Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection

Birmingham Royal Ballet bring Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection to the New Theatre, Peterborough 3 & 4 May.

Birmingham Royal Ballet will visit Peterborough for the first time when they arrive at the New Theatre on 3 and 4 May with Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection – a brilliant gala celebration of classical ballet. From sensational, heart- stopping moments to comic masterpieces, there’s instantly recognisable music and dance that will bring the house down.

The show is full to the brim of sparkling classical highlights that include: Frederick Ashton’s
exquisite Rhapsody (Rachmaninov), created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier; Carlos’s own temperature- raising Carmen (after Bizet); Ben Van Cauwenbergh’s popular French chanson- inspired Je ne regrette rien (Edith Piaf) and Les Bourgeois (Jacques Brel); Carlos’s new interpretation of Fokine’s The Dying Swan (Saint-Saëns), and spectacular pas de deux from Bournonville’s delightful La Sylphide; the explosive Diana and Actaeon; and the iconic Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky).

BRB2, the new company created by the acclaimed Birmingham Royal Ballet, under the directorship of internationally – renowned ballet star Carlos Acosta, features talented young dancers selected from across the globe.

The gala performance has been specially created to provide opportunities for the young company to sparkle in a series of dance gems.

Speaking of BRB2’s inaugural tour, Carlos Acosta says:

‘The programme is a great combination of classical pieces, some neo-classical, and some contemporary. There is a real range of works, many of which are new to our company, so there is plenty for audiences old and new to enjoy.

‘That’s why we’re doing this show. We want to connect with different audiences who perhaps haven’t seen us before and give them an evening of great entertainment.

‘I’m always looking out for new audiences, for new cities and new theatres. We are a touring company – so let’s tour to new places to bring our repertory to new people. It’s an important part of my vision for the company: to keep surprising people – to create new works, to develop our dancers and to bring more and more people to watch us perform.’

Launched earlier this year, BRB2 seeks out some of the best young ballet graduates from schools around the world to join a two-year performance programme. Offering opportunities for those dancers, as part of the main company and with work specifically chosen for them, the programme aims to encourage and promote excellence.

‘The formula of BRB2 is perfect to develop dancers,’ says Carlos.

‘Normally when you bring in new dancers to a company, it takes longer for them to develop before they can move in rank and dance the major roles.

‘With BRB2 they will be covering largescale productions like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, but on top of that they have a repertory tailor-made for them so they develop more rapidly. It is a scheme that attracts a lot of talent because they have the best of both worlds.

‘We are looking right around the world for dancers because I want to give dancers from diverse backgrounds a chance. We have had a lot of interest and have brought in some very talented young dancers. They may not all stay with BRB, but when they are going for auditions elsewhere, when they mention BRB, people will know what that means in terms of classical training and everything else.’

By giving these young dancers support at the beginning of their career, Carlos has high hopes they will follow in his footsteps to become international dance superstars in the future.

Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection
New Theatre Peterborough 3 & 4 May
46 Broadway, Peterborough, PE1 1RS
01733 852992
newtheatre-peterborough.com