The year’s festival programme will soon be commencing.
A month to go before the kick-off for the International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014 when many of the greatest dancers, internationally renowned performing companies and leading choreographers will bring the city to life for four weeks of world-class shows.
Kicking off IDFB 2014 on Thursday 24th April at The Crescent Theatre is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s exciting programme of contemporary and traditional works. Pieces by one of the choreographic greats of the twentieth century, Sir Frederick Ashton, will be performed alongside World Premieres by two of the UK’s up and coming choreographic stars – BRB dancer Kit Holder and former BRB dancer and Affiliate Choreographer of The Royal Ballet and New Wave Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Alexander Whitley.
IDFB 2014 welcomes a new festival venue – Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, for Concert Dansé on Friday 2nd May. This ambitious remaining of Duruflé’s Requiem brings together – on one stage – the prominent Birmingham-based choir Ex Cathedra alongside the formidable Québécois dance company Cas Public and a talented cast of over 50 UK musicians and dancers. This brand new collaborative production will transform the city’s renowned concert hall as never before.
World Premieres also feature heavily on the IDFB programme at DanceXchange’s studio theatre The Patrick Centre. Rising star of South Asian Dance, Aakash Odedra Company opens a brand new solo show Murmur and Inked featuring the sounds and music of one of the world’s leading digital arts organisations, Austria’s Ars Electronica Futurelab. Midlands based choreographer Mickael ‘Marso’ Riviere’s Company Decalagepresent a brand new double bill featuring two exceptional talents: Lebanese choreographer, actor and dancer Guy Nader and extraordinary Egyptian performer and choreographer Salah El Brogy.
Festival highlights on Birmingham Hippodrome’s main stage include Sideways Rain from Gulherme Botelho’s Swiss Company Alias, Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot company presenting Tempest Replica inspired by the Shakespeare play; the return of French dance sensation Sylvie Guillem with pieces by Mats Ek, William Forsythe and Jiri Kylian; New Adventures energetic interpretation of Lord of the Flies;, breathtaking international Hip Hop displays at Breakin Convention and Sidi Larbi Cherkaou’s Argentine tango celebration, Milonga
New to this year’s IDFB is the weekly opportunity to ‘paint the town red’ with a series of social dance events celebrating a broad range of styles – from swing and lindy-hop to tango, capoeira, jazz fusion and house. Spaces across Birmingham will throw open their doors throughout the festival to host weekly public gatherings such as a Swing Dance Day, a Brazilian street party, a midnight tango milonga and a footwork fusion dance night.
As part of his international residency for IDFB 2014 New Zealand choreographer Corey Baker will work with members of the public and professional dance artists to perform ‘A Haka day out’, based on the traditional Māori war dance. He can also be seen on the streets of Birmingham City Centre performing his comical dance solo Headphones.
Concluding this year’s IDFB over four nights is B-Town – a major, free outdoor spectacle where pioneering performers from the world of street dance will transform Victoria Square. This electric new production features explosive dance from World B-Boy Champions Morning of Owl (South Korea) and an all star line-up from Funkstylerz UK collective brought to you by ProDance.
For the full festival programme and more information on International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014 visit www.idfb.co.uk – which together with 2014 Festival Listings also features a full video and photographic archive of previous years.