We preview some of the incredible shows coming to the south west
Are you a toe tapping dance lover? Do you enjoy ballet? Or, perhaps, contemporary?
Well, this year certainly promises to be an exciting time for theatre goers as a rich and varied dance programme is set to come to Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP).
The main Lyric stage welcomes back English National Ballet for the first time in 36 years with Body & Soul.
And then there’s The Dance Consortium’s UK debut tour of MÁM, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s spectacular Don Quixote and Matthew Bourne’s exhilarating The Car Man.
The Drum Theatre will be shining a spotlight on local talent with a showcase for Bloom alongside Into the Light which is running between 12 – 13 February.
It’s billed as being a ‘groundbreaking cross-art experience from one of the UK’s most acclaimed contemporary dance companies.’ It’s set to wow audiences with world-class dance and live music by Sean Pett.
PCK Dance’s Into the Light has been recently nominated for Best Independent Company and Emerging Choreographers at the National Dance Awards.
Theatre Royal Plymouth explains PCK Dance co-founders James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight are fusing ‘the emotional power of movement, the immediacy of live sound, and the visual impact of light into one seamless, cinematic event.’
Throughout the evening, composer Sean Pett performs live on piano, synthesiser and digital controllers.
It means the sound is being mixed, in real time, on stage which creates an immersive world of rhythm, energy and emotion that constantly shifts and evolves with the dancers.
The evening features two contrasting works: Vessel and In The Absence.
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote. Image: Johan Persson (provided by TRP)
‘International dance-theatre at its finest’
Looking ahead to next month and MÁM is set to be staged on The Lyric. Suitable for ages of 10 upwards, MÁM is billed as international dance-theatre at its finest and is described as ‘80 minutes of ritualised ecstasy’ by The Irish Times.
TRP describes the performance as a visionary piece of staging which ‘playfully and provocatively takes you on an otherworldly journey steeped in the landscape and culture of West Kerry in Ireland.’
It explains the staging is centred around 12 fearless dancers summoning a whirlwind of myth and magic which combines virtuoso Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley and European classical contemporary collective Stargaze.
Nominated for an Olivier Award, MÁM has enjoyed sellout performances at Sadler’s Wells, London and across Festivals world-wide. This rapturous production now embarks on its debut UK tour for Dance Consortium.
In the middle of next month, Richard Chappell Dance returns to TRP with Bloom which is billed as a powerful evening of dance by Devon and Plymouth based artists. It’s suitable for audiences aged 12 upwards.
At the heart of the evening is Challacombe Chronicled which sets out to celebrate the natural beauty of Dartmoor.
The performance includes powerful original poetry by Saili Katebe and live folk music by Ben Moss in collaboration with renowned musician Grace Petrie.
As part of the company’s Supporting Acts Initiative, Divija Melally presents The Skeleton is White.
A must-see for fans of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty
Drawing on her background in contemporary and South Asian classical dance, Melally explores how the present modern world affects our relationships to each other and our environment.
Completing the programme is Plymouth’s Rhythm City Dance with a new work by artistic director and choreographer Kadus Smith.
Meanwhile, the Birmingham Royal Ballet is returning to The Lyric, between 18 – 21 March, with performances of Don Quixote (suitable for audiences aged five upwards).
It’s the first revival of Director Carlos Acosta’s joyful production of Don Quixote which is inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel.
Birmingham Royal Ballet. Image: Johan Persson (provided by TRP)
It’s a chance for us to meet the famous knight himself, along with Kitri and Basilio and a host of supporting characters. All of it paired with spectacular dance and vivacious comedy. This is a must-see for fans of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.
Fast forward to summertime and ENB Body & Soul is taking to the stage at The Lyric between 30 April and 02 May.
It’s certainly set to impress audiences as Crystal Pite and Kameron N. Saunders create two powerful works which go to the very core of the human experience.
This bold new programme features the UK premiere of Body and Soul (Part 1) from acclaimed choreographer Crystal Pite, who originally created the piece for Paris Opera Ballet and has worked with companies across the world.
Conflicting impulses
This hypnotic work explores our response to bereavement and the resulting conflicting impulses. It opens with two dancers in black suits and white shirts, bathed in a stark light. They move to a voice, speaking in French, describing their actions.
As the words repeat, with loops and echoes, the duet swells to a crowd, seamlessly blending precision and fluidity and morphing to create mesmerising waves of movement across the stage.
Kameron N. Saunders has built a huge following as a commercial dancer for some of the world’s biggest artists, including Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan.
He is also a prize-winning choreographer who has created pieces for Joffrey Ballet and Dallas Black Dance Theatre.
For this world premiere, Saunders brings his fresh choreographic voice to a new work in three parts, inspired by his personal experience.
Saunders invites us to explore the battle to find our authentic self under crushing societal scrutiny – how we deal with judgements projected upon us, the decisions we make, and their impact on us and those around us.
Harold Walker III and Brandon Finklea compose a new score, performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic.
The Car Man: cigarette factory to greasy garage-diner from the fifties
And finally, a must see for Mathew Bourne’s award winning The Car Man which is being staged at The Lyric from 14 – 18 July (suitable for audiences aged 12 upwards).
Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera, The Car Man has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire.
The familiar 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory becomes a greasy garage-diner in the American Mid-West – where the dreams and passions of a small-town are shattered by the arrival of a handsome and enigmatic stranger.
Fuelled by heat and desire, the inhabitants are driven into an unstoppable spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.
Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most passionately dramatic scores ever written. A dance thriller is created with music by Terry Davies featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen).
Breaktime News recently reported on the financial benefits of the Theatre Royal Plymouth to the city and wider region.
