Birmingham International Dance Festival returns to the city

Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF) is back, LIVE, outdoors and in venues across the city, including in Chamberlain Square.

Following a hugely successful digital festival this June, the city’s signature festival, produced by Birmingham-based DanceXchange, opened on 21 September and ends with an epic 4 days in Centenary and Chamberlain Squares from Thursday 30 September to 3 October 2021.

Showcasing some of the best contemporary outdoor performances, new commissions, a theatrical world premiere and innovative collaborations with visual and performance artists, plus drop-in workshops and opportunities to join in the dance.

The programme welcomes audiences back into public places and spaces to enjoy an imaginative and entertaining FREE live programme, shining a light on the region’s amazing dance offer, engaging communities and celebrating diversity and inclusivity.

View the full schedule

 

Highlights include:

Midlands Made Showcase – Thurs 30 Sept
The festival opens on Thursday  with music from DJ G-Zee and featuring a fabulous line up of Midlands based artists in a huge variety of styles on stage.

Future Cargo by Requardt & Rosenberg – Thurs 30 & Fri 1 Oct

A dancer performing in a full body latex suit, with the inside of a green truck behind them.

A sci-fi dance show phenomenon performed in a 40 foot haulage truck.  The sides roll up and a strange and unstoppable process is set in motion, combining large-scale spectacle with surprising intimacy. Book a free ticket in advance to ensure your place.

KRE8! BY Marso Riviere – Fri 1 Oct

A man jumps to the side, his body fully horizontal, in front of the Town Hall in Birmingham.

One of the leading experimental dance contests in the UK presenting its first ever solo concept battle. Guided by the event hosts, 8 guest dancers will go head-to-head to the sound of a live band and a DJ, following various creative tasks and showcasing their best movement and creative abilities. Only one winner will take the KRE8! Battle crown 2021.

Up My Street (AR) by The Cultural Assembly – Fri 1 Oct – Sun 3 Oct
An immersive, augmented reality, street art and performance experience that creates a digital layer of creative content on the city centre squares. Users see digital dancers performing on the sides of buildings and can make art together.   Book your free ticket in advance to ensure your timed slot.

Roll Play by Simple Cypher – Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct
Prepare to be amazed by the explosive tricks as three amazing performers blur the boundaries of hip hop and circus in a captivating and cheeky show.

Out of the Deep Blue by Autin Dance Theatre – Sun 3 Oct
Encounter an amazing 4-metre puppet as EKO the ancient sea giant meets teenager Violet in a magical journey of empathy and collaboration. A story about the climate emergency told through dance, movement, and masterful puppeteering.

Born to Protest by Just Us Dance Theatre – Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct
This is Hip-Hop dance theatre not to be missed. Born to Protest challenges presumptions of black male and female figures and reveals fragility, vulnerability and the constant battle to prove oneself. This show is a new Hip Hop commissions as part of ‘Roaming Dance’ a partnership with Punch through Gallery37 North. 

Frock by Stop Gap Dance Company – Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct
Six performers collide in an uplifting dance riot set to a new art rock soundtrack. This quirky work offers playful observations of the yesteryears and explodes into a ‘punkish’ celebration of individuality and difference.

Good Youtes Walk by Far From the Norm – Fri 1 & Sat 2 Oct
Dynamic political hip hop theatre, This chaotic and frenzied Hip Hop dance theatre work explores how divided we are as a nation.

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