Pirouette into the new year with a wonderful roster of dance shows.
Besides revivals of classic ballets, there are new works from internationally acclaimed choreographers, chances to celebrate dance heroes of the past, and pieces offering a glimpse of the future, where art and movement combine. Pop our picks in the diary now.
Akram Khan’s Until The Lions
The first run of Akram Khan’s show sold out, but now Until The Lions is back. Combining kathak and contemporary dance to retell an epic Sanskrit tale, the story follows Amba, an unsung heroine of ancient Indian text the Mahabharata. This will be Akram Khan’s last ever performance, with only six performances in the Roundhouse main hall.
January 11-17, Roundhouse, roundhouse.org.uk
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet
We normally have to wait until Christmas for a Matthew Bourne ballet, but he’s delivering early this year with Romeo and Juliet running throughout August. We can rely on Bourne to tell Shakespeare’s tragic love story in a completely different way, with new arrangements of Prokofiev’s music, and set and costume designs by Lez Brotherston.
August 7-31, Sadler’s Wells, sadlerswells.com
Four Quartets
Three artists – a dancer, a composer and artist – come together to pay tribute to TS Eliot’s Four Quartets. Choreographer Pam Tanowitz and her ensemble of 10 dancers present an interpretation of Eliot’s four part poem to live music by Kaija Saariaho. Brice Marden provides an artistic backdrop to the piece, while actor Kathleen Chalfant narrates literary passages.
May 22-25, Barbican, barbican.org.uk
Damien Jalet and Kohei Nawa: Vessel
Near-naked dancers take over a flooded stage at Sadler’s Wells. In a piece inspired by the body being made up predominantly of water, choreographer Damien Jalet and sculptor Kohei Nawa blur the lines between humans and their environment.
April 16-17, Sadler’s Wells, sadlerswells.com
She Persisted
The English National Ballet first commissioned three female choreographers to create work celebrating women in dance with She Said in 2016. Now, their follow up, She Persisted, sees the dance company revive two pieces – Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Frida Kahlo biopic Broken Wings and Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) – and stage a new work: Stina Quagebeur’s Nora, inspired by Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.
April 4-13, Sadler’s Wells, sadlerswells.com
Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event
On the night that American modern dance legend Merce Cunningham would have turned 100, the Barbican celebrates the artist with 100 solos. Three stages host 75 dancers who will perform works that span an influential career, set to specially devised music.
April 16, Barbican, barbican.org.uk
Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote
Carlos Acosta may have retired from dancing with the Royal Ballet, but his choreography lives on. He has updated his Don Quixote, first performed in 2013, adding new parts into Act II, including on-stage musicians. Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova and Matthew Ball take to the stage in lead roles.
February 15-April 4, Royal Opera House, roh.org.uk
English National Ballet’s Cinderella
A sprinkling of magic brings the Brothers Grimm fairy tale to life at the Royal Albert Hall, with the help of nearly 100 dancers. Olivier Award winner Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography isn’t the only delight, as theatrical sets and costumes fill the auditorium to get Cinderella to the ball. The English National Ballet Philharmonic performs Prokofiev’s iconic score.
June 6-16, Royal Albert Hall, royalalberthall.com
Richard Alston Dance Company: Quartermark
The Richard Alston Dance Company’s reaches its 25th birthday in 2019, celebrating with two new works and an old favourite, Proverb, one of Alston’s defining works. New piece Brahms Hungarian sees the dancers swept along by rapid waves of movement, while Martin Lawrance’s new work Detour is set to a pulsing score.
March 1-2, Sadler’s Wells, sadlerswells.com
Ballet Black: Double Bill
Back at the Barbican after last year's hugely popular run, Ballet Black brings a double bill of works by company dancer Mthuthuzeli November, imagining the struggles of black South African miners striking in 1946, followed by an upbeat piece by choreographer Luca Silvestrini.
March 14-17, Barbican, barbican.org.uk
Royal Ballet’s Asphodel Meadows / The Two Pigeons
The Royal Ballet’s founder choreographer Frederick Ashton created The Two Pigeons in 1961, depicting a brief flirtation that threatens a young couple’s relationship. Nearly 60 years later, the piece is set alongside Liam Scarlett’s Asphodel Meadows, which shows how Ashton’s legacy lives on in the contemporary Royal Ballet’s style.
January 18-February 13, Royal Opera House, roh.org.uk
INALA
South African and Western cultures combine for INALA (meaning “abundance of goodwill” in Zulu). Performing to music by the Soweto Gospel Choir, dancers from Rambert and the Royal Ballet combine Zulu traditional rhythms with passionate dance.
April 30-May 18, Peacock Theatre, peacocktheatre.com
BalletBoyz: Them/Us
Exploring the fine line between “them” and us”, Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography marries with collaborative movement showing both the individuality and connection of the BalletBoyz dancers. It asks how we see ourselves in relation to one another.
March 5-9, Sadler’s Wells, sadlerswells.com
Beats on Pointe
Street dance and ballet meet as 16 dancers present a high-energy fusion of styles. With singing, beatboxing, humour and freestyle set to a range of music from across the eras, Beats on Pointe defies categorisation.
May 21-June 16, Peacock Theatre, peacocktheatre.com
A few more picks from our dance critic Emma Byrne:
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: New Piece I — Since She
Artist-turned-dancemaker Dimitris Papaioannou has created the first full-length work by a guest choreographer for Pina Bausch’s legendary company. Set to music that includes Bach, Prokofiev, Wagner and Tom Waits, the work’s 17 dancers will tumble down towering blocks of grey foam.
February 14-17, Sadler's Wells, sadlerswells.com
Royal Ballet: Mixed programme
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui creates his first piece for the Royal Ballet alongside hits by Christopher Wheeldon and Crystal Pite. Details are currently under wraps, but the visionary choreographer has previously used three tons of clay, pole-vaulting monks and giant carbon fibres.
May 8-21, Royal Opera House, roh.org.uk
