Sunday 1 – Sunday 22 May
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Information/Media pack International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016 Sunday 1 – Sunday 22 May In venues, streets and squares across Birmingham Winner of the 2014 UK Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance Winner Event of the Year 2010, The Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards Produced by DanceXchange in Funded by Partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome Introduction International Dance Festival Birmingham 1-22 May 2016 Three weeks of dance in May 2016 will reinforce the festival’s international reputation, with a hugely varied programme of dance performances from some of the most acclaimed international artists and exciting opportunities for the public to get involved. From intimate to large scale, on established stages to unusual and outdoor spaces, IDFB 2016 promises to get Birmingham dancing again! The programme will present an amazing variety of dance styles from contemporary, classical, hip hop, and flamenco, to a special three days South Asian dance focused programme. 2016 highlights include international dance companies on Birmingham Hippodrome’s main stage, DanceXchange’s Patrick Centre, The Crescent Theatre, The Birmingham Rep and Warwick Arts Centre. The festival’s headline outdoor presentation for 2016 will be The Machine Show, a dance-circus spectacular with live music by French rock dance band Rinôçérôse, Salah (France) and Melanie Lomoff (France). The biennial festival has been produced by DanceXchange in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome since 2008 and has received considerable critical and popular acclaim. The most recent festival in 2014 won the UK Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance. David Massingham, artistic director of DanceXchange and co-artistic director of International Dance Festival Birmingham, said: “IDFB 2016 will build on ten years of festival programming experiences and deliver another exciting line up of performances and events. There will be more world-class dance content from across the globe to look forward to, performances, community engagement and participation, talks and debates, city, region and world-wide collaborations, strong digital elements and more world premieres. IDFB 2016 will showcase Birmingham as one of the world’s leading dance cities.” Keep an eye on www.idfb.co.uk where more information about companies, productions, dancers, dates and prices will be announced over the coming months. International Dance Festival Birmingham 2008 - 2014 Headline Statistics IDFB has made its mark as a signature festival for the City of Birmingham, working with a multitude of critically-acclaimed artists, bringing people together, widening horizons, providing new experiences and contributing to the local economy. Since 2008: • 4 Festivals • 21 Festival Commissions • 25 World and UK Premieres • Artists from 36 different countries • 416 Free Events • 164 Ticketed Events • 172,000 audience members • 25,315 participatory experiences • In 2014 IDFB generated economic activity of £2.6million • In 2014 78% of attenders said IDFB made them more convinced that Birmingham is good for arts and culture • Winner: Achievement in Dance, 2014 UK Theatre Awards • Winner: Event of the Year 2010, The Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards MEDIA RELEASE Embargo until 8pm 17 November DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome launch International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016 at House of Lords At a glittering reception at the House of Lords on Tuesday 17 November 2015, DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome officially launched International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016 . Since the inaugural festival in 2008, IDFB has made its mark as a signature festival for the City of Birmingham, bringing people together, widening horizons, providing new experiences and contributing to the local economy. Produced by DanceXchange in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome, IDFB 2016 between 1 st and 22 nd May will enhance the festival’s reputation. Once again, the finest international companies will grace the city’s stages, distinctive new festival productions will enliven Birmingham’s civic squares and streets, and there will be a wealth of opportunities for people to take part. From intimate to large scale, established venues to outdoor places and unusual spaces, IDFB 2016 will capture the imagination of local residents and attract visitors to the city. In 2016, the award-winning biennial dance festival (UK Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance in 2014) boasts representatives from Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK and USA. The festival will present an impressive range of shows in traditional theatre spaces across the city, from ballet to neoclassical, contemporary to physical theatre, hip hop to flamenco and circus. There will also be plenty of free performances, helping to engage and enthral shoppers and passers-by, attracting diverse new audiences and creating a buzz on the city streets. David Massingham, DanceXchange’s artistic director said: “IDFB returns in 2016 with dance for all. If you’re new to dance or familiar with the dance artists and companies in our thrilling line-up, the 2016 festival promises to wow city residents and visitors to the West Midlands. The exciting and diverse programme for 2016 will see more new commissions, and an incredible 5 world and 6 UK premieres. It promises to engage people of all backgrounds in our international city as Birmingham continues to make its mark culturally and moves further into the 21st Century and the digital age.” Fiona Allan, Birmingham Hippodrome’s chief executive said: “It’s an exciting time to have moved to the city of Birmingham and Birmingham Hippodrome and I’m thrilled to be involved in my first International Dance Festival. Headlining performances at Birmingham Hippodrome include a mixed bill from Nederlands Dans Theater 2 , Carlos Acosta ’s classical farewell tour, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Ballet British Columbia ’s debut performance as part of IDFB. This stellar line-up, and more across the city, proves once again Birmingham attracts the very best in international dance to the city.” Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “International Dance Festival Birmingham has become a signature event for the city and we’re proud to be supporting its development. The festival creates new opportunities for artists, dance companies and producers, and offers audiences an exciting line-up of contemporary dance. Whether you’re a dance fan or visiting the festival for the first time, there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy.” Councillor Penny Holbrook, Cabinet Member for Skills, Learning and Culture, said: “Birmingham City Council is enormously proud of the city’s cultural sector and one of the many success stories is International Dance Festival Birmingham. The festival places Birmingham on the world stage which is why it was awarded the city’s signature festival status in 2014. Every two years, during IDFB, companies and artists flock to the city and closer to home many young people, schools and audiences new to the arts get involved through the festival’s community engagement and participatory events. Everyone is entitled to engage in the arts and at Birmingham City Council we salute IDFB for working on making this a reality. Long may the festival’s success continue.” Corey Baker, Artistic Director of Corey Baker Dance said: “Throughout IDFB, Birmingham becomes a home for internationally renowned choreographers; a shop window of artistic excellence for the public to enjoy, interact and engage with. The Festival is what brought me to Birmingham in the first place and it is exciting to be a part of it for a third time through the new Big Idea commission.” IDFB 2016 highlights: Renowned for producing large-scale work for outdoor spaces, IDFB 2016 will not disappoint. The world premiere of The Machine Show (Centenary Square, 11-14 May) is a brand new dance and circus spectacular, with dancer and choreographer Melanie Lomoff (France) and hip-hop dance icon Salah (France), headlined with live music by the French band Rinôçérôs . The programme will also feature the world premieres of two new touring works for outdoor places and unusual spaces, commissioned and co-produced by DanceXchange for IDFB. Both are winners of DanceXchange’s ‘Big Idea’ commissioning strand: The first of these ‘Big Idea’ commission winners is Corey Baker Dance (New Zealand/UK). Corey will present Phone Box (1, 4-14 May), a light-hearted solo using acrobatic and physical movement to bring to life the nostalgic British cultural icon, the red phone box. The second ‘Big Idea’ commission is the world premiere of UK’s ZoieLogic Dance Theatre Ride (11-14 May), a brand new, innovative work that tells the story of three strangers hitch-hiking on an unknown path – a journey entwined around an iconic, custom built car that comes to life and reveals its own hidden surprises. Cubes (17-20 May), another DanceXchange production taking dance to the streets, will be a daringly dazzling performance by dancers, runners and acrobats performing spectacular solos and duets on a series of cubes. IDFB will present World Premiere Sin Situlo by flamenco star Olga Pericet and Company in association with Flamenco Edition 2016 (The Patrick Centre, 17 & 18 May) More UK firsts during IDFB 2016 will include Ballet British Columbia at Birmingham Hippodrome (20 & 21 May). Under the leadership of artistic director Emily Molnar, Ballet British Columbia is a unique creation-based company of 17 dancers committed to innovation in contemporary dance. For the Company’s first performance at IDFB, Ballet BC brings a compelling program including Bill by Sharon Eyal, Emily Molnar’s 16 + a room , and Crystal Pite’s Solo Echo . Dance: SAMPLED , a Sadler’s Wells production will bring Birmingham Hippodrome’s main house and front of house spaces to life. First pioneered by the London dance house, Dance: Sampled lets audiences enjoy a selection of different dance styles all in one night, for a special low price. Audiences can expect to see some of the world’s best performers in an array of styles from hip hop to tango, ballet, contemporary and South Asian.