Lucie Mirkova, BIDF Artistic Director said: “We are so excited that there is just one week to go! We can’t wait to give people a chance to experience incredible dance right on their doorstep. There will be exciting dance performances to watch and loads of opportunities to join in. It’s a wonderful chance to get together and for everybody to celebrate the city in an act of dance. We hope people will have a really good time while they are seeing and experiencing something new.

Theatre Programme Highlights include:

• Atomos by Company Wayne McGregor at New Alexandra Theatre on 1st and 2nd June. This is a rare opportunity to see this celebrated choreographer’s work outside London. Anticipate a beautiful exploration of movement, with cutting-edge technology using film, sound and light – where the audience wear 3D glasses for part of the show.
• Continuing the digital theme, VR-1 by Gilles Jobin & Artanim, 1st-4th June in The Patrick Studio. A fun and unforgettable, immersive Virtual Reality experience for everyone of all ages and abilities. Tracked by an optical motion capture system five participants at the same time become their own avatar and meet with five virtual dancers. Also in the Patrick Studio on 8 & 9 June is Vera Ondrasikova & Collective’s Guide, an audio-visual experience in which the audience are transported into a dreamy alternate world.

Outdoor Programme Highlights:

From 1st-10th June, the festival outdoor programme will transform Victoria Square, in the heart of the city, with a rich and exciting programme, sponsored by Colmore BID, that includes interactive performances, participatory events, and live music and performances from local and international talent. There will also be local foodie favourites including stalls from Digbeth Dining Club and bars from Moseley Folk plus Kaffeina coffee served from a vintage fire engine, creating a fresh and vibrant festival atmosphere.

• Opening the Festival Square on 1st June at 7am is Morning Gloryville, bringing their high energy, empowering, morning sober rave. Join in at any time for a full power morning wakeup. If the weather is looking rainy, there is an amazing indoor venue just in case. Banging beats, yoga and massage are included on this feast of a breakfast menu. This is a fun and healthy way to relax your mind, shake off your inhibitions and plug into the collective life force of the dance floor!
• Under the title of Birmingham Dances, the opening weekend 2nd and 3rd June will kick-start the outdoor festivities with a special programme of performances, participatory activities and playful interactive installations, interweaving dance, fitness and movement activities from local talent; featured spectacles such as Hoola Hoops with Marawa’s Majorettes, workshops in House, Waacking, Voguing, Swing with Swing Era, Northern Soul and Disco with Night Owl, all culminating with a fantastic evening Ceilidh with Moseley Folk.
• Midlands Made, a special programme celebrating the best of Midlands dance talent takes place 4th-8th June – supported with investment from Dance Hub Birmingham and West Midlands Railways. An open stage showcases a range of lunchtime and early evening performances with captivating multi-disciplinary artists and two special commissions. T-Break by Mickael ‘Marso’ Riviere, features four B Boys from renowned breaking collective MDK accompanied by Tabla player Mendi Singh, while the interactive performance Every Body Has A Story To Tell by Rebecca Randall asks members of the audience to offer short memories about experiencing change which Rebecca and her dancers will convey in movement.

The weekend 8th–10th June is the climax of the Victoria Square programme bringing the best of outdoor national and international talent, constantly challenging perceptions and dance forms with a lightness of expression and highly arresting and visually stunning performances. Highlights include:

• D-Construction, a high octane hip-hop dance performance with a powerful beat by Compagnie Dyptik.
• A fun and cheeky performance which combines circus and hip-hop from Simple Cypher
• Challenging head on the perceptions of a dancer’s body, Compagnie Didier Theron present the UK premiere of Air, a bold and playful performance where four dancers are dressed in inflatable latex suits which transform and magnify their movements. They will be bouncing into unexpected places around the city centre.
• Ofir Yudilevitch’s Gravitas is a breath-taking duet combining dance and acrobatics performed on an air floor mat. The performers explore and challenge the elemental force of gravity.