMMISSION WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Morgann Runacre-Temple
Design: Sami Fendall

FORGOTTEN LAND
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Music: Benjamin Britten

Birmingham Hippodrome 
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 October

Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN; 020 7863 8000 www.sadlerswells.com
Tuesday 27 – Wednesday 28 October

 

ROMEO AND JULIET
October 2020
Choreography: Kenneth Macmillan

 

Birmingham Hippodrome 
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR; 01752 267222 www.theatreroyal.com

Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN; 020 7863 8000 www.sadlerswells.com

 

FREEFALL
Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
Thursday 12 November 2020, 7pm
Tickets on sale from June 2020

 

SIR PETER WRIGHT’S THE NUTCRACKER
November – December 2020 

Choreography: Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Production: Sir Peter Wright
Designs: John F. Macfarlane
Lighting: David A. Finn 

 

Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB;
0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
Friday 20 November (PRESS NIGHT) – Saturday 12 December, 7.30pm
Matinees Saturdays at 2.30pm, Sundays at 1pm, Thursdays at 2pm, Tuesday 8 December at 2pm
Audio Described performance of The Nutcracker: Saturday 21 November, 2.30pm

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Royal Albert Hall present
THE NUTCRACKER
December 2020 

Choreography: Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon
Additional choreography and produced by: David Bintley
Additional choreography: Marion Tait
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Designs: Dick Bird
Lighting: Peter Teigen
Projections Design: 59 Productions Sound Design: Bobby Aitken 

 

Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP; 020 7589 8212 www.royalalberthall.com   
Monday 28 December, 7pm (PRESS NIGHT)
Tuesday 29 December, 2pm & 7pm
Wednesday 30 December, 2pm & 7pm
Thursday 31 December, 12pm & 4pm

 

CINDERELLA
January – March 2021

Choreography: David Bintley

Mayflower Theatre
22-26 Commercial Rd, Southampton SO15 1GE; 02380 711811 www.mayflower.org.uk
The Lowry
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ; 0343 208 6000 www.thelowry.com
Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR; 01752 267222 www.theatreroyal.com

Sunderland Empire
4-5 High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3EX; 0844 871 3022 www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire

Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustine's Parade, Bristol BS1 4UZ; 0844 871 3012 www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

 

MID-SCALE TOUR: Ten | TBA 
May 2021

Choreography: Jorge Crecis

 

FREEFALL
Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome
Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com
Thursday 10 November 2021, 7pm
Tickets on sale from June 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS: 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet
Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future. 

The company’s Director from January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta. 

Birmingham Royal Ballet performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. 

 

The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Britain's busiest ballet orchestra, playing for Birmingham Royal Ballet's wide-ranging programme. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with; The Royal Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and La Scala Ballet.

 

#DestinationDance

DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome and Birmingham Royal Ballet are joining forces to promote and celebrate Birmingham as a world leading destination for dance, with an exhilarating month of dance festivals running throughout June 2020:

 

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival – the UK’s biggest free annual hip-hop festival, produced by Birmingham Hippodrome, 29 May-7 June.

Birmingham International Dance Festival 2020 – Birmingham’s biennial signature festival, taking over the city’s theatres, streets and squares with show-stopping performances and breath-taking choreography, produced by DanceXchange, 5-21 June.

 

Curated by Carlos – In his first programme as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta will bring together dancers, visual artists, writers and thinkers in a series of interactive events staged around the Birmingham premiere of Don Quixote, at Birmingham Hippodrome 19-27 June.

 

Artist Biographies

 

Goyo Montero
Spanish-born Montero is an international award-winning dancer and choreographer. He trained under the legendary Carmen Roche and completed his studies at the Royal Conservatory for Professional Dance in Madrid and the School of the National Ballet of Cuba. As a choreographer he has presented his works at theatres and festivals across the globe, creating pieces for The Royal Ballet (UK), Compañia Nacional de Danza, Acosta Danza, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera of Kiel, Ankara and Izmir State Ballet, Ballet Carmen Roche, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Ballet de Teatres de la Generalitat Valenciana, to name but a few.

He became Ballet Director and Principal Choreographer of Nuremberg Ballet in 2008, and has since staged and developed over 22 productions for the company, receiving the Bavarian Culture Award in 2014 and the ‘Deutscher Tanzpreis’ (German Dance Award) in 2018 for Outstanding Development in Dance, alongside nominations for ‘Choreographer of the Year’ from numerous judging panels and publications. In 2019 he was appointed Resident Choreographer of Acosta Danza.

 

Daniela Cardim

Daniela Cardim is a Brazilian/ British choreographer based in London. She trained with Prof. Eliana Karin and danced with Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro for 5 years and with Dutch National Ballet, in Amsterdam, for 11 years. As a choreographer she has created works for Dutch National Ballet, São Paulo Companhia de Dança, English National Ballet School, Elmhurst Ballet School, Dutch National Ballet’s School, School of American Ballet (as part of the New York Choreographic Institute) and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

 

Her productions have premiered to widespread critical acclaim, most notably: Uirapuru for Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro; Vertex for New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT), performed at the Peacock Theatre in London, which was chosen by Dance Europe's Critics’ Choice Awards as one of the 'Best Premieres of 2017’; and What Got You Here, a creation for Dutch National Ballet Junior Company which premiered in Amsterdam last year before touring The Netherlands and being performed at the ROH Linbury Theatre in London.

 

Daniela is NEBT’s Company Manager and Choreographer and created works for the company in 2014/ 15 (for which she was cited as the ‘new name to watch’ by Dance Europe Magazine’s Critics’ Choice Awards), in 2016 and in 2019. Daniela has been a guest teacher with Rambert, Hong Kong Dance Company, English National Ballet, Akram Khan Company and the Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg. Upcoming commissions include a new work for Birmingham Royal Ballet as part of Ballet Now and a new work for Dutch National Ballet in collaboration with fellow choreographer Peter Leung. 

 

Paul Englishby

Composer Paul Englishby is a prolific and versatile composer, producing critically acclaimed scores for Film, Theatre, TV, Dance and the Concert Hall. He is best known for his thrillingly tense scores for BBC’s Luther series starring Idris Elba, which earned him a BAFTA nomination; his Emmy Award-winning jazz inflected music to David Hare’s Page Eight; his music for BBC’s The Musketeers; his beautiful orchestral score to the Oscar nominated An Education; as well as his many scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company with whom Paul is an Associate Artist. Recent scores include: The Inheritance for the Young Vic, The Witness For The Prosecution (Ivor Novello Nominee), Decline and Fall for BBC1, Pinocchio, a ballet for National Ballet of Canada choreographed by Will Tuckett, IMPERIUM and The Tempest for the RSC, the Feature film A Royal Night Out and the plays The Audience andSkylight, which were sell out successes in the West End and on Broadway. Paul studied composition at both Goldsmiths' College and at The Royal Academy of Music where he received the coveted Charles Lucas Prize for composition. He was recently made an Associate of The Royal Academy (ARAM) in the 2018 honours. His broad concert repertoire includes Orchestral and Chamber works, a Violin Concerto, String Quartet, an Oratorio, and pieces for community and school performance. Highlights of Paul’s work in Opera and Dance are Pleasure’s Progress and The Thief of Bagdad both for the Royal Opera House.

 

Conrad Shawcross

Conrad Shawcross’s sculptures explore subjects that lie on the borders of geometry and philosophy, physics and metaphysics. Different technologies and natural forces inspire his forms. Shawcross has paid tribute to some of the great pioneers and analysts, and considers specific moments or figures from the past. Paradigm (Ode to the Difference Engine), 2006 references the life of Charles Babbage; Slow Arc Inside a Cube, 2008 takes its inspiration from the scientist Dorothy Hodgkin’s discovery of the structure of pig insulin; and most recently, ADA, 2013 is named after Ada Lovelace, credited by many as the world’s first computer programmer.

 

Shawcross’s first public realm commission, Space Trumpet, was installed in the atrium of the refurbished Unilever Building, London in 2007 and won the Art & Work 2008 Award for a Work of Art Commissioned for a Specific Site in a Working Environment. He was an artist in Residence at the Science Museum, London (2009-2011). In 2012 Shawcross, along with Chris Ofili and Mark Wallinger, was invited to create works inspired by Titian’s masterpieces for the project Metamorphosis: Titian 2012, an ambitious collaboration with the National Gallery and Royal Ballet for the Cultural Olympiad. In 2017, Shawcross gave the annual arts, society and medicine lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine. 

 

Often working on an epic scale, his creations have been exhibited at Art Galleries, major institutions and public spaces across the globe. Recent commissions include Manifold 5:4, for the Crossrail Art Programme permanent display (Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station), Exploded Paradigm for Comcast Technology Centre (Philadelphia, 2018) and Beijing Canopy, a permanent commission for Guo Rui Square in Beijing (China, 2017).

 

Uwe Scholz

In 1985, at the tender age of 26, German-born Uwe Scholz became Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of the Zurich Ballet. After 6 years in Zurich, he returned to Germany to build and shape the Leipzig Ballet until his tragic and untimely death in 2004. During his impressive career, in which he was also a Director and Choreographer for Operas, and Assistant Director in film and theatre, Uwe Scholz created more than 100 choregraphic works. His main focus was always the score; he loved works by Bach, Bruckner, Mozart, Wagner, Schumann, Schubert, Stravinsky, and Bartok as much as contemporary compositions by Udo Zimmermann and Pierre Boulez.

 

Morgann Runacre-Temple

Morgann Runacre-Temple trained at Central School of Ballet and London Contemporary Dance School and was a recipient of Dance East Rural Retreat Award for Future Dance Leaders 16/ 17. She became Choreographer in Residence at Ballet Ireland from 2009- 2015, creating over five full length ballets including Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen and Coppelia.  

 

Now a freelance Choreographer and Movement Director working in ballet, contemporary dance, theatre, film and opera, Morgann has created work for Northern Ballet, Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballet Central, The Print Room, Images of Dance, Royal Ballet Participation, BBC Young Dancer of the Year 2017 and Wilton's Music Hall, and has worked with directors including Sam Brown (Barber of Seville, WNO), Jeff James (Persuasion, Royal Exchange Manchester) and assisted Choreographer Annie B Parson on the David Bowie musical, Lazarus, directed by Ivo Van Hove.

 

In partnership with Jessica Wright, she has directed and choreographed dance films including The Try Out(RANDOM ACTS/ Channel 4), The Last Resort (English National Ballet/ TATE Liverpool) and Curing Albrecht(ENB/ MIF) which won Best Film 2018 at NRDFF and Best Director at Portland Dance Film Festival.  

 

Jiří Kylián

The world-renowned Czech choreographer has been Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater for nearly a quarter century. After having created three ballets for NDT (Viewers, Stoolgame and La Cathédrale Engloutie), Kylián became the company’s Artistic Director in 1975 together with Hans Knill. In 1978 he and Carel Birnie founded NDT 2, meant to offer young dancers the opportunity to develop their skills and talents and focus on maturing their artistic personalities. In 1991 he initiated NDT 3; a company that created opportunities for older dancers. NDT stood out as the first company worldwide that showed the three dimensions of a dancer´s life. After an extraordinary record of service Kylián handed over the artistic leadership in 1999, but remained the company’s House Choreographer until 2009. To this day, Kylián’s masterpieces are frequently performed by numerous dance companies and schools around the world.

Since his last piece Mémoires d’Oubliettes for NDT in 2009, Kylián’s creative focus has shifted to more small scale projects and films. Kylián’s entire body of work counts 100 creations to date, of which 77 performed by NDT and no less than 75 were especially created for the company. Furthermore, he made pieces for companies worldwide such as the Stuttgart Ballet, the Opéra de Paris, the Munich Bayerisches Staatsballett, and the Tokyo Ballet. Kylián returns in 2020 with the NDT 1 program Sometimes, I wonder.

 

Jorge Crecis

Jorge Crecis is a dancer, choreographer, director and teacher. For the last 20 years, Jorge has been working to crack the secret of how to replicate altered states of consciousness through very accessible but highly effective body routines. He published his cutting-edge methodology in his PhD thesis (Goldsmiths, University of London), having started his undergraduate degree in Sport Sciences and contemporary dance at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. As a professional dancer he worked with many high profile companies throughout Europe, including Compagnie Thor (Belgium) and CandoCo (UK). Between 2008 and 2012 he combined his position as a full-time lecturer at London Contemporary Dance School in London and guest teacher at other international institutions.

 

Over the last five years Jorge has been commissioned by companies based in the UK, Europe, Russia, and China, and also regularly taught classes for companies such as Akram Khan Company, DV8, Punchdrunk, Rambert, etc. He has worked with dance personalities such as Carlos Acosta and music legends Paul McCartney and Natasha Khan. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

Well I am totally underwhelmed.

 

I love SDB's Cinderella and can't wait to see that again but R&J AGAIN in the Autumn?  No June season at the Hippodrome listed.  Another year of no mixed bill in the Spring.

 

I only hope the promise of further announcements brings some excitement.

 

(If it wasn't for the wonderful dancers I probably wouldn't bother.)

[Lizbie1]

27 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said:

In advance of a Press Release, this piece for tomorrow's Guardian mentions one of two things:

 

'I’m up for big crazy ideas!' Carlos Acosta's plans for Birmingham Royal Ballet | Stage | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/feb/07/carlos-acosta-announces-bold-plans-for-birmingham-royal-ballet

 

 

 

I'm a bit confused by this part of the article:

 

"In 2021, BRB will ... tour to smaller towns and cities that may not usually see ballet at this level."

 

Does this mean we can expect something along the lines of the midscale tours to be announced or does it refer to the Cinderella tour?

 

Edit: I've just seen that this refers to the midscale tour in May.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Lizbie1

[RHowarth]

Agreed - and such a long tour of Cinderella in contrast to opportunities to see other work across the country.

[Orlandau]

Maybe my expectations were too high - disappointed to say the least.

[Two Pigeons]

For anyone in the West Midlands area, Carlos is appearing on Midlands Today at 6.30 tonight.

[capybara]

I'm glad that BRB regulars have commented before me as I don't quite know what to make of  the plans and programme.

The rep. doesn't (yet) square with the vision espoused in the interview given by Carlos in today's Telegraph (see links) nor, even,  with the text of today's announcement. But perhaps we are expecting too much too soon. There are some works to please everyone, after all.

[Jeannette]

Did I blink and miss an Ashton?

[Jan McNulty]

13 minutes ago, Jeannette said:

Did I blink and miss an Ashton?

 

Who???

 

At least we've got Macmillan and SDB represented.  Acosta has danced in Ashton and hopefully he will remember that...

[Lizbie1]

I wouldn't call myself a BRB regular, but what depresses me about their recent programming is the feeling that - full-length classics aside - they're ignoring this fabulous wardrobe of vintage couture in favour of things they picked up at Matalan or Asos and will be sending to the charity shop in a couple of years. 

 

I know that ballet companies can't get stuck in the past and that there are many factors at play, but the last BRB mixed bill I felt enthusiasm for was three years ago.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Who???

 

At least we've got Macmillan and SDB represented.  Acosta has danced in Ashton and hopefully he will remember that...

At least they are showing Dante Sonata at the Linbury this season. Doesn't look so good for next season. 

[jmhopton]

David Bintley used to be a good curator for some more unusual Ashton that the RB have rather abandoned such as Pineapple Poll and Daphnis and Chloe. I've a feeling I saw both in a triple bill at Birmingham only a few years ago with (I think) Checkmate, another great ballet that no one seems to do any more. It's triple bills like this, interesting but a bit different that I think are great programmes whereas none of Carlos' triple bills seem to contain much of the heritage he pledges to preserve. None of them make me want to travel 100 miles to Birmingham or 200 miles to London. The only ballet that might tempt me is Themes and Variations. I'm not even a great Balanchine admirer so if that's the only attraction it's scraping the barrel for me. 

Also I think his small scale programme could be a big mistake unless he puts more traditional ballets with the modern ones already announced. Places that don't get much traditional ballet see the words 'Royal Ballet' and many immediately think tutus,  pointe shoes and classical music because they think thats what the Royal Ballet is all about. I know the RB Dance Bites programme suffered from this misconception when it used to visit Blackpool and possibly other places as well. People felt mislead. However, London City Ballet and ENB Tour de Force planned really good programmes for small towns with a great mixture of classical and modern ballets? and were really well received. 

[alison]

Ah, Poll is Cranko  

[toursenlair]

I would just like to point out that both Scholz's Beethoven's 9th and Kylian's Forgotten Land are beautiful ballets.

Calling Theme and Variations "scraping the barrel" leaves me speechless. But to each her own.

 

[alison]

What about the 7th, though?  

[Naomi M]

4 hours ago, toursenlair said:

I would just like to point out that both Scholz's Beethoven's 9th and Kylian's Forgotten Land are beautiful ballets.

Calling Theme and Variations "scraping the barrel" leaves me speechless. But to each her own.

 

 

You mean Scholz's Beethoven 7th? Yes this one is very beautiful and uplifting, a masterpiece. (Also Kylian's Forgotten Land is beautiful)

[Jan McNulty]

I've been mulling about the announcement overnight.

 

My main disappointments are the lack of a mixed programme in the Spring and the lack of a June season at the Birmingham Hippodrome.  I hope when details of the 20/21 Birmingham subscription tickets come out there will be something for June.

 

My ongoing whinge is that Autumn dates for both Sunderland and The Lowry have been dropped.

 

My minor disappointment is that R&J is being revived so soon, although of course I will still be going and enjoying the performances.

 

Another minor (for me) disappointment is that the home audience in Birmingham will not have the opportunity to see the mixed programme that is being shown in Sadler's Wells in June.  Thank goodness a friend and I have booked to go and see it.  Without having seen the other 2 works, Theme and Variations in worth the entrance money on its own!

 

The beacon of light in the autumn is the interesting mixed programme  which I am looking forward to tremendously.  I've never seen anything by Scholz and I am looking forward to 7th Symphony.  I love most of what I have seen by Kylian and Forgotten Land is no exception.  I love Morgan R-T's Kingdom of Back for Northern Ballet and am excited to see what she does for BRB.

 

I hope the proposed midscale tour really is that.  Last year's "local" offering had 2 good components in Seasons in our World and Peter and the Wolf but, apart from the fact that it was a ludicrously short programme, they did not meld together well to make a cohesive programme.  I won't be making the effort to go and see this programme again in Nottingham and Norwich this year.

 

Despite the announcements about world premieres and an exciting way forward, sadly this announcement does not reveal an exciting way forward at the moment.  I hope this is just a transitional year that we can get through and that there will be some excitement coming in the future.

[jmhopton]

11 hours ago, jmhopton said:

The only ballet that might tempt me is Themes and Variations. I'm not even a great Balanchine admirer so if that's the only attraction it's scraping the barrel for me. 

 

Sorry Toursenlair, I expressed myself badly there; a bit over dramatic! What I meant to say was that for me  the overall season is rather disappointing and as I am not personally a great Balanchine fan the fact that the only ballet that might tempt me to see anything was one of his is indicative as to how disappointing the rest of the offerings were though I am hoping to see Brandon Lawrence in Don Q though I'm not a great fan of Carlos' production. I do hope to see this triple bill at Sadlers Wells as when public booking opens I'm hoping to book for a couple of ROH triple bills on the 10/11 June specifically so I can see the BRB matinee at Sadlers Wells on the 11th. So hopefully I will be won over and enjoy the other 2 items on offer. I've also booked a tour round the costumes at Thurrock on the Friday morning so a great cultural few days!!

 

Apologies also for forgetting that Pineapple Poll is by Cranko. It's just it's so fun and light hearted it always makes me think of Ashton. I'm always getting it wrong.

[LinMM]

Like me stating on a Facebook post tributary to Kirk Douglas who died recently that he had terrified me in the film ‘Cape Fear’ only to be told that that was Robert Mitchum 🙄 

Need to read through it all again to see what is worth travelling to if not in London. 
I can see a couple of trips to the Mayfair coming up for ENB and now BRB though! 

Edited February 8, 2020 by LinMM

[Two Pigeons]

I watched Acosta being interviewed on both local news channel last night and I found his enthusiasm very appealing.  However, I am not that optimistic that he will be able to achieve all his aims.  He is undoubtedly a ballet superstar but, as he won't be dancing, I can see poor attendance being a massive issue.

 

The advance publicity for Don Q features the A team as far as I am concerned, Celine Gittens and Tyrone Singleton.  If this translates to being the first cast I would be happy to go out of my way to book to see them.  Ditto Delia Mathews and Brandon Lawrence.  The triple including the Beethoven's 7th also appeals but yet more Romeo and Juliet, probably without advanced casting, frankly just doesn't.

 

I can see the necessity of taking the company in a different direction, especially in these times of stringent financial limitations.  I really do wish him every success and this may be the only way to keep a company and orchestra of the current size together.  However, I do wonder what we will be left with in 3 to 5 years time.  He is talking about a ballet reflecting Birmingham's history and diversity as a city of a thousand trades.  Without wishing to be controversial in any way it may be worth pointing out that a significant proportion of that diversity holds both music and dancing as Haram.  

 

His enthusiasm and willingness to change warrants admiration but I think his task is huge.  

[Blossom]

I think there’s lots here to be excited about, living in London, I am pleased that there will be visits in June and October with mixed bills as well as bringing Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet more affordably to a London. For me, this means my daughter will get to see it for the first time, as, I am sure, will many other Londoners. Hopefully the Acosta name will draw people in to give ballet a go and actually, I think a good mixed bill is a great way to get people engaged. R&J and Cinderella around the country give enough balance for those who prefer story ballets or want to see the classics.

 

 

On that note, a little disappointed not to get Cinderella in London, prefer Bintley’s to Wheeldon’s offering shared by ENB in the summer. Hope it’s part of the summer 2021 programme at the ROH.