Best of 2014: Dance preview
Zoe Anderson picks this year's must-see dance
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Your support makes all the difference.The Prince of the Pagodas
Birmingham Royal Ballet dance the UK premiere of David Bintley’s production, a fairy tale with a brave heroine and a salamander prince. It’s danced to Benjamin Britten’s shimmering, gamelan-tinged score, with costumes by War Horse designer Rae Smith. Tour starts 30 January, The Lowry, Salford, and runs to 29 March
Kings of the Dance
This gala show, first staged in 2006, has shown off some of today’s most celebrated male dancers. The London line-up features the spectacular ex-Bolshoi star Ivan Vasiliev, Roberto Bolle, Marcelo Gomes, Denis Matvienko and Leonid Sarafano. London Coliseum, 19 to 22 March
Lest We Forget
English National Ballet honours the centenary of the First World War with new works by award- winning choreographers Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Liam Scarlett. Scarlett and Maliphant both come from ballet backgrounds, but it will be fascinating to see Khan, with his contemporary/Indian classical roots, working with a ballet company. Barbican Theatre, London, 2 to 12 April
Lord of the Flies
The latest show from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures adapts William Golding’s famous novel, moving the action from a desert island to a deserted theatre, where a group of abandoned schoolboys start to make their own society. Bourne directs; the choreography is by Scott Ambler, with designs by Lez Brotherston. Tour starts 2 April, The Lowry, Salford, and runs to 6 December
The Winter’s Tale
Christopher Wheeldon’s new work for the Royal Ballet takes on Shakespeare’s tale of jealousy and redemption. How will Wheeldon handle a complex narrative – complete with time jumps and a bear – in dance form? He’ll be working with composer Joby Talbot and designer Bob Crowley. Royal Opera House, London, 10 April to 8 May
The Tempest Replica
Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite explores Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a game of revenge and forgiveness. Pite has created impressive works for other companies: this is a chance to see her own company, Kidd Pivot. Sadler’s Wells, London, 25 & 26 April; Birmingham Hippodrome, 2 & 3 May
The Mariinsky Ballet
The troupe returns to London with three full-length ballets: Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Alexei Ratmansky’s playfully updated Cinderella. There’s also a double bill of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Apollo, and a triple bill of The Firebird, Frederick Ashton’s romantic Marguerite and Armand and Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH. Royal Opera House, London, 28 July to 14 August
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