Posts Tagged ‘idfb2010’

Blaze to set Birmingham Hippodrome alight

International Dance Festival Birmingham co-producer Birmingham Hippodrome will play host to what The Times described as ‘big, slick and exuberantly delivered package of wall-to-wall dance’. Blaze – The Streetdance Sensation is at Birmingham Hippodrome for five shows from Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 October 2010.

Blaze - The Streetdance Sensation

Blaze is a breathtaking 90 minutes of pure raw energy. The show features a talented cast of street dancers and breakers from the Australia, United States, Philippines, France, UK, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands.
From hip hop and breaking to popping and locking, these dancers will perform spectacular choreography against a backdrop of advanced digital screening and fourdimensional lighting set to pulsating dance music.

IDFB caught up with two of the Blaze dancers – Caramel, who’s originally from Birmingham and Portugal’s Carlos Neto.

Also, Blaze features finalists from the hit BBC series So You Think You Can Dance?, Lizzie Gough and Tommy Franzén, so if you’re a big fan, don’t miss them when they come to Birmingham!

BLAZE the show – tour 2010/2011 from Blaze the Show on Vimeo.

Blaze is choreographed and directed by dance royalty Anthony Van Laast, whose long list of credits include Mama Mia! (both – stage and film); Sister Act (stage) and live music shows for Kate Bush and Mika.

Shows start at 8.30pm. Please note that there are early evening performances on Friday & Saturday, which start at 5.30pm.

Tickets are priced £12.50 – £30. Book online via www.birminghamhippodrome.com or call 0844 338 5000.

Get ready for DanceXchange’s Autumn season

In addition to working with Birmingham Hippodrome to produce International Dance Festival Birmingham, DanceXchange also presents fantastic dance at The Patrick Centre. This DanceXchange Autumn season is no exception, and with the return of a classic and a brand new work by one of the UK’s leading contemporary dance companies, outrageous dance comedy, explosive African dance and an absorbing solo work performed on a running machine, this season is short but very sweet. Here’s a round-up of what’s in store for everyone.

Kicking off the season is Edits (Thursday 30 Sept), a highly anticipated new work by choreographer Lea Anderson and her six-strong male dance company, The Featherstonehaughs (pronounced Fan-shaws). The showstylishly draws on the peculiar elasticity of filmic time, the dramatic rhythm of film editing, and the ability to heighten effect through extreme close up.

Edits

Then on Friday 1 October, The Featherstonehaughs will be performing a classic piece (originally created in 1998) The Featherstonehaughs draw on the sketchbooks of Egon Schiele, bringing to life the artistic vision of Austrian expressionist artist Egon Schiele. Both The Featherstonehaughs’ shows are an opportunity to see the all-male company perform without The Cholmondeleys for the first time in 12 years. If you book for both shows in advance you get one half price- a great excuse to treat yourself to two nights of outstanding contemporary dance!

The Featherstonehaughs draw on the sketchbook of Egon Schiele

In October, things get a little silly, when Britain’s funniest dance duo New Art Club perform This is Now (Thursday 14 October).Watch them deconstruct the first ever Now That’s What I Call Music album and get all nostalgic as Tom and Pete wrestle with classic hits from Duran Duran and Bonnie Tyler (to name a few!)…

New Art Club This Is Now

Moving on to Saturday 6 November, Tavaziva Dance’s critically acclaimed Wild Dog features high-octane performers capturing the beauty and elegance of one of Africa’s most endangered species. There is also a brilliant soundtrack to enjoy, cut and arranged by award-winning Zimbabwean-born choreographer/composer Bawren Tavaziva.

Wild Dog

The season closes with Eddie Ladd’s Ras Goffa Bobby Sands/The Bobby Sands Memorial Race (Thursday 11 November). This solo dance piece will be performed on a 12ft x 6ft running machine and follows the life of Bobby Sands, who died on hunger strike in the H Blocks in Belfast in 1981. Moving and compelling, this is a piece of dance unlike any other.

Eddie Ladd // Ras Goffa Bobby Sands / The Bobby Sands Memorial Race

DanceXchange Programme Manager Paul Burns said: “This Autumn season we’re continuing to present fantastic dance with a varied programme showcasing some of the best work currently being made in the UK. From the iconic Featherstonehaughs to the hilarious New Art Club we think there is something for every dance lover to enjoy.”

I’m certainly very much looking forward to all of these shows, which are going to be at The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome.

All shows start at 8pm – please check the website for age suitability and running times.

Tickets:

In advance: £10/£7 concession
On the day: £12/£9 concession

For ticket sales call 0844 338 5000 or to book online and for more information visit www.dancexchange.org.uk.

Still here…

Although International Dance Festival Birmingham 2010 has now finished, over the next few months we will be updating this blog with updates on what some of this year’s festival performers are up to, recommend some more fantastic international dance to see in the UK, and give a sneak preview to some of the exciting plans we have for future festivals.

IDFB is online

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.