Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company: Quimeras 23 November - 1 December 2012
Legendary guitarist, composer, dramatist and producer Paco Peña presents his 2010 work Quimeras, directed by Southbank Centre artistic director Jude Kelly.
Exploring the lure of travel and the dream of a better life, Quimeras tells the story of a group of migrants who have come to Spain from Africa in search of work.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Peña has expanded the possibilities of flamenco and changed perceptions of the art form by mining the richness of its traditions while continuing to be inspired by contemporary culture. With Quimeras, he draws on his own experience of living in Andalusia, a gateway to Europe for many north African immigrants.
The result is a marriage of both traditional Spanish and African music and dance, creating a spectacle of virtuoso performances and intimate storytelling which was described as “breathtakingly beautiful” (Daily Telegraph) after its world premiere two years ago.
When a young boy’s snowman comes to life on Christmas Eve, the two set off on a night-time quest for adventure. On their travels they meet dancing penguins, reindeer and naturally, Father Christmas. Watch spellbound as the Snowman flies through the night sky above you, before escaping the clutches of the evil Jack Frost to return home for Christmas morning.
Featuring Howard Blake’s beautiful Walking In the Air, performed by a live orchestra, choreographed by Robert North and directed by Bill Alexander, this is the perfect Christmas treat for all the family.
New Adventures’ 25th birthday culminates with the world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s latest re-imagining of a ballet classic.
Sleeping Beauty sees Bourne return to the music of Tchaikovsky to complete the trio of ballet masterworks that started with Nutcracker! and the international smash hit, Swan Lake.
This timeless fairy tale, about a young girl cursed to sleep for 100 years, was turned into a legendary ballet in 1890. We meet our heroine, Aurora, at her Christening, when fairies and vampires fed the gothic imagination, before the story moves forward a century to the modern day.
Featuring designs by Olivier Award-winners Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting) with sound design by Paul Groothuis, which will take the audience into the heart of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score in specially recorded surround sound.
After wowing audiences at the Peacock Theatre in 2011, Argentina’s hottest dance company Tango Fire returns to London with its latest smash-hit production, Flames of Desire.
With some of the speediest footwork and tightest twirling in the business, this sizzling show takes you on a seductive journey through the history of tango – tracing its roots in Buenos Aires before moving through the decades to showcase its growing popularity as a contemporary dance form. Featuring its next generation of extraordinary dancers, including four world tango champions and Quarteto Fuego, the company's quartet of brilliant musicians, Flames of Desire combines the rawness, sophistication and sexiness of tango in an evening of authentic Argentinean dance and intoxicating passion.
After impressing London audiences last year with their raw athleticism and Cuban charm, the cast of Ballet Revolución are back with a bang as they return to Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre for a limited three-week run.
Described as “dazzlingly fast-paced, humorous and sizzlingly hot-blooded” (Daily Express), Ballet Revolución is an explosive fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and hip hop, performed by a company of supremely talented Cuban dancers, many of whom have trained at Cuba’s most prestigious conservatoires such as the Escuela Nacional de Arte. Watch as they burst onto the stage with breathtaking twists, audacious jumps and sensual moves in this adrenaline-fuelled dance sensation, to a soundtrack of popular hits from Shakira, Beyoncé, J-Lo and many more, played by the Ballet Revolución live band.