Midlands dancers and choreographers got together for the first  Midlands Dance Hub, organised in the home studios of Birmingham Royal Ballet last Friday.

House artists such as Alexander Bird and Kit Holder worked together with colleagues from Motionhouse, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Sonia Sabri Dance Company and ACE West Midlands.

The day started with a class mash, with the teachers combining elements of classical ballet, contemporary dance and various international styles. Speaking of the event, Birmingham Royal Ballet Director David Bintley said:

“It is an extremely important part of the ongoing development of classical ballet that it places itself in the modern world and opens itself to the varied influences of other dance forms that surround it.”

How dance comes to life

One of the artists who presented their work at the event, Kit Holder, also talked about taking part:

“I find it very important as a dancer to understand the process of creating dance. There is nothing like making new, living, breathing dance and driving new creativity. I am excited to work with the other Midlands-based dance companies on the day.”

Kit  currently works on a project named Wolves Are People Too. It will consist of a dance show on jazz music composed by Birmingham musician David Austin Grey.

A contemporary show, it has been inspired by a Japanese animation movie. The music will be played live on stage, and it will all be accompanied by live illustrations.

Listen to musician David Austin Grey (third from right) talk about the project.