It's a busy week for dance, and a depressing week for our wallets, with Sadler's Wells and Dance Umbrella competing for the best shows on offer, while Rambert's dancers present their own choreography, and the latest Royal Ballet triple bill opens at the Royal Opera House. Meanwhile, ironINC take up residence at Rich Mix on Thursday for an unforgettable night...
Highlights
Akram Khan, 4 - 8 October
Sadler's Wells
Tickets & details: www.sadlerswells.com/show/Akram-Khan-Company-DESH
Already acclaimed as his best work to date, Akram Khan's latest solo DESH sees him collaborating with an Oscar-winning visual artist, Michael Hulls (celebrated lighting designer from Russell Maliphant's 'Afterlight'), Indian writer and poet Karthika Nair and British slam poet Polar Bear. Not to be missed. You can read our review of it here.
Merce Cunningham Dance Company's Final Season, 5 - 8 October
Barbican Centre
Tickets & details: www.danceumbrella.co.uk/page/3260/FINAL+LONDON+SEASON/353
Love Cunningham or hate Cunningham, this is our final opportunity ever to watch the Merce Cunningham Dance Company before they disband at the end of this year. There are three programmes on offer, featuring six works ranging from 1958's Antic Meet to 1999's BIPED. Programme 3 includes Rainforest, which you can see performed by Rambert (for comparison) in November at Sadler's Wells.
Royal Ballet: Limen / Marguerite & Armand / Requiem, 8 - 20 October
Royal Opera House
Tickets & details: www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=16852
The highlight of this triple bill is Marguerite & Armand, originally choreographed exclusively for Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nurevey by Frederick Ashton, and has only been performed since then by Sylvie Guillem (originally Nureyev's protegée) and Nicolas Le Riche. This time, it will be performed by Tamara Rojo and Sergei Polunin, with special performances by Zenaida Yanowsky and Federico Bonelli on 12 & 14 October.
Also on the programme is Requiem, Kenneth MacMillan's tribute to choreographer John Cranko, and Wayne McGregor's Limen.
Worth Seeing
Emanuel Gat Dance, 10 - 11 October
Sadler's Wells
Tickets & details: www.sadlerswells.com/show/Emanuel-Gat-Dance-Brilliant-Corners
Described as "one of contemporary dance’s most exciting young talents", Israeli choreographer will be presenting his latest work, 'Brilliant Corners'. This is part of Dance Umbrella.
Rambert Dance's Season of New Choreography, 11 & 12 October
The Place
Tickets & details: www.theplace.org.uk/10568/whats-on/rambert-dance-company.html
Rambert's Season of New Choreography is an opportunity for several of Rambert's dancers to explore their own choreography, and this year's edition treats us to works from Kirill Burlov, Otis-Cameron Carr, Malgorzata Dzierzon, Jonathan Goddard and Gemma Nixon. Jonathan Goddard has hinted that we'll be seeing two works from him; Kirill Burlov's last work was performed by Royal Ballet's Edward Watson (in a truly unforgettable costume), but we can only guess at who will be in his latest work.
There's a competition to win tickets; details are on www.fadwebsite.com/2011/10/03/rambert-dance-company-competition
Cloud Dance Festival Corner
ironINC's Cucashop: A One Night Indoor Festival, 6 October
Rich Mix
Tickets & details: www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/ironinc/
ironINC was formed in 2005 by Jen Irons, one of a group of LCDS-trained choreographers who use humour, irony and wit in their choreography, and whose works blend dynamic choreography with a strong sense of theatricality. Long absent from our stages, ironINC finally return with a a restaging of 2006's "Due To Unforeseen Circumstances", otherwise known as "the motorcycle piece". We can only hope that one day they'll also revive their 2007 piece "The Curse Of The Second Album", which still continues to crop up in conversations nearly five years later!
The night is a fundraiser for ironINC in Africa, a project that uses the arts to promote cultural exchange and social development between the UK and Africa. Other performances will include Uchenna Dance Company, live music from the “Jimi Hendrix of the kora,” Sekou Kouyate, and various DJs.
EDDance Presents…, 9 October
The Nave, 1 St Paul's Rd, N1 2QN
Tickets & details: eddmittondance.co.uk/autumn-shows-confirmed/
EDDance, formed by Edd Mitton, is hosting an evening of contemporary dance at The Nave in Islington, presenting "Stabat Mater: Dances of Loss", last seen at Cloud Dance Festival Firefly. Also performing are Chichester-based Replica Dance Company and The People Pile.