Varna International Ballet, New Theatre Oxford, 30th January – 1st February 2023

Founded in 1947 and currently celebrating their 75^th anniversary, the critically acclaimed Varna International Ballet comes to the UK for the very first time. Renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, the company has been delighting audiences for decades at home in Bulgaria and abroad with its performances of the highest quality. At Oxford’s New Theatre the company will present its productions of three well-loved classics, Coppélia, Giselle and The Nutcracker.

Daniela Dimova Artistic Director

Peter Tuleshkov Music Director and Chief Conductor

‘We are thrilled to be bringing our highly talented company of dancers and musicians to the UK for the very first time. We can’t wait to perform for British audiences and to bring these magical ballets to life on stage.’  Daniela Dimova

Monday 30th January 7.30pm: Coppélia

Every toy has a story, especially in this charming comedy of errors, a witty combination of antics and abracadabra, set in a doll maker’s workshop. This light-hearted tale of mistaken identity and confused lovers follows mischievous Swanilda, her impetuous suitor Franz and the eccentric toymaker Dr.Coppelius as they are brought to life by sparkling choreography and the animated score of Delibes. Coppélia is perfect for first-time ballet goers, families and everyone in between.

Tuesday 31st January 7.30pm: Giselle

The most poignant of all classical ballets is filled with dramatic passion in a chilling and heart-rending tale of love, treachery and forgiveness from beyond the grave. The moving story of delicate Giselle and her aristocratic but duplicitous lover Albrecht is set to a glorious score by Adolphe Adam. From the visual splendour of the rustic villagers happily gathering the harvest at the start of the story to the eerie moonlit forest haunted by beautifully drifting spirits, this production is unforgettable.

Wednesday 1st February 2.30pm and 7.30pm: The Nutcracker

This most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family, set to Tchaikovsky’s magical score, begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. As snowflakes fall outside, the warm glow of the open fire sends flickering shadows across the boughs of the Christmas tree and all the presents beneath. When midnight strikes we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems, toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse-king and his mouse-army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins…

Venue: New Theatre, 24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG

Tickets: From £24.15 to £61.65 plus transaction fee of £3.80 Book online here

 

Rambert School presents Platform, Arts at the Old Fire Station, 26th January 2023

Join the next generation of artists from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance for a performance like no other.

Platform offers students the freedom to develop their own ideas, push boundaries and find their own unique style.

Don’t miss this chance to see the choreographers of the future display all the creative flair and fearless imagination nurtured at Rambert School.

Date: Thursday 26th January 7.30pm

Venue: Arts at the Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AQ

Tickets: Standard £13/ Pay more £15/ Pay less £11 – Book online here

Age recommendation: 12 years plus

Please note that the performance includes adult themes, and some flashing/strobe lighting will be in use.

 

First Look: works in progress for Dancin’ Oxford Festival, Pegasus Theatre Friday 20th January 2023

First Look provides a chance to get a preview of new dance work being created for Moving with the Times, the annual co-commission by Dancin’ Oxford and Pegasus Theatre for the Spring Dancin’ Oxford Festival. Four exciting dance artists/companies are interested in hearing your feedback on their works-in-progress. Expect to see Bharatnatyam dance, experimental music, drag, clowning, light displays, and hip hop fusion, telling powerful stories of identity. The final pieces will be presented on 3rd-4th March 2023.

This year our four featured artists/companies are Divija Melally, the fuse collective, Vita Peach and CTC Dance Company:

Divija Melally graduated from Bath Spa University, UK, with BA (Hons) Dance, and is trained in contemporary and Bharatnatyam dance. She is also a graduate of the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore, India. She has performed with leading dance companies across Europe and in India. For her Moving With The Times commission, Divija will create a dance work based around her own experiences of intergenerational trauma.

The fuse collective is an interdisciplinary collective made up of early career artists including Trinity Laban graduate and disabled dance artist  Lucy Clark, visual artists Daniela Zaharieva and Yi Ting Liong, and experimental musician, Philip Kinshuck. For the Moving With The Times commission, the fuse collective plans to create an immersive, interactive piece fusing dance, art and light to communicate what it is like to live with a hidden disability.

Oxford’s own Vita Peach is a graduate from Middlesex University (BA Dance Studies, First Class). Vita is an actor, a burlesque dancer and a drag king. For her Moving With The Times commission, Vita plans to create a humorous work drawing on techniques from contemporary dance, acrobatics, theatre, burlesque, butoh, jazz and clowning to create HUGO, a piece of movement theatre about a man who goes through a very extreme transition.

Christopher Tendai founded CTC Dance Company in 2017. Christopher started his career as a dancer on the West End and performed in many West End musicals including Hamilton, West Side Story and Cabaret. CTC Dance Company creates innovative dance productions on topics including mental health awareness and gender diversity. For the Moving With The Times commission, CTC Dance Company will create a piece exploring the relationship between a cis man and a trans woman.

Date: Friday 20th January 7.00pm

Venue: Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RE

Booking: Tickets are “Pay what you can” (suggested donation £5): book online here

 

Andy Solway presents 66 Dances, St Mary and St Nicholas Church Littlemore, 2nd-3rd December 2022

66 Dances is a challenge, a taking stock, an artistic collaboration, and a reflection on the world over the past 66 years. On 2nd December, respected Oxford based dance artist and improviser Andy Solway will be 66. Over 2 days in the beautiful setting of Littlemore Church, he will perform 66 dances, supported in this unique event by an amazing, diverse group of dancers, musicians and other collaborators.

Dates: Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd December. The performance runs from 9.00am to 7.00pm each day.

Venue: St Mary and St Nicholas Church, Cowley Road, Littlemore, Oxford, OX4 4PP

Tickets: FREE, but numbers are limited. Reserve your place on Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/66-dances-tickets…

You can donate on the door, or to the Just Giving page. All proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Research.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/andrew-solway-66dances-littlemore?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page/andrew-solway-66dances-littlemore&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=9ccdee8c943341f59d64676639a1d21a

Check out the Facebook event link for further information – https://fb.me/e/2nNOlIKQn

If you can’t attend, why not watch online? 66 Dances live stream:

Friday https://youtu.be/crOS9cOLDy4
Saturday https://youtu.be/ghRbpl4PZtM

 

DANSOX presents Jennifer Homans & Dame Hermione Lee in conversation on ‘Mr B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century’, Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, 24th November 2022

DANSOX joins forces with the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing to present two distinguished scholars in conversation, Jennifer Homans and Professor Dame Hermione Lee, launching Jennifer Homans’ important new biography, Mr B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century. An unmissable discussion of one of ballet’s most influential figures.

George Balanchine did for dance what Picasso did for painting: he changed the art and the way we see the human form. Homans follows Balanchine from his childhood in Tsarist St Petersburg, through the upheavals of the Russian Revolution, two World Wars, and the cultural Cold War, to New York, where he co-founded and ran the New York City Ballet.

• Jennifer Homans is the dance critic for the New Yorker. Her widely acclaimed Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet was a bestseller and named one of the 10 best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review. Trained in dance at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet, she performed professionally with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She earned her BA at Columbia University and her PhD in modern European history at New York University, where she is a Scholar in Residence and the Founding Director of the Center for Ballet and the Arts.
• Hermione Lee is a biographer and Emeritus Professor of English Literature in the English Faculty at Oxford University.

Date: Thursday 24th November, 5.30pm

Venue: Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DY

Followed by drinks reception; free and open to all.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jennifer-homans-on-20th-century-choreographer-george-balanchine-tickets-440915097927

Find out more and purchase Jennifer Homans’ book here

Read Maggie Watson’s account for Oxford Dance Writers of the 2017 DANSOX and Oxford Centre for Life-Writing collaborative event which also featured Jennifer Homans here

 

DANSOX presents Shobana Jeyasingh Dance discussion & demonstration of Clorinda Agonistes, Jacqueline du Pré Music Building 9th November 2022

Ahead of their performances at the Oxford Playhouse the following week, renowned choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh with dancers and artists of the company are invited by DANSOX (Dance Scholarship Oxford) to discuss and demonstrate the creative process for their exciting new work Clorinda Agonistes. The piece is inspired by the heroine of Claudio Monteverdi’s celebrated work, Il Combattimento, and the Tasso poem, based on the proud and fiery Muslim warrior Clorinda who defiantly refuses to reveal her name.
Followed by a Q&A session.

Date: Wednesday 9th November 5.30pm

Venue: Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DY. 

Reserve a seat: email susan.jones@ell.ox.ac.uk

 

Rendez-Vous Dance present What Songs May Do… Burton Taylor Studio, 4th-5th October 2022

Oxford Playhouse’ Burton Taylor Studio this week offers an intimate evening of dance with What Songs May Do… Revealed by Nina Simone’s songs, this highly anticipated duet by award-winning choreographer and Rendez-Vous Dance artistic director Mathieu Geffré exposes with an unapologetic passion the fractured relationship of a once romantic couple as they delve into their past in an attempt to rebuild their future together. What Songs May Do… is an inclusive dance piece that celebrates love in all its diversity.

What the critics say about Geffré and Rendez-Vous Dance:

“An artist with pedigree, bringing depth, experience and impactful movement quality.” Graham Watts, Dance Writer

“If you’re searching for that perfect balance between strength and grace, I strongly recommend Rendez-Vous Dance.” Chloe Fordham, Dance Writer

Dates: Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th October, 7.30pm

Venue: Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW

Tickets: £12.50, book online here

Duration: 60 minutes, no interval

Age: recommended 13+

Find out more about Rendez-Vous Dance here

 

Oxford Dance Forum presents Dance Scratch Night, Arts at the Old Fire Station 5th October 2022

Oxford Dance Forum (ODF) hosts another stimulating Dance Scratch Night at Arts at the Old Fire Station, an evening of new works in progress by local dance artists, with time for audience feedback and discussion. Oxford artists showing work in this edition are Andy Solway, Ayala Kingsley, and Ségolène Tarte, and ODF is also delighted to welcome visiting company Dew Dance from High Wycombe. Further details about the works in progress they will be sharing:

Andy Solway: Six from 66

Andy Solway has been creating improvised performances since the 1980s. The pieces in this Scratch Night are fragments from a two-day performance planned for later this year. 66 Dances is a challenge, a taking stock, an artistic collaboration, and a reflection on the world over the past 66 years. On 2 December, Andy will be 66. Over 2 days, 2 and 3 December, at Littlemore Church, he will perform 66 dances, supported by an amazing group of dancers, musicians and other collaborators.

Ayala Kingsley: Intermediary

This piece came out of Café Reason’s Starting from Zero lockdown project, where Ayala experimented with using everyday materials and objects to explore states of relationship, restriction, and transformation. It was then developed for Café Reason’s Virtual Diamond Night in March within the theme of Hidden.

Ségolène Tarte: Peregrine Suite (Excerpts; work in progress)

Different times, different places, different states of minds… There are so many ways to travel! Dedicated to all who yearn for travel, and particularly to those who find themselves constrained to traveling in their imaginations, Peregrine Suite is an evocation of travels in time, in space, and in minds; it spins a tale of connections with others, with the self, and with the wondrous. Let yourself be carried along this semi-improvised ambulation across ballet, butoh, and, contemporary; follow the spinners of tales…

Dew Dance: Under the treetops

Under the treetops is a contemporary dance performance, celebrating nature and the significance of trees, intertwined with stories of the community. Performed by Dew Dance, we explore how trees signify growth, sustain life and are a place of shelter. Trees are home. Originally choreographed for bespoke outdoor spaces, Under the treetops is undergoing further development and adaptation for stage.

Date: Wednesday 5th October, 7.30pm

Venue: Arts at the Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford )X1 2AQ

Tickets: £5 book here

Find out more about Oxford Dance Forum here

 

Body Politic presents theDECADE, 10th anniversary hip hop dance and theatre showcase, Pegasus Theatre, 10th September 2022

Body Politic is delighted to announce theDECADE, a one-night only hip hop dance and theatre showcase celebrating the company’s 10-year anniversary on 10 Sept 2022 at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford. The evening will include a restaging of Body Politic’s seminal 2015 dance film BREEZEBLOCKS, and a bespoke production created with young dancers of Oxford; it will also feature fun and energetic performances from London’s renowned Impact Youth dance company, Oxford’s street dance specialist Step 2 Dance, internationally renowned and multi competition-winning Definitives. Other guest performers include The Movement Initiative from Portsmouth, Oxford’s TPD Youth Company, Jayde Edwards from London and Jamaal O’Driscoll from Birmingham.

The audience will be invited to stick around for a post-show Q&A with Artistic Director Emma-Jane Greig, drinks and a live set by DJ SPINADA.

Body Politic’s Artistic Director Emma-Jane Greig said: “I can’t believe that Body Politic has been running for 10 years. I feel really proud of what a huge milestone this is. It’s been an incredible journey. And it feels really special to be able to come back to Pegasus Theatre, the heart of where it all started. Both as a young person performing on the Pegasus stage and later working as part of the Pegasus team. It’s where my inspiration and ultimately where Body Politic was born. I hope that many people can join us in celebrating the community, the place, and the people who have contributed to such a unique and special organisation that prioritises the creativity and empowerment of young people and their experiences.”

As a flagship female led organisation, Body Politic launched at Pegasus Theatre in September 2012. Since then, its work has empowered young people from under-represented communities through dance, on and off the stage.

From nationally acclaimed theatre productions THEM and Father Figurine, to community classes, young people’s leadership programmes, and initiatives such as Summer Camp 22 (supported by the Department for Education and Marcus Rashford’s Holiday Activities and Food programme), young people’s wellbeing and growth has been at the forefront of the organisation.

Georgia Bradley, Director of People, Programmes, and Partnerships at Pegasus Theatre said: “Our partnership with Body Politic feels so special. We’ve been working with them for 10 years and it’s been amazing seeing what this partnership has produced. They are such a key part of Oxford’s dance community and we’re proud to have them as our company-in-residence. We can’t wait to see what they’ve created this time!”

Date: Saturday 10th September 7.00pm

Venue: Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RE

Tickets: from £12, book online here

Running time: 120 minutes

Age Guidance: 11 years+

Find out more about Body Politic here

 

Physic: an evening of poetry, music and movement curated by Professor Alice Oswald, Oxford Botanic Garden 17th July 2022

Physic is a unique and special evening curated by Alice Oswald, the University of Oxford’s Professor of Poetry, as part of Oxford Botanic Garden‘s 400th anniversary celebrations. In this roving performance of music, poetry and dance, each artist responds to the Garden as a place of healing. The event will commence at 7.00pm, welcominng visitors to enjoy the Garden after hours, and will include a diverse range of performances from renowned artists that will include poetry, music and dance. The settings will be closely matched to the style of the piece, including music in the Conservatory, dance among the Herbaceous Borders, and performances in the Rainforest and Waterlily houses. This rotational experience will culminate in a finale in the Upper Garden. The event is supported by TORCH, the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities.

Confirmed performers include:

• Alice Oswald will be performing Against Leaves – a protest against deciduousness.
• Stevie Wishart will be performing her extraordinary blackbird transcriptions on violin, accompanied with poems performed by Alice Oswald.
• Saju Hari will offer danced interventions to the performances.
• Peter Oswald will be performing his poem-version of a story, Filo D’Oro and Filomena, collected by Italo Calvino, and several other flower poems written in Bristol.
• Erica McAlpine will be reading from a sequence of short rhyming poems based on the flowers she sees and grows in Oxfordshire.
• A performance of Kiki Katese’s work – more information coming soon.

Date: Sunday 17th July, 7.00-9.00pm

Venue: Oxford Botanic Gardens, Rose Lane, OX1 4 AZ

Booking: Tickets £20, book online here

Find out more about the event and the artists here