The streets of Birmingham will come alive with dance next April when International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB), the UK’s biggest dance festival, takes place across the city. Now a well established, biennial event co-produced by DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome, IDFB 2012 will include a world-class programme of international performers, world premieres, new commissions and a range of participatory events in venues and public spaces across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The programme of the 2012 festival has been released for the first time, and performances include Canadian choreographer Dave St-Pierre’s (in)famous Un peu de tendresse bordel de merde!, Artifact by William Forsythe from the Royal Ballet of Flanders and TURF – a dance, break and parkour commission, a new commission from Australian artist Shaun Parker. Birmingham Royal Ballet will perform a new creation from US choreographer Jessica Lang,  whilst Victoria Square will host a huge outdoor finale to the festival, featuring dance, circus, live music and archetectural projections on the Town Hall. Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Breakin’ Convention, hosted and curated by UK hip hop theatre legend Jonzi D, and Sylvie Guillem & Russell Maliphant will all appear at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
Finally, The Patrick Centre will host a double bill from Canadian Louise Lecavalier, and David Toole, Lucy Hind & Remix Dance Company (South Africa), who will perform The Impending Storm.

You can view the whole IDFB 2012 programme here, and more shows will be announced soon.

The launch also saw the announcement of Home, a bold, inventive new production that will animate public spaces across Birmingham city centre in 2012. The final production will be based around the theme of ‘home’ and what it means to each of us. It will be developed using ideas, inspirations and choreographic material contributed by 1000 individuals through workshops, open days, and uploading films online. The performance below was a DanceXchange community group’s contribution, performed live at the launch.

Building on the success of IDFB 2010, which generated over 66,000 audience and participatory experiences, IDFB 2012 aims to create even more opportunities for people to get involved, and attract more national and international visitors to the city.

Artistic Director of DanceXchange and Co-Artistic Director of IDFB 2012, David Massingham said, “The city’s existing dance offering provided by DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome and Birmingham Royal Ballet has already created the biggest dance hub in the UK. IDFB 2012 not only creates a window to what is now a world centre for dance, but extends our reach to new, young audiences by breaking free from traditional venues and providing opportunities to participate in many different ways.”

Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome and Co-Artistic Director of IDFB 2012 added, “With IDFB 2010 creating £6.2m worth of economic activity, it is well recognised that this festival makes a significant contribution to the economic growth of Birmingham and the West Midlands. It is a great example of a successful partnership working to enrich the cultural offering in the city.”

Click here to download the full IDFB 2012 press release.

As we head into the most hectic and exciting period in the festival’s calendar, we’re looking for an agency or individual to support our in-house media and PR activity.

Building on the success of previous festivals, we want to generate greater profile and media coverage than ever before. If you have a strong track record in securing media coverage and a creative, “can do” approach to PR, you could be just what we’re looking for.

For a full brief and details of how to submit your proposal, please visit the Jobs section of the DanceXchange website, or call 0121 689 3170.

The submission deadline is 10am on Monday 19th September 2011.

First up, it’s Tom Chambers (Strictly Come Dancing winner and Holby City heart throb) and Summer Strallen (double Olivier Award nominee and star of Love Never Dies and Hollyoaks) in the legendary Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Hollywood hit Top Hat (30 Aug – 10 Sept). One of the greatest dance musicals of all time, this show is packed full of wonderful song and dance routines performed to a string of Irving Berlin classics (Cheek to Cheek, Let’s Face The Music & Dance, and Top Hat, White Tie & Tails).

Birmingham Royal Ballet delivers a packed season this autumn, opening with gothic fairytale Beauty and the Beast (28 Sept – 2 Oct) followed by Autumn Glory (6 – 8 Oct), a trio of distinguished ballets from the heart of this country’s rich heritage. Ninette de Valois’ choreography for Checkmate is a dramatic and stylised war of lust, trickery and betrayal, whilst the pared-down purity of Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations showcases technically brilliant dance from a master choreographer. Pineapple Poll is a 3-D cartoon classic set to a foot-tapping medley of Gilbert and Sullivan greats and featuring the comic choreographic touch of John Cranko.

Some Like It Hip Hop (11 – 15 Oct) is a show combining comedy, physical theatre, hip hop and a even bit of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night!  Starring Tommy Franzen (So You Think You Can Dance, Blaze, Goldberg), Lizzie Gough (So You Think You Can Dance, Blaze), and Teneisha Bonner (Into the Hoods, Insane in the Brain, StreetDance 3D, Shoes), here’s a preview of what’s in store for Birmingham’s hip hop fans:

Ballroom dance enthusiasts everywhere – get ready to Burn the Floor (25 – 29 Oct)! Visiting Birmingham direct from its electrifying run in London’s West End, this show sizzles with passion, drama and excitement delivered by 20 champion dancers.

For those of you who fancy your break dance and hip hop with a circus arts twist, don’t miss Cirque Éloize – ID (2 – 5 Nov). The scene is set in a place where identity is forged and individuality is expressed, all with amazing multimedia effects and a cast of sixteen performers!

Watch what happened when roving reporter Chris Unitt visited their rehearsals!

The final dance highlight on the Hippodrome main stage this autumn is guaranteed to get you feeling festive! Birmingham Royal Ballet presents the unparalleled Sir Peter Wright production of one of the most famous classical ballets of all time – Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (25 Nov – 11 Dec).

Check out the company getting the stage ready during the 2008 run of The Nutcracker.

Nutcracker technical preparations, November 2008 from Rob Lindsay on Vimeo.

Phew, what a season – all that’s left for us to say is get your tickets and we’ll see you there!

For times, ticket prices and more information, go to the Birmingham Hippodrome website.

Each year we need more and more people to work on what has become one of the largest dance festivals in the world. We’re currently recruiting for a Marketing Officer, Press Manager and Project Manager to work on next year’s festival. Following the success of IDFB 2010, these roles are a fantastic opportunity to work on a festival that is shaping up to be rather special.

If you are interested in one of these roles please visit our jobs page and download the application packs. For more information on any of the roles or the recruitment process please call 0121 689 3170

Meryem has been very busy. Not only does she perform, she is also the President of AR2D (Association Les Rencontres De La Danse) – a Moroccan group promoting contemporary dance. Since it was founded in 2002, AR2D has helped shape the choreographic landscape in Morocco and has established ‘Darja’, which is a bespoke space for classes and workshops as well as a place that is also dedicated to encourage artists to rehearse and exchange dialogues.

AR2D was involved with Lisières et débordements, which showcased Meryem’s work through screenings and performances. At the event, Meryem also brought together for a performance, for the first time, artists Amina Benbouchta, Hassan Darsi and Mohamed El Baz.

Keen to promote contemporary dance in Morocco, Meryem via AR2D worked in collaboration with l’Officinae – Atelier Marseillais de Production bringing ‘Miniatures‘ to life in which phase one was hosted, created and performed in Casablanca last year.

Miniatures was a week-long residence for artists who were given love and respect as a theme to base their final performances. So far, 10 ‘thumbnails’ have been made. Meryem said that Miniature Morocco is the first step towards a larger artistic and cultural collaborative project. The ‘thumbnails‘ will be developed in partnership with several structures and operators until 2013 with Marseille European Capital of Culture.

Meryem added: “The goal is to meet and interview artists in the Mediterranean basin on the theme of love… collect a multiplicity of visions from men and women, reflect and reveal the uniqueness of language, and poetic writings through the presentation of a particular work, a miniature.”

Our Facebook group is still very active and we’re really pleased to see our fanbase grow to more than 1,000 fans! So, if you’re a dancer or someone who just simply loves dance, please visit our page, like it, and tell your friends about it. If you want to see our photos, check out our Flickr page and for videos, we have a YouTube channel.

Q: What inspired you to create DanSense?
EC: DanSense was originally created for the first International Dance Festival Birmingham in 2008. It is inspired by the five senses and is a fun exploration of how we experience the world around us through them. We work with flowers for the smell, dresses covered in spoons as we explore taste and finish with water, which, for me, stimulates all five senses!

Q: You are currently rehearsing the piece – will it change significantly from when you first created it in 2008?
EC: Well I’m working with different dancers for this performance, and I like to work with each dancer’s individual energy. Everyone has a different way of moving – even just watching people on the street they all move differently. I like to work with this individuality rather than force a particular movement on a dancer, so parts of the performance are being re-worked slightly and will change from the original piece.

Q: What age group is DanSense aimed at?
EC: It is aimed at children of all ages.

Q: Why did you choose to create a dance piece specifically for children?
EC: I create a lot of dance pieces for children and families. People need to have stimulation throughout their childhood, and throughout their whole lives really, although it is especially important for children. Dance is just one way of doing this, but is perfect for young children. A baby’s first experience of the world is through movement and sound, not through speech, so using dance and movement is the perfect way to engage them and communicate ideas and imagery.

Q: Did you dance yourself as a child?
EC: I didn’t start dancing until I was around 21 or 22. I started to do puppet theatre then and took some dance classes to help with the movement. I immediately loved it and decided that dancing was what I wanted to do, so I changed my career.

Q: What was it about dance that made you want to change your career?
EC: I could see the potential it had – although theatre was great I felt dance had even more opportunity for expression and communication. Movement is fundamental and communicates on a basic level that words can’t, and also, the body is an amazing tool to work with.

Q: What do you feel the benefits are of being involved with an event like IDFB?
EC: Any international festival, in any city around the world, is immensely important as it allows the people of that area to see so many different kinds of performances they may never see otherwise. Also a lot goes on behind the scenes at an international festival like this – co-operation between companies and dancers, sharing ideas, changing opinions and meeting new people. Many new friendships are made and can often result in new collaborations further down the line. The festival will be an amazing experience for Birmingham.

The IDFB team is very much looking forward to Gnosis this Friday and Saturday at Town Hall. We got even more excited when we read the great reviews in The Observer and The Independent over the weekend.

The production is celebrated British choreographer Akram Khan’s first solo performance in four years following years of collaborative work with artists including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Nitin Sawhney, Sylvie Guillem and Juliette Binoche. Also joining Akram in this production is taiko drummer Yoshie Sunahata from Japanese company Kodo, plus an ensemble of musicians from across the globe.

Watch and listen to Akram talk about Gnosis.

And here he is talking about the Festival and audiences in the Midlands.

Don’t miss out on Gnosis. Catch it on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May at Town Hall at 7.30pm. Ticket prices between £12-£20.

This year is sampad’s twentieth anniversary of supporting, promoting and developing South Asian arts in Birmingham. We’ve recently returned home to the new and improved mac at Cannon Hill Park. And we’re also celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Indian Republic.

IDFB is a fabulous asset to the city. It really puts Birmingham on the map as a centre for dance, attracting big acts from around the world.

This year sampad is bringing in young rising stars of South Asian dance – Abhimanyu and Vidha Lal, a classical Kathak duo from Delhi, and the more contemporary Thresh Dance Company from New York. They are both well-established names, who have toured the world winning countless accolades, and represent the next generation of bright talent coming from the South Asian diaspora.

They are fantastic role models for any local budding artists, showing how you can use dance as a creative channel and make a successful career out of it.

We were keen to reflect the diversity of Birmingham and also the musicality of the city, because there is a great live music scene here, and dance and music go hand in hand. So, as well as dancers, we have brilliant musicians coming with them to accompany the performances and bring them to life.

I hope you can join our celebrations at what promise to be two spell-binding performances.

Catch The Absent Lover (May 13) and Kathak Duet (May 14) at The Patrick Centre, tickets £10/£8 conc.

Satnam Rana from BBC Midlands Today has been throwing some funky moves in her hip hop class, whilst Paul Sargent from Brewin Dolphin has been mistaken on several occasions for Gene Kelly in his tap dancing classes! Kate Lawler from Kerrang! Radio is getting into the Brazilian spirit at her Capeoira classes, and at her last class joined in her first Joda (pronounced hor-da).

Louisa James from ITV Central News is really starting to look the part as a ballet dancer and Keith Gabriel from Citigate has been leaping about the studio in his Contemporary classes.  Fionnuala Bourke from Birmingham Mail is looking very cool in her Club Jazz classes, whilst Jodie Schofield from Smooth Radio has been learning routines from films such as Bugsy Malone, Guys and Dolls and Sister Act in her Musical Dance classes.

It seems to be neck and neck at the moment, so they’ve got everything to work for in the final few weeks to try and win the IDFB Dance Challenge!