🩰Here Is Birmingham Royal Ballet ‘s New 2024/25 Season 🩰

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET ANNOUNCES 2024 – 25 SEASON

• BLACK SABBATH – THE BALLET IN ROTTERDAM JUNE 2024 PRESENTED BY HOLLAND DANCE FESTIVAL 
• THE MAIN COMPANY TO PERFORM CARLOS ACOSTA’S CLASSICAL SELECTION IN ICELAND SUMMER 2024
• AUTUMN SEASON BEGINS WITH LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE AS PART OF 24-28 ASHTON WORLDWIDE FESTIVAL
• WORLD PREMIERE OF THE THIRD PART OF THE BIRMINGHAM TRILOGY, LUNA, FEATURING AN ALL-FEMALE CREATIVE TEAM
• THE NUTCRACKER RETURNS TO BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME AND THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
• SPRING 2025 UK TOUR OF SIR DAVID BINTLEY’S CINDERELLA
• BRB2’S THIRD UK TOUR TO FEATURE AN ALL-NEW PROGRAMME FOR SPRING 2025

Today, announcing Birmingham Royal Ballet ‘s 2024 – 25 Season, the company’s Director Carlos Acosta said: ‘I am so happy to be able to share our plans for the future with everyone. Still riding high from the successes of the autumn/winter 2023 season, we have a lot to celebrate, but we also keep moving forward, keep challenging ourselves and keep aiming high, in terms of our goals and ambitions. Everyone at BRB has worked incredibly hard to ensure my vision for this company has been, and continues to be, realised, and I am very proud of our achievements and excited about our plans. This Season exemplifies the importance of balancing the creation of platforms for emerging talents to shine, alongside the joy we bring to the classical canon of work that the Company is so proud to perform.’

Fresh from the sell-out success in Birmingham, Plymouth and London, Black Sabbath – The Ballet has had a raft of international interest. The European premiere will be at the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam, presented by Holland Dance Festival (13 – 15 June) and we are already in advanced talks about touring Black Sabbath – The Ballet to the USA in summer 2025.

In summer 2024, the Company will make its first-ever visit to Iceland to perform Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection in Reykjavik.

The autumn season begins at Birmingham Hippodrome (25 – 28 September) where BRB presents Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée, its Founder Choreographer’s most popular ballet. This is the first time La Fille mal gardée has been presented by BRB under the directorship of Carlos Acosta, who, for many, is one of the definitive interpreters of Colas in this sunny, effervescent ballet. The production will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal (10 – 13 October) and Sadler’s Wells London (24 – 25 October) and is part of the official 2024-28 Ashton Worldwide Festival. Additional BRB events programmed as part of the Festival include A Celebration of Ashton in February 2025, and a special Ashton Foundation ‘Insight’ masterclass, featuring Carlos Acosta and Sandra Madgwick coaching BRB dancers in the roles of Colas and Lise on 30  April 2024 at Elmhurst Ballet School.

Also this autumn, BRB presents the World Premiere of Luna, a 2-act (full-length), abstract ballet in six movements, which forms the final part of Carlos’s Birmingham Trilogy (City of a Thousand Trades + Black Sabbath + Luna). This new work is inspired by the pioneering and socially enterprising women of Birmingham who have contributed to the shape of the city that Birmingham Royal Ballet calls home. Drawing inspiration from the book Once Upon a Time in Birmingham: Women Who Dare to Dream by Louise Palfreyman, it features an all-female, international creative team, including Choreographers Iratxe Ansa (Spain); Wubkje Kuindersma (Netherlands); Seeta Patel (UK); Arielle Smith (UK); Thais Suárez (Cuba); with music composed by Kate Whitley (UK). Costume Design is by Imaan Ashraf,Projection Design by Hayley Egan and Lighting Design by Emma Jones. The creative team will explore contemporary universal themes including matriarchal roles in society, education, female empowerment, overcoming adversity, and community. The World Premiere will be at Birmingham Hippodrome (3-5 October) before it has its London premiere at Sadler’s Wells (22-23 October).

Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker was his gift to the City of Birmingham when Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet moved to the city in 1990 and it remains one of the world’s most spectacular presentations of this festive tale. After breaking all previous box office records in the Birmingham 2023 run, this year will see the first-ever Relaxed performance at Birmingham Hippodrome, which will bring this story to life for children and young people normally unable to attend theatre productions of this scale (1pm, Tue 3 Dec). The Nutcracker’s Birmingham run begins on 22 November playing through to 14 December. The Royal Albert Hall spectacular presentation of The Nutcracker returns this year (29 – 31 December 2024).

The 2025 Spring UK Tour will be Sir David Bintley’s Cinderella, one of BRB’s most popular ballets. With sumptuous sets and costumes by John MacFarlane, virtuoso dance and some of ballet’s most memorable coups de theatre, Cinderella continues to thrill audiences across the world with one of the largest UK touring productions. One of BRB’s most in-demand ballets, Cinderella opens at the Mayflower Southampton (6 – 8 February) before travelling to Birmingham Hippodrome (19 – 29 February), The Lowry Salford (6 – 8 March), Sunderland Empire (13 – 15 March), Bristol Hippodrome (27 – 29 March), and finally Plymouth Theatre Royal (9 – 12 April). 

Spring 2025 will see the third BRB2 UK tour, this time featuring an all-new programme, to be announced. BRB2 has attracted a wealth of international talent to the company already. These future stars have already made their mark within the company and, as the 2-year initiative approaches its first conclusion, all eyes are on what these talented young dancers will do next. Watch this space.

Birmingham Royal Ballet Listings Information (UK only)

Please note, on-sale dates vary across the season. 

Please check BRB’s website for details.

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2024

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La Fille mal gardée

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Choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton

Composer Ferdinand Herold (Arr. John Lanchbery)

Design Osbert Lancaster

25 – 28 September Birmingham HIppodrome (PN 25/9)

10 – 13 October Theatre Royal Plymouth

24 – 25 October Sadler’s Wells London (PN 25/10)

Luna

Choreographers Iratxe Ansa (Spain); Wubkje Kuindersma (Netherlands); Seeta Patel (UK); Arielle Smith (UK); Thais Suárez (Cuba) 

With music composed by Kate Whitley (UK). 
Costume Design Imaan Ashraf (UK)

Projection Design Hayley Egan (UK)

Lighting Design Emma Jones (UK)

3 – 5 October Birmingham Hippodrome (PN 3/10)

22 – 23 October Sadler’s Wells London (PN 23/10)

The Nutcracker

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Choreography Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon

Production Sir Peter Wright

Composer Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Design John Macfarlane

22 November – 14 December Birmingham Hippodrome (PN 22 Nov)

3 Dec (1pm) Relaxed performance 

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The Nutcracker

Choreography Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon

Additional choreography Sir David Bintley, Marion Tait

Production Sir David Bintley

Composer Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky

Costumes & props John Macfarlane

Settings & additional props Dick Bird

Lighting Peter Teigen

Projection Designs 59 Productions

29 – 31 December Royal Albert Hall (PN 29/12)

2025

Cinderella

Choreographer Sir David Bintley

Composer Sergei Prokofiev

Design John Macfarlane

6 – 8 February Mayflower Southampton (PN 6/2)

19 – 29 February Birmingham Hippodrome  (PN 19/2)

6 – 8 March The Lowry Salford 

13 – 15 March Sunderland Empire 

27 – 29 March Bristol Hippodrome

9 – 12 April Theatre Royal Plymouth