Birmingham Royal Ballet announces new season of shows

Speaking about the new season, Carlos said: "Bringing major new works to the stage will forge a new direction for this wonderful company.

"I plan to present international choreographers whose work will be new to British audiences. I want Birmingham Royal Ballet to be surprising and unpredictable, whilst continuing to be world class exponents of the classical repertoire that means so much to me personally.

"Continuing to drive, develop and support initiatives such as Freefall, Dance Track and First Steps connects directly with my desire to ensure the future, on and off stage, is more reflective of our experience and society today.

"I embrace this responsibility and hope to bring new audiences to ballet by being accessible, by nurturing talent and by creating opportunities to experience and be inspired by this beautiful art form, in many different ways.

"I am grateful to Arts Council England for their vital funding of Birmingham Royal Ballet and to Aud Jebsen, for generously supporting my artistic vision in my first year as Director."

The first chance audiences will get to see Carlos Acosta’s vision will be in June 2020. He has curated a three-week summer festival spanning London and Birmingham that brings together dancers, musicians, visual artists and writers who inspire him.

Created By Carlos will run at Birmingham Hippodrome from June 19 to 27.

The festival will also include a range of ballet showcases, including the world premiere of a new duet for Alessandra Ferri and Carlos Acosta by Spanish choreographer and resident at Acosta Danza, Goyo Montero whose work Chacona, set to J S Bach, receives its UK premiere.

The latest Ballet Now commission, Imminent, from British/ Brazilian London-based choreographer Daniela Cardim featuring commissioned music by Emmy Award winning composer Paul Englishby receives its world premiere, and Theme and Variations, set to the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite No.3 completes the programme.

All music is performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s acclaimed orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

For the second half of the Curated by Carlos festival, Birmingham Royal Ballet will perform Carlos Acosta’s production of Don Quixote at the Birmingham Hippodrome from June 19 to 27.

The show will open as part of the final weekend of Birmingham International Dance Festival which runs throughout June, celebrating Birmingham as a 'world leading destination for dance'.

This will be the first time this production will be presented in the UK outside the Royal Opera House in London.

Alongside mainstage shows in both venues, Acosta has invited acclaimed visual artist Conrad Shawcross to present his artwork, The Ada Project.

The exhibition will be open to audiences at both the Lilian Baylis Studio in London and the Patrick Studio in Birmingham from June 23 to 27.

Ada Lovelace, the Victorian mathematician, computer visionary and daughter of Lord Byron, serves as inspiration for the artwork, that sees a robotic instrument perform music.

As part of the exhibition programme there will be special evenings of talks and live music performances with the robot, hosted by Conrad Shawcross.

There will also be a panel discussion focusing on the music in the festival on June 12, titled Bach, Tchaikovsky and Beyond.

On the opening night of Curated by Carlos festival, Cuban/Iranian band Ariwo will perform in the foyer of Sadler’s Wells before the show and in the intervals.

The Curated by Carlos festival culminates in a free Family Day at Birmingham Hippodrome on June 27 with fun-filled activities and the chance to watch Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers in action.

Autumn 2020 will see a triple bill of shows from October 1 to 3, including Seventh Symphony by Uwe Scholz.

Scholz's work has never been presented in the UK before.

Kenneth Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet will come to the theatre, as well as David Bintley’s version of Cinderella.

In tandem, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s First Steps version of Cinderella for children aged three to seven years and families, will tour to Southampton, Salford, Birmingham, Plymouth, Sunderland and Bristol.

Additionally, there will be a tour in May 2021 which will include Jorge Crecis’ Ten, originally created for Acosta Danza, and a new commission to be announced shortly, bridging a gap for ballet provision in smaller towns and cities in the UK.

Venue and full programme details to be announced.

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s successful An Evening of Music and Dance will return to Symphony Hall Birmingham on February 12, 2021.

There are new partnerships in the pipeline including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire whose orchestra will perform for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake Dreams on February 23.

The orchestra of young talented musicians will have the opportunity to perform for a ballet for the first time, conducted by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Principal Conductor, Paul Murphy and led by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia's Leader, Robert Gibbs.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is also partnering with two Festivals in 2020, with Wayne McGregor inviting the company to perform his duet 2Human at Dance@Grange Festival on July 10 and 11.

Birmingham Royal Ballet will also perform for the first time at The Latitude Festival in Suffolk in July.

The company's Dance Track children will give end of year celebration performances at Patrick Studio in Birmingham on July 9, 14 and 16 with the Learning Engagement Access and Participation (LEAP) Ambassadors Celebration on July 17.

Freefall Dance Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s own company of gifted dancers with learning disabilities, returns to the Patrick Studio for its annual performance showcase on November 12.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Birmingham Royal Ballet moving to Birmingham.

To mark the occasion Birmingham Royal Ballet is refurbishing John Macfarlane’s stunning sets, supported by funding from loyal audiences.

Birmingham Royal Ballet will also be celebrating by partnering with fellow Birmingham arts organisation, Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage, which also celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2020.

The company will host a choreo-lab residency, bringing together two dancers and choreographers from both organisations to share practice and explore each other’s dance languages.

Celebrating the company’s rich history, Birmingham Royal Ballet will join its sister company The Royal Ballet and Yorke Dance Project at The Linbury Theatre from May 14 to 19 as part of an evening celebrating the choreographers who have shaped the Royal Ballet companies’ shared history.

The evening, titled Heritage, will feature Birmingham Royal Ballet performing Sir Frederick Ashton’s Dante Sonata.

Acosta’s first year will culminate in the company’s return to The Royal Opera House in summer 2021 after an absence of 20 years.

It promises to be a spectacular homecoming to mark the end of the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s 30th anniversary year, programme information to be announced.

In Birmingham Royal Ballet’s continued efforts to make ballet more accessible, in 2020 there are more than 20,000 tickets available across the season for £20 or less.

"This is just the beginning of the journey," Carlos commented.

"As I get to know the city of Birmingham and meet more and more artists from all walks of life, the more I see the opportunity to collaborate as a major part of my role.

"I look forward to announcing further exciting projects and embedding my vision and ambition in the very heart of this great city. Watch this space."

For more details on the upcoming season, click here.